One of my fondest memories is the first day it snowed every year. I’d go outside and have a cigarette…sometimes two in a row. It is always so peaceful and quiet on the first snow of the year. People are extra cautious and there are little cars on the road, the air is heavy and cold, but sharp nonetheless. There is a special quietness and serenity to the first snow. I enjoyed that time alone always. I think I did it 15 times and loved each and every one. Snus and snuff won’t equal that in my book but that’s Ok. The fact that you can’t get them back is part of what makes memories so great.
@streetcarp: We married our mums.
Born 1958 first cigarette: 1964 at the farm of my uncle, wervikse tobacco, one of the strongest in the world, I live in the area where it’s grown. First Chew: never tried it First dip: never tried it First snus: 2004, I still enjoy some now and then First snuff: more then 35 years ago, while in Germany training with the dogs these guys where snuffing Pohls and I tried it, fell in love instantly First cigar: 1970 for me it’s a occasional thing First pipe: 1976 while in army, enjoyed pipe smoking a lot but had to quit last year, no more smoking for me.
@ wickedkitchen Beautiful essay! The one thing I miss most about living in the South is the intense silence that follows a heavy snow. Unfortunately, the first snowfall of the year is usually a lot more beautiful than the last snowfall of the year.
Born 1960 First snuff 1970, before a class test in school, i failed completely and abandoned snuff for the next 37 years. First cigarette 1972, i became a more or less heavy smoker 1980. Stopped smoking 2007 with the help of snuff. A half year later i also started with Snus. I m using both, snuff and snus now, and have a lot of fun with it 
First cigarette: 1979, Craven “M”. I rue the day! After a few weeks, I moved to Camel “dead-ends”. I smoked any and every kind of plain tipped cigarette, but the Camels were my mainstay.Plus Drum and, sweet bliss, Old Holborn! I will still favour a butt once in awhile, but it’s thin gruel compared to a pinch or pipe. First pipe tobacco: some nondescript thing called Irish Mead. I won a pouch and a pipe in a poker game. High roller! Very sporadic pipe smoker until I hired on the railroad in 1991. I favoured English flakes like St.Bruno. Walnut and Digger until they were yanked from the Canadian market by the much-loathed Imperial Tobacco. Then I moved to Edgeworth. It’s gone now too. Sigh. First cigar: 1981. A Dunhill Cuban! I used to smoke a lot of cigars until the boom sent prices sky-high. Now it’s the occasional Villiger Export. First snuff: Gosh, you think that it would be seared in my memory if not my sinuses, but I can only guess O&G in the mid-eighties. Didn’t really fall for snuff until the late nineties, and had no idea what was out there until I finally got online. Until the computer, all my tobacco knowledge came from the “Pipe Smoker’s Ephemeris”. Then came the process of writing to far away, money orders, and waiting. I always feel melancholy thinking about tobacco. It has brought me so much pleasure, consolation, inspiration, and fellowship…and it’s all being tossed aside. I never would have imagined the day would come when I couldn’t buy a pouch of Edgeworth Ready Rubbed, or a tin of Slices! That being said, I wouldn’t dream of making light of the overwhelming evidence against cigarettes. As an aside, I’m working my way through Paul Johnson’s “History of the American People”, I could hardly imagine the reaction of the early citizens to a 2400% jump in any tax such as was levied on RYO tobacco. There would be blood.
