Easter Weekend Poll Comp: Your first Cuban love...

[MoeFOH]

Cigars, not mistresses, people... although that's an interesting idea for a poll 🤔... Voter names not public on that one methinks. 

But seriously, this weekend's poll is all about the first Cuban cigar that really did you in, had you signed-up for life. The idea inspired by a discussion the Lizards had in the recent Punch Punch pod episode - check it out if you haven't already 👍.  

Check out the poll, vote, and/or post details of the stick and your experience for discussion below - even smoke one and post some pics if you can! (Bonus tickets in the draw for this!)

All participants go into the draw for a bundle (25) of Nudies Queen Corona!! 

Poll closes midnight Monday (Bris time) - Draw done Tues morning 22nd. 

Have fun with it and have a great Easter!! 

[Chibearsv]

Kind of a combination of knowing the stick, Esplendido, and dead brain cells since I don’t remember much else. I had tried Monte 2s before that and enjoyed them but Esplendido was my game changer. Even though it’s my favorite, I’m enjoying the variety of CC flavors available in all CC now. 

[mikejh]

First ever Cuban was an RyJ No. 1 in a silver tubo I got in an online trade or a pass around 2007 or 2008. I wasn’t daring enough to try buying Cubans online at the time so I was really excited for the opportunity. I was sitting on the back patio of our apartment. Right away I could understand the difference in Cuban tobacco. Thick, dense smoke, floral notes. Lighter in body but lots of flavor. It was incredible. I still have the tube.

[Lucas Buck]

More than 20 years ago and I still remember my first Esplendidos in great detail. It was an ‘01 and just blew my mind. I couldn’t believe the rich, creamy, dense amazing flavors. I just sat for what seemed like forever savoring every puff. That was it for me. It was Havana cigars exclusively after that one. Mostly Cohiba. 

[riderpride]

It was a Siglo III from a cardboard pack a friend brought back from the island in Feb '07 - no box date.

I suddenly realized I needed a humidor as the zip lock bag wasn't good enough. I bought a 25-stick desktop thinking I'd never need more than that. Ahhh, the naivety 😆. 

It was on the deck of my old townhouse/bachelor pad and I couldn't pick up on a lot of flavours at the time, but the grassy sweetness was enough to suck me into the world of cigars. It was my first step into premium cigars and there was no looking back after that.

Thanks for reminding me!

Cheers!

[Wookie]

1995 or 96 esplendido. Then a gold band RyJ Churchill the next night. Both blew my mind. 

[yossie]

It was a Cohiba Siglo I almost 20 years ago. I asked a local tobacconist what the recommendation for a newbie was and the answer was this.

[RAC14]

PD4.  

In my post law school world of cigars filled with Vintage Macs, Padron 64, and Opus X, my first PD4 was a revelation. Still love that stick, but so, so many more Cubans now too.   

[Chas.Alpha]

M2 87

[WestCoastSmokin]

It was a RyJ Petit Churchill from a 3 or 5 pack. I believe it was in 2022, smoked it on my balcony where I usually smoke. It had probably like 2 years of age on them at the time of purchase. It wasn’t the first Cuban cigar I smoked but it was one that really turned me onto them! Huge cherry bomb and Cuban twang in there it really blew me back and made me say to myself, “WOW!” That led me to research and learn more about CC’s and I still am learning and going on about them. They sure are an obsession. I actually smoked another one from that same pack like two weeks ago and it was very very good once again. Now I only have one left, looking to add more in the future. 

[unaslob]

It was spring of 2007. But remember it like it was yesterday. Honeymoon in Anguilla. Staying at Cap Juluca. After a few days we took a ferry to Margiot for lunch and some shopping. Went to the LCDH. There was an older gentleman, think John Hammond from Jurassic Park, white hat, shirt, pants- behind the counter. Teeth could not be more yellow. I knew nothing about Cuban cigars. At this point was smoking Nat Sherman’s and Ghurkas thinking I’m the boss. I asked him for some help picking some stuff out. I got a 3 pack of Esplendidos, H Upmann DCs, some Siglo IV?, some RyJ Petit Corona that was almost green, and some Partagas SD4’s.

