This is a reprint from an earlier post of mine. But, it does fit in this thread.
When I made the decision to become a cigar smoker, and it was a gradual thing as I tried pipes but they made my teeth sore bitting down on the tips. Never smoked cigarettes or chewed tobacco. ( Yeah I know, I just lost my redneck license ) A friend said, "why don't you try one of my cigars." This was about 1997, I kind of liked it but it was hard to finish because I had to put it down to do work and relighting time after time did not add to the taste. I found a small B&M in the downtown area and bought a bundle. Can't remember the name but it was $27.00 for 25 sticks. I was at the quantity not quality part of my evolution. Then one day the proprietor of the shop said to try a curlyhead. Of course I said, "what's a curlyhead?" It was a $2.50 cigar.$2.50. So I splurged and I bought one. It was great, I loved it. Told all my friends about it, but fell back into the quantity thing. By the way, none of my friends were smoking anything better either. Then the fateful day arrived. I was in the Mall with my girlfriend and she said, "Hey, there's a cigar shop, let me go buy you a cigar." We walked in and the owner said, "Can I help you?" Before I could say, "Where are your curlyheads?" My girlfriend said, "I want to buy him a really good cigar, can you show us one?" The old man sort of eyed us up and down, figured he would get the biggest sale he could out of us and said, "Oh yes, follow me." We walked to a room in the back of the store, he opened a door and went inside. I wasn't sure if we were to follow him inside or not. You see, the little B&M store from downtown didn't have a humidor, they stocked the boxes on shelves behind their counter. The owner of the mall store stuck his head back out of the door and said, "In here, we have our cigars in here." We walked in, wow box after box of cigars stacked to the ceiling on shelves. So many unfamiliar names, so many sizes and shapes, I was completely lost. Once again my girlfriend spoke up, "Which one is your best one?" The man turned to us kind of looking over the top of his glasses, he didn't say anything at first and I was just about to show off my cigar prowess and blurt out, "curlyheads!" When he said, "Well, here are our Arturo Fuente's." That was it, I thought, that was the name on the curlyheads. But before I could say anything, the old man reached up and pulled a cigar from a box high up on a shelf. "This is a Opus X, he said. My girlfriend kind of giggled, "thats a funny name." The old man just looked at us. "Is it your best one , said my girlfriend." "I think so, he replied." Triumphantly my girl said, "I'll take it then." "Wait a minute, I said, how much is it?" The old man showed us the price tag on the cellophane $25.00. $25.00 were my eyes deceiving me, no way was I spending that kind of money on a cigar. But my girl was beaming and saying, "I told you I was going to get you something special." "But honey,I started, thats too much money." She wouldn't hear it, "No, I'm getting you that cigar, it's my money and I want to do it." (God loves a good woman) The old man rang us up and put the cigar in a plastic bag. I had the feeling he was sort of glad to get our money and see us go, but he said,"Come back and see us again."
That night, my girl slipped into her bikini to swam her laps, I pulled up a chair by the pool. I looked up at the moon and stars and lit up that first of many great cigars. That did it, that Opus X turned the light on for me, from that moment on my life had changed.
I still have that feeling when I smoke an Opus X to this day. I don't have the girlfriend anymore, I have a wife and kids now. Things change, but I will always remember that first Opus X.
u and some Swisher Sweets. I went to the B&M asked the tobaccoist(devil) at the counter to suggest me something and it was the Primer Mundo. That was around the 4th of the July last year and since then I've killed many of them with fire.:ss That's when I meet the slope...