Best Smoking *Experience* of 2011

Ken Light

I'm not sure I've seen this thread yet, Kuzi correct me if I'm wrong. I think it would be interesting to hear everyone's best smoking story from this past year. Doesn't have to be a great stick, doesn't have to be your favorite, but it might be because of the experience. I think, for a lot of us, the experience can easily make the smoke rather than vice versa.

Mine was at my bachelor party in May. I contacted The Beard for something special and he hooked me up with a box of God of Fire 2007 Carlito Churchills. Me and half a dozen of my closest friends and family lit them up at the Delaware Park racetrack on a beautiful spring afternoon. Not a cloud in the sky, almost no wind, the absolute perfect afternoon for the occasion and the cigar. A mix of newbies and more established smokers all enjoyed the sticks and it was the PERFECT smoke for the afternoon. I think we all lost on the horses, and we all paid way to much for cheap light beer, but it was the most incredible afternoon I can remember.

Can't wait to hear yours...

Shaun.Harrison87

I got 3 Opus X RdC and a PerfX and send one to MWeber and he smoked it while Marker, myself, and another local BotL all smoked em for my -1yr wedding anniversary

Steve2010

This one's easy.
Christmas Day evening, Camp Buehring, Kuwait.

deejmemixx

Steve2010:

This one's easy.
Christmas Day evening, Camp Buehring, Kuwait.

Thank you good sir.

Ken Light

Steve2010:

This one's easy.
Christmas Day evening, Camp Buehring, Kuwait.

Incredible, man, thanks to you and all your brothers there for your service.

The Sniper

Mine was in Miami last month (think it was last month, November maybe???). Anyway, decided before I left that all those "special occasion" sticks I never seem to find an occasion special ENOUGH to spark up would be meeting their maker, so I packed the herfador top-shelf all the way.

Limited myself to one AMAZING stick a day, and they were by and large everything I expected they would be, or remembered them to be depending on the stick. Opus X, God of Fire, Camacho PE, Ashton VSG, Fuente Anejo... all un-rushed, not a thing pressing on me to worry about, just savoring every puff like I havent done in far too long.

And each and every one of them smoked from the balcony of my hotel room, with a gorgeous view of Biscayne Bay, with my favorite drink of choice (Pepsi all the way baby!). Forget 2011, that week was teh best smoking *experience* of my life!!! :-)

Only experience that came close in 2011 was the Opus X I smoked after my going away party when I left my previous job. Just me and the cigar, on a warm quiet evening, knowing I was going to start a great new job on Monday and reflecting on the steps of my life that had brought me to that point. Perfect. :-) Great idea for a thread Ken, thanks for coming up with it!

Ken Light

The Sniper:

Mine was in Miami last month (think it was last month, November maybe???). Anyway, decided before I left that all those "special occasion" sticks I never seem to find an occasion special ENOUGH to spark up would be meeting their maker, so I packed the herfador top-shelf all the way.

Limited myself to one AMAZING stick a day, and they were by and large everything I expected they would be, or remembered them to be depending on the stick. Opus X, God of Fire, Camacho PE, Ashton VSG, Fuente Anejo... all un-rushed, not a thing pressing on me to worry about, just savoring every puff like I havent done in far too long.

And each and every one of them smoked from the balcony of my hotel room, with a gorgeous view of Biscayne Bay, with my favorite drink of choice (Pepsi all the way baby!). Forget 2011, that week was teh best smoking *experience* of my life!!! :-)

Only experience that came close in 2011 was the Opus X I smoked after my going away party when I left my previous job. Just me and the cigar, on a warm quiet evening, knowing I was going to start a great new job on Monday and reflecting on the steps of my life that had brought me to that point. Perfect. :-) Great idea for a thread Ken, thanks for coming up with it!

Sounds amazing...and strikingly similar to the bomb you send Marty...so which was the inspiration for which? By the way, I think those reviews are up there as one of my favorite threads of 2011...

The Sniper

Me too. Marty always bags on his palette, but I have thoroughly enjoyed his reviews of them! Never really drew a line between Marty's bomb and my Miami experience, but I sent the bomb to him with the thought that life's too damned short not to experience the best it had to offer, so its entirely possible it inspired me to do the same.

Salem

When I found this forum, learned how to smoke, found some friends here & cigars, and went out and smoked my first cigar. Best experience. Though I don't really know any of you, I feel like I've smoked with you all.

Diamondog

Best smoking experience for me was late last summer HERF'ing with about 40 people. Guest of honor from Austrailia, one of the best cigar rollers in the world (Hamlet) also there from the Partagas factory in Cuba and I got to smoke aged Cubans (20+ years) all night, Punch, Partagas, Montecristo, Cohiba including a pre-embargo at the end of the night to cap things off....may very well never get another opportunity like that ever again, was truly a surreal and eye opening experience as to how good cigars can really get...

Direwolf

You win lol

JDH

Well, it's official. I have a very boring life. I know this to be true after reading through this thread. But what the hell, it's my life, and I can be boring if I want to!

Of course, I could lie and say the best cigar experience I've had was while hang gliding in New Zeland while burning a God of Fire...but to be honest, the best one I've had this year was after my daughter's wedding...a Padron '26 maduro torpedo on a perfect September afternoon with a few good friends and some Pappy Van Winkle 24 year old bourbon.

Diamondog

JDH:

Well, it's official. I have a very boring life. I know this to be true after reading through this thread. But what the hell, it's my life, and I can be boring if I want to!