That evening, I wanted to have something quick (to smoke) after dinner. We sat on our porch outside our room facing Maundays Bay. Stars were out. Nice warm breeze. Looking at the new supply the PSD4 stood out. Cut with a guillotine cutter. Draw draw leathery with spice. Lighting noted immediate hints of cinnamon. Notes of cream and baking spice dominated with toasted nut. Spice backed off and finished with some cocoa notes. Truly an amazing smoke.  

As I type can still smell that warm Caribbean air blowing. A memorable night. As with most firsts, this stick imprinted on my cigar DNA. To this day the PSD4 resonates the most for me. I have over 150 sticks of this marca alone in various degrees of aging and am constantly adding to the stack. 

Will have to dig through the archives to find the pic. Just one of me in the dark my wife took. Faint silhouette of me with just the glow of the cigar as a draw.

[JohnS]

I remember it well. My brother-in-law had ventured to India to attend a wedding of a friend and he brought back a box of Montecristo No.1 with him from the duty-free store at the airport. Since India isn't exactly a renowned marked for Habanos cigars and Montecristo No.1 are by no means the first, second, third or even fourth choice for travellers when picking up a box of cigars from the Montecristo range, it's not an exaggeration to say that he hit upon a brilliant box by chance.

Fast forward to a family gathering at my father-in-law's place down the coast for Christmas, about a 75 minute drive south of Sydney, and my brother-in-law was determined to share one of these cigars with his brother and myself. Do I need at add anything else? My one was stupendous. Thereafter, I was hooked trying to acquire a box like that one!

[Connoisseur Kim]

What an interesting topic and comp indeed! My first CC journey was Cohiba Siglo II Tubo (with Standard Band D) which I reviewed 10 years ago while I was in Malaysia (time flies really fast!).

After I became interested in CCs, I paid a visit to the speakeasy cigar lounge called Whisky Foxtrot Tango; I was immediately fascinated with their CC selections (they even had an old bandless SLR DC 50 cab), but back then, I wasn't well versed in the realm of CCs. So, I asked their staff to recommend a CC for those who're new to CCs, and he encouraged me to try Cohiba Siglo II Tubo as it was tasty, and yet subtle enough to enjoy the CC experience with ease. The Mareva sized Petit Corona was absolutely complex, delicious, and relaxing with the signature Cohiba grass, honey, coffee, citrus, and hay notes that I wanted to savour this CC as long as possible I could (took 1 hr and 5 mins). Since then, I kept puffing on even moar CCs including Connie A (one of my fav CCs and origin of my forum handle), and I decided to join FOH to learn more about CCs.

Sadly, the tubo is the only remaining vestige of Cohiba Siglo II Tubo review (I lost Standard Band D, and tubo got damaged by my silly mistake 😢), and the cigar B&M is now out of business. However, it's a still memorable and monumental moment since it was not only the beginning/prototype of Kimfessions Series but also my first CC and cigar lounge experience 👍.

[loose_axle]

My first was an RyJ tubos 2. I smoked it too fast, didn't light it properly, I got the odd whiff of flavour, but mostly just burning, ash, and a thought that if it was like this people wouldn't do it. I usually bought 4 or 5 and left them un-humidified and I turned green when I finally did smoke them. Being stubborn, and convinced I was doing it wrong, I continued to buy a few singles every now and again and with the rise of the internet and articles and practice I reached a stage where I began to get the flavours, the cigar didn't go out every other puff, and I really enjoyed the experience. 

[griller]

Mine was in the late '90s, a D4 from Danny DeVito's travel humidor. Not going into the details on how it was acquired but to say I had NO idea what I was getting into would be an understatement. I remember the strength & full body and the buzz it gave me. From there, a box of Siglo II was next (which I thought storing in the fridge would be a good idea; thank heaven for the tobacconist who corrected me shortly after acquisition & had me put them in his locker at the store LOL). A cheap Sam's desktop humidor was sourced the next week and the journey began...

[Ford2112]

1997 - Cohiba Robusto on a tropical beach, after an amazing dinner with my lovely redheaded girlfriend. At least the Cohiba was loyal.

