She was my first. My first proper cigar. I say proper because I have smoked several cigars in my lifetime, but I smoked them with no clue of what I was doing.

I smoke cigarettes. I’ve been smoking cigarettes since I began high school. So, you can imagine my early experiences with cigars. Nasty. Painful. Suffocating. Even with elders advising me not to inhale, I never found the way to truly enjoy what we all know as ‘the cigar’.

I came across the Oliva Serie G Special G upon my search for a birthday gift. I first bought my brother a bottle of Crown Royal blend. Prestigious, we could call this bottle. With such a grand appearance to this whiskey, I felt that a cigar would match. Pretentious, in a sense. Yes. Especially for a fool with no understanding of cigars. But those who knew me well knew that I’d make every effort to never be regarded as a fool. And so I sought out the knowledge.

I discovered the combination of cigar with another taste was known as pairing. Then I discovered that no two cigars were the same. And that every cigar blend and shape gave a different flavour, strength, and burn. From there I found various people’s recommendations of cigar and liquor profiles that paired well.

Crown Royal was sweet and light, so it was said that an earthy sweet cigar would match. Dark wrappers were the main idea. But then I learned that maduros may not have been the best for beginners. My brother and I were going to smoke as beginners. So, I searched for the right beginner’s smoke. I finally narrowed the selection down to the Oliva Connecticut. But… One problem. It wasn’t available in my region of the worlds. That’s when I saw the Special G. Apparently it was good for beginners as well. And so I ordered some online (Most shops were closed because of the 2020 plague).

I didn’t know the Special G was different to the Connecticut. A novice mistake. But the cigar was enjoyable, nonetheless. This was the first cigar I smoked, knowing the proper way. That made it the first time I experienced the flavours of a true smoke.

My palette and skill to identify taste are not yet quite developed as I write this, but I remembered distinctions of the taste.

It was sort of like a cocoa. Something dark, but not harsh. And I do remember the cigar grew sweeter the further down it burned. And I’d keep smoking the nub, overindulging in the already ruined construction.

The smoke tasted classy. It brought me inside a fancy room full of wooden furniture fashioned with intricate baroque details. It was as if I could taste the smell of the mahogany table in front of me. There was no table in front of me, of course. I was seated on a plastic stool, along side my brother, inside his garage. But this was the experience of a cigarette smoker who often sat before live firepits. The smells of smoke and wood were not unfamiliar. But there was a beauty to cigar smoke that no hell could ever replicate.

The Crown Royal was light and smooth. Easy to leave on the tongue without being overpowered by the repulsive burn of alcohol. The liquor may have enhanced my cigar, adding sweet notes to my experience. But I know the cigar definitely changed the flavour of the drink. Whatever barrels Crown Royal was matured in was not distinct to my palette, but the smoke gave the brew a new home barrel. The sips now had a pleasant woody flavour that complimented the present sweetness.

This is as best as I can remember my first proper cigar experience. But I remembered it was surely enjoyable. A good smoke, good drink, and good company. I knew it wouldn’t be my last time.

-Daniel Roy