Of course, I could lie and say the best cigar experience I've had was while hang gliding in New Zeland while burning a God of Fire...but to be honest, the best one I've had this year was after my daughter's wedding...a Padron '26 maduro torpedo on a perfect September afternoon with a few good friends and some Pappy Van Winkle 24 year old bourbon.

Smoking a cigar at my daughters wedding would be one of the best experiences of my life lol not just last year, doesn't sound too boring to me!

rossdavey2

The SE herfs and in Dec just sitting in a lounge in tampa for the afternoon smoking and relaxing by myself.

Ken Light

JDH:

Well, it's official. I have a very boring life. I know this to be true after reading through this thread. But what the hell, it's my life, and I can be boring if I want to!

Of course, I could lie and say the best cigar experience I've had was while hang gliding in New Zeland while burning a God of Fire...but to be honest, the best one I've had this year was after my daughter's wedding...a Padron '26 maduro torpedo on a perfect September afternoon with a few good friends and some Pappy Van Winkle 24 year old bourbon.

Man, if that's what you call boring, I wish I had hung out with you back in the day when life was exciting! Hahhahaha, in envy that experience on at least 5 different levels...

kuzi16

i would have to say that this years best experience was when Matt Booth, Colin Ganley, JD, any my wife sat around the Drew Estates Pool smoking LP T52s and JdN Cabinettas till the wee hours of the night.

Rhamlin

The best for me was New Years turned a buddy onto his first cigar and though I wound up smoking the Moro Castle I took for him instead of the stick he bought me for Christmas it was a great time and the Scotch was flowing freely. Can't believe we drank the whole bottle but that's another story.

RBeckom

Smoking my first Opus x while waiting on the delivery of my fifth granddaughter, Jovie Grace Golden. A perfect cigar and A fine, healthy and beautiful child.

Ken Light

RBeckom:

Smoking my first Opus x while waiting on the delivery of my fifth granddaughter, Jovie Grace Golden. A perfect cigar and A fine, healthy and beautiful child.

Man, I gotta get to it with the family thing. You guys that have kids and grandkids really have something to celebrate.

415

honestly i couldnt tell you the day or even the month.
it was over the summer. on the back deck drinking a beer while smoking a san cristobal de la habana muralla.
not sure why this moment stuck with me as being the best.
it was far from being the best cigar i smoked in 2011
i guess it was just one of those moments where i stoped and thought about how great it is to be alive

Marker

Night of August 27th. I had my black belt test for Tae Kwon Do. Worked my butt off for 3 hours including 30 minutes of sparring. Broke some bricks and boards. Broke my hand. That night I sat on the back porch with my Ipod, a little Glenfiddich 12 and a 2009 Oliva V maddy.

kaspera79

Marker:

Night of August 27th. I had my black belt test for Tae Kwon Do. Worked my butt off for 3 hours including 30 minutes of sparring. Broke some bricks and boards. Broke my hand. That night I sat on the back porch with my Ipod, a little Glenfiddich 12 and a 2009 Oliva V maddy.

.. A broken hand makes for the best experience of the year ? You are Bad ASSS Brother.

Marker

Still broken on the index finger and pinky knuckle. I went in three weeks after I did it and the moron doctor turned me off. I am letting it heal on its own. Might get it checked this year after I got a good recommendation from a friend. It only hurts now when I fully open my hand or close my index finger all the way.

KCW

I'd have to say for 2011 it was back in February. The whole family (In-Laws and everyone) went to the Mayan Riviera. I still had some Sh#$ going on at home/work. I got a few loose ends straihgtened away after being on the phone from Mexico for about two hours. Then I said to myself, "Go to the pool, get a drink and light up an Anejo and relax". I did just that and it was the best cigar I've had to date. It was a really good experiance because that cigar and the environment did what a cigar should do. It made me RELAX for an hour.

ellinas

Going to visit my family in Greece this summer and smoking a cuban(my first one since i've started smoking) and talking with them while sitting on the beach and my girlfriend at night.

catfishbluezz

A Decade on Christmas Eve. In retail, from Black Friday to Christmas Eve we work our butts off so this was the time to fire up a winner. My first Decade was an excellent smoke, this one had 6 months on it...and it was by far one of the best smokes I've had since I started getting into this mess. I've since ordered a dozen to age. Not sure why I went to this stick as I had a few higher end sticks aging, but it was the best and I smoked it to the nub and added it to my all time list.

Krieg

Probably sitting out on the lake in my buddy's boat one summer night smoking a mow armada. Great evening with a great smoke.

Roberto99

Not the best cigar I had all year but the best smoking experience was boating on our lake with my wife. Hanging out, tanning, swimming; it was 85+ deg out. When we started the ride home I decided to fire up a Gurkha Beauty that I had received about 3-4 months earlier. For some reason the flavors just popped and it really enhanced the day. One of the best feelings I had all year.

Ken Light

Krieg:

Probably sitting out on the lake in my buddy's boat one summer night smoking a mow armada. Great evening with a great smoke.

Now that sounds incredible!

ENFIDL

The NOVA herf's. Even the small ones when two or three of us just happen to get together for a smoke and a beer it's always a pleasure. Love the bork's around here

jimmyv723

Just got back into cigars heavily back in September or October so just trying as many different cigars as I can has been fun. The best experience has been finding this place though. Nothing quite like finding a bunch of great people to share a hobby with and just help you enjoy it that much more. Finding this place has also led to two great herfs with Spindrift here in Phoenix and Kinkjk729 while I was back in Niagara Falls for the Holidays. Paul and Jim are two first class BOTLs and was nice getting to enjoy a cigar with both of them. Also done some great trades with Irish and Teege and been able to participate in a couple of the passes and it's just been a great experience so far.