The Longest Break

[UpInSmoak]

I picked up smoking cigars about 9 years ago.  I   was sitting in a waiting room, well you know...waiting, and saw a Cigar Aficionado laying around.  Not having much else to read, I grabbed for it.   I can’t recall too much of what was read besides there being a decent article about a pro golf player that smoked cigars often.  Can’t remember the guy but I’m sure I could easily google him, but he’s not the point of the story.   The point being cigar smoking peaked my interest that day.   I had had several before hanging with friends, but likely all were crap and and most of them were split open to smoke something else.   However, at this point in my life things were different.   Hanging with the boys were mostly a thing of the past.  I was a new father with an infant at home and I of course was spending more time at home.  Well what could I do to occupy myself now that I’m home.  This baby went to bed at 7pm usually which meant I had a long evening, well, to do nothing.  Hence, I became an avid cigar smoker, and collector at the time as I had quickly been bit by the CC bug.  I enjoyed my Cubans, like I imagine of plenty of others on here do, several times a week weather permitting.  And it was like that for 5 or 6 years.  Pretty consistent, 3,4,5 maybe cigars a week, many weeks of the year.  Then comes a job relocation, a job firing, a job hiring, a house renovation, life just got in the way.  I would have the occasional stick but never really enjoyed it, not like I did in the past.  2-3 years go by with substandard cigar experiences.  I was questioning my palette, not sure what it was I just wasn’t into it.  Not enjoying Cuban cigars, the blasphemy of that.  That was until this past Sunday.  NFL is on during a lazy Sunday.  The kids and wife were occupied so I decide to head to the back yard with a 2014 (i think) Montecristo media corona.  Gorgeous smoke.  So good decide to follow it up with another little guy, a 2012 RG Perla. Again, another outstanding smoke.   Wait, I may be on to something.   Thursday nite rolls around and again another NFL game on tonight.  Kids and wife occupied so I head outside.  Siglo 2 tonight - while it had a rough start, it ended much better and I nubbed the damn thing.  Besides the 3 this week, a nub hasn’t happened in at least the last 2 years.   I still can’t figure out what’s going on, or why I’m suddenly enjoying cigars again, but it’s safe to say I’m back.  

Thanks for listening and if you care to share, what’s your longest break and why?

[LordAnubis]

Good to have your enjoyment back!

A lot of times i think of cigars as i think of religion. It isn't the thing that is good, or bad. Its just a tool that brings out the best (or in some cases the wrost) of what is inside you. 

[Meklown]

Well, this is the most touching love story I've read this year

Welcome back!

[Zaxeiler]

2 hours ago, LordAnubis said:

Its just a tool that brings out the best (or in some cases the wrost) of what is inside you. 

To LordAnubis point, my longest break happened between life transitions. I started at 18 through my mid 20s, and it was something social to do - both with peers and older men at the B&M. It was a fun hobby, but didn’t provide me enough value to keep doing it. I was more in love with the idea of it. 
 

I started up again in my early 30s, and at that point for me, I was deep enough into career and family to actually have something to relax from. I smoked from a whole other place mentally, more solitary, as a way of washing off a day or week. The cigars and pipe tobacco didn’t change, by my place in life did. 

[GavLew79]

My longest break is about 5 days. Any more than that and I really have to carve out some time. It's my solace. My church. 

[JY0]

Spinal fusion, a four month break. 

[Smatthews607]

Maybe 15 years. Began smoking cigars in college with several friends. Great social times, sitting outside of the dorm figuring out the world. Then graduation and life got in the way. Missed the whole experience, but didn't have the time or the network to smoke much. Collected a few NC's; smoked very rarely. When my mother-in-law was no longer able to use her football tickets, they got passed to me. Was offered a cigar while tailgating and fell back in love with the leaf. Vacation trip to Barcelona reminded me of just how special Cubans were. 

I think that my wife and my budget wish we didn't tailgate!

[eldude]

18 hours ago, UpInSmoak said:

This baby went to bed at 7pm usually which meant I had a long evening, well, to do nothing.  Hence, I became an avid cigar smoker, and collector at the time as I had quickly been bit by the CC bug.

I haven't had any serious breaks, still getting into this hobby. This is the stage I am in. Baby goes to sleep, can't leave the house, have to get up too early to drink during the week so a cigar it is. 

[Nico]

My break story...
Bought a 50 count humidor the day after I turned 18, kept it half full and smoked the occasional here and there but somehow lost interest somewhere when I was 20. I still maintained the humidor somewhat never felt the urge to smoke. I turned 21 and went to cabos, Mexico with my dad, and a relative of mine had a membership to a private club. They sold cigars and I remember smoking some sort of partagas coronas at the club. It absolutely blew me away. Then I bought some cc at the airport on my way back home to sweden. Came back and started smoking more on a weekly basis and when I turned 22 I could smoke 3-4 a week instead of 10-20 that I smoked when I was 18-20 years old. Since then, I still smoke away. This year is a record number of cigars smoked, 96. Too much cigars isn’t really enjoyable for me so I think I’ll probably stop at 110 or something.
I still have little breaks here and there but they never last more then 2 months. And the breaks is because of the cold weather here in Sweden.