Cool thread: Born 64 First smoke of any description: 1973, my Dad’s pipe First snuff: 1973, found in my Dad’s workshop (He’s got a lot to answer for) First cigarette: 1979 (Benson and Hedges) First chew: 1982 First cigar: 1982
Born 1977 First Smoke: West 1990 First Snuff: Gletscherprise 1987 First Pipe: 2007 (after my son was born) still smoking pipes First cigar: 2004 ( Bolivar Royal Corona/not the american, the cubans) my 2 humidors are filled with about 400 cuban puros First chew/dip: 2004 /still chewing and dipping a few times a year First snus: 1995 / still snusing regularly Stopped smoking cigs 2005 after a 12 year smoking career and started again 2009 but I’m stopping again
Most of the guys here are older than me (I’m nearly 26 now but I can say I’m a heavy smoker for many many years in a row and trying to quit as it damages my health badly. I’ve had the first cigarette when I was 4 years old, well just puffing having fun. Started smoking at the age of 10 and started inhaling at the age of 12, nothing really attracted me to cigarettes but their damn good taste, still I can tell today is the only reason I smoke for is to avoid withdrawal symptoms and I feel quite nervous when I don’t smoke. Anyways in 2009 I’ve tried my first snuff (Apricot Polsch’s) menthol, first time I didn’t really like the feeling in my nose but today i BECAME just another everage everyday snuff taker. I have tried most of the snuff’s out there, but the one I’m in love with is Lowen Prise, Polsch’s Apricot Menthol, President Ozona and Toque Rose, these are my daily snuff’s. the rest are just ocassional and I have tried most of them… I love yeah Cheese and Bacon as well, cherry, grape, the scotch’s are fine but a bit too mild for my taste. I ocassionally smoke cigars every week I suppose, I enjoy cuban and especially Josel Piedra and Cohiba. I have never dipped or chewed tobbacco and I’m aware of its dangers and that it’s highly addictive too, I think I’ll give it a shot someday but I’m staying away from it … 
going to take some Polsch! You guys rule c’you
Born in 1991 (I might be the youngest member here). First “cigarette”: Probably around 2001-2002. My friend and I, despite his incessant worry that we would get AIDS, smoked some cigarette butts we found in the park, and then proceeded to build a small fire on an elevated platform in the middle of the jungle-gym there. First “snuff”: Oct. 2008, made from grinding up an Natural American Spirit cigarette a little bit. Very coarse. First “real” snuff: Two months later in Nov. 2008, Wilson’s Wallflower. First "proper"pipe smoking experience: March-April 2009.
I’m a 1991-er too!
- First cigarette: Around 2005. It was a menthol, not sure of the brand, got one hell of a rush from smoking the whole thing. Smoked a few unfiltered RYO’s from time to time and now I’ll smoke whatever’s going when I’m drinking and with someone who smokes.
- First snuff: Old Paris, in the spring of 2009. It took of pretty quickly from there.
- First chew: Late summer 2009 - An OT sample pack, think I started on the Royal. Certainly isn’t for me.
- First cigar: Smoked various cigarillos. The first was probably a Café Cremé in 2009. I doubt this counts as cigars really!
- First pipe: February 2010, a corn cob. Very nice.
About my early tobacco experiences: they were all quite pleasant from 1st fag at age of ten to 1st cigar at 17 and dip, snus and snuff between there. Somehow stuck to cigarettes and snus, when I could get it, during the years. Can’t remember the process I came a RYO smoker but financial reasons were part of it and about 1988 I was a skilled hand-roller. Still remember very well Gold River dip I got as American souvenir as 15-year old, that was good and strong! For a while Gold River was widely available in Europe as well. Nowadays, inter net says Gold River is a notorious cheapo dip. Wonder how that happened?
Born: 1964 first cigarette smoked directly by me (as opposed to the seriously smoke-fogged house I lived in with my two smoking parents): circa 1975/1976 (all I know is I was 11 and my birtday comes late summer/early Autumm) a Wintston light stolen from my father’s pack and smoked down by the creek with this goofy girl named Michelle Carpenter (who promptly managed to start a weed fire and was BLOWING on it trying to BLOW it out like it was a cake of candles… duh! I had to knock her big windied butt outta the way and stomp it out… duh and double duh to this day every time I think of it). really didnt start smoking regularly until I was made a ward of the court (long story) and put into what was called a “children’s home” ( place that had been an orphanage and converted to this just a year and a half before I got there)… I swear I wrote this somewhere on this forum already… I swear I did a long smoking history ensued with a few breaks/quits that lasted sometimes several months at a time, eventually working my way around to make my own and gambler tobacco first snus experience, getting ready for a big trip and first plane trip ever halfway across the coutnry to something big and important where no smoking at all of any sort would be allowed anywhere a friend who’s wife actually works for RJ renolds told me about Camel snus, this was about august of last year (2009) trip was cancelled (not by me) at the very last minute less than a day before we were due to leave (I lost alot of money on plane tickets and the hotel room and everything)… but I had this new way to not smoke (or smoke less) plus e-cigarettes… got online found swedish snus then the e-cigarettes (just before the trip, just in time to order a bunch of this stuff and have msot of it before the trip that never happened). first snuff experience, maybe about October of last year (2009).
Born 1983 1st Dip: 2000, Kodiak Ice. Later switched to Cope for about 9 years. 1st Cig: 2000, Chesterfield Unfiltered. Switched to Alpines and Salems for some time then to Marlboro Lights until quitting in 2007. 1st Chew: 2001, Days work. Took a big bite before getting in the shower, lost my breakfast about 10 seconds later. 1st Cigar: 2002, don’t remember what kind. 1st Pipe: 2004, Carter Hall. 1st Snuff: 2006, Packards Club. Later switched to 400 other types.