[joeypots]

Hoyo DC. Late 90s. I don't remember much but around that time I would get a few from a friend in Canada.  Somewhere in there I had the ah ha moment and never looked back.

[Capn_Jackson]

BBF was the first around 2002, followed soon by Cohiba 35th Anniversario. My band mates and I used to have cigars all the time in high school, but mainly just my guitarist Chris and I, once we got to college. Our local B&M guy loved the youth we brought to the place, and one day offered to sell some of his personal CC stash to us. BBF was the first. We were absolutely in love with it. I can remember how “clean” it tasted, compared to whatever NW smokes we were used to. Occasionally we imbibed and got ESG’s, but usually it was lower-end stuff. Those BBF blew the doors down for us. I think he said they were about 5 years rested at that point. Coffee, some nutty characteristics, and we still remember distinct orange peel notes. A few years later, we ended up getting a box, or maybe a partial box, from the guy for Chris’s bachelor weekend.

Also in 2002, or maybe early 2003, the guy had split a Cohiba 35th Anniversario humidor with someone, and sold us a couple of those sticks. I can’t remember what we gave for them, but pennies compared to what they’d be if released today. I had to ask Chris if he remembers the vitola. It was either the robusto or pyramide. I thought pyramide, but he says robusto. I honestly can’t remember the flavor notes from that cigar, but the cognac we had with it was stellar. Cordon Bleu, from Chris’s dad. “Here. You boys aren’t drinking beer with those Cohibas.” 😆
I’m sure I still have that funky-looking “35” label somewhere.

Others he shared with us back in the early 2000’s included Punch Punch and some HdM, I can’t remember what. Hoyo-de-foggy-memory. I remember being over the moon about those Punch Punch, too.

[Tunkat92]

My first Cuban made me fall in love. A PSD4 from a 15 pack of Tubos. To this day PSD4’s are my favorite go to. I don’t remember a whole lot of the cigar, but just remember it made me think wow I don’t think I can smoke another nicaraguan again

[Sudzdaddy]

'98 trip to Vancouver, BC, Boli RC.  Dark, silky wrapper with an oily sheen, took to the flame immediately!  Dense, rich smoke, totally enveloped me, Cuban twang in spades.  I was hopelessly hooked!

[Mike Mecklenburg]

In April 1996 my friend returned from Cuba and showed up to a stag with a box of Vegueros Especiales No.1. To date, it is the best cigar I ever smoked. Burned for 3 hours with cream, caramel and oil. I was able to save the band and a year later Vegueros was formed as an official Cuban brand. My friend was never able to get more Vegueros but he did get me a box of Montecristo No. 1 which was my real first love.

[BrightonCorgi]

It was 1992 and a Punch tubo I bought at Hajenius in Amsterdam. Lit the cigar and walked out smoking it down the street.I was blown away by power and flavor compared the NCs I was regular to (Dunhill US brands) and Quinteros my roommate brought back from France.

[zeedubbya]

Vague recollection of a D4, around 2002 or so. I had smoked a few “Cubans” at that point but this was different. A totally different experience for sure. Which got me into doing box splits.

The one cigar which really stands out to me was a Punch Ninfas though. We did a 4 way split on a 50 Cab and those cigars came in and were ugly as hell. Skinny, veiny, beat up. Ugly. Two people dropped out, one saying they were girly and probably fake (I remember thinking who would bother to fake a Punch Ninfas?). They offered their end of the split for 1/2 price, which at the time was around $25-$30 if I recall (I think the cab was $225 all in!). I got the cab, and those cigars were just plain glorious. Me and the friend who I split with were sitting on my balcony one night really late smoking one and we both looked at each other and laughed at how good they were. Was a total shock. I think I may still have 1 or 2 of them even.  

[ViscountDick]

My first CC was a RyJ Churchill from the mid 90’s which I smoked in 2014. I remember it being a floral bomb and totally amazed by the flavours and aroma. Very special, not had one like it since. Will keep chasing it!

[Greenhorn2]

The cigar that hooked me on the Cuban leaf was a Cohiba Medio Siglo. Brain cells are gone, but it was an eye opener.