Archive for June, 2009

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The Rich Culture of Cigars

Thursday, June 4th, 2009
Cigar Smoking

Cigar Smoking

Right from the ages back to the present century, it is common to represent rich people with top hats, tails, and lo! The cigars are there too. It has been a culture to smoke cigars on the happy occasions such as graduation, birth of a child, big sales/profits, or anything worth rejoicing. It was also a culture to present the winners of the games involving fairgrounds with cigars from where originated the saying “close but no cigar.”

In the pre-Columbian era of the United States, cigar smoking was considered as the rite of passage to accredit a boy growing into a man. In the European and American cultures, there existed the room for cigar smoking known as “men’s hut” where rituals were also practiced. Back in 19th century, men preferred to retire to the famous “smoking room” to discuss serious issues after their dinner.

The National Cigar Museum Gallery has strong evidences and admirable artworks to ascertain the strong roots of handmade cigars in the history and culture of many countries. If you are a person interested in gaining the cigar knowledge then it is advisable that you begin with the researches on cigar’s cultural and historical significance.

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Starting A Cigar Business

Thursday, June 4th, 2009
Cigar Business

Cigar Business

To start simple, you can try setting up a cigar store that has the benefits of not-too-expensive budget and an apt approach to understand the tastes of the general mass. It is a fact that most of the smokers do not have easy accessibility to good quality cigars; so get started and build your business. Look for the locality where the availability of the cigar stores is quite meager such that you can begin your boutique style cigar shop.

With many towns and cities going “smoke-free,” you can make a good business by starting a stylish and cozy smoking bar. If your local regulations do not allow smoking in public then you can create the pleasant environment, which will attract the cigar patrons to your place. Thus with the simple arrangements of tables and chairs, you are all set to begin your smoking bar where you can sell the good quality handmade cigars, humidors, and more.

Are you a person with sound knowledge of the cigar industry? Then it is possible for you to make money by sharing your ideas and facts with those interested individuals via the innumerable cigar magazines, reviews, or books. This is not the end; you can begin your cigar web sites, cigar podcasts, and if possible, you can attempt even organizing television shows. You will have to make sure that you leave your mark as a reliable source of cigar knowledge then opportunities will line up with which you can reach the professional status. Some of the choices may need heavy investments and you can decide accordingly.

Apart from selling good quality cigars, you can also make a business with the cigar accessories such as humidors. You can also come up with innovative ideas that will attract the potential customers.

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Cigar History in Brief

Thursday, June 4th, 2009

The Early Years
Nobody knows for sure the first time a cigar was lit. Available sources suggest that the habit of smoking first caught fire in Latin America about 2000 years ago. It was then transported to North America and Europe via the European travelers and colonists in the fifteenth century, such as Christopher Columbus. Some scholars believe that the word cigar was originated from the Mayan word sikkar, which means smoking. However, this theory regarding the etymology of cigars is not universally accepted.

The Trend Becomes Popular
At first, the habit of smoking was not very well accepted. In the higher echelons of the society, this habit was frowned upon. In the early stages, it was something reserved for the members of the lowly working class. However, many high society members including royal family members secretly indulged in the pleasures of smoking cigars.

Cuban Cigar Smoker

Cuban Cigar Smoker

By the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the cultivation of tobacco had become popular in some states of the USA. Till then, tobacco had been cultivated mainly in Cuba, Jamaica, and Dominican Republic.

One of the prominent figures in the history of the relationship between handmade cigars and culture is King Edward VII. He was a chronic smoker and was prepared to invite the wrath of his mother, Queen Victoria. He did not come openly against his mother, but he was unapologetic about his smoking habit. After his mother’s death, in one of the first meetings, he declared to the members of the royal assembly: “Gentlemen, you may smoke.” This royal patronage helped smoking a great deal in getting an acceptable place in the culture of our society.

Present Era
During the early stages of the twentieth century, smoking became a representative habit of the quintessential male. If you are a rebel, activist, women charmer, or an action man, you must smoke. Even the advertisements of cigarette brands reflected this attitude. Gun wielding, horse-riding macho men became the advertisement symbol of many cigarette-manufacturing companies.

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The Sociology behind Cigar Smoking

Thursday, June 4th, 2009
Cigar Smoking

Cigar Smoking

Cigars and culture is a topic that requires an in-depth sociological study. Even though many people believe cigar smoking can be harmful millions of people of all sorts, from those belong to the social upper class such as business magnates and academic scholars to those belong to the lower class such as factory workers and the unemployed, smoke cigars with great abandon.

The most popular sociological belief is that smoking indicates a tendency to break the rules. It provides the ultimate macho image. When a person smokes, he, or occasionally she, feels a mysterious feeling of rebellious power. This alpha male image is the most powerful link between cigars and culture.

There are two reasons for the widespread popularity of cigars. The first is the cultural endorsements of cigars by great leaders and scholars. Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Che Guerra, and Fidel Castro, during the early part of his life, were passionate smokers and even provided quotable quotes on the subject of smoking. As a result, cigars became the symbol of power for many people.

The second is the frequent referrals to smoking in popular fiction and portrayal of smoking as a metaphor in movies. The fact that many writers, directors, actors were active smokers reflected in their works of art as well. Mark Twain’s famous remark – “if smoking is not allowed in heaven, I don’t want to go there” – appears like a gospel to the devoted smokers. In Wild West Hollywood films, a cigar is an integral part of the trigger happy, women-charming action heroes. All these created a cult image for cigar in the minds of both urban and rural people. Thus, a strong link between handmade cigars and culture was formed.

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Interesting Cigar Facts

Thursday, June 4th, 2009
Cigar

Cigar

The longest cigar that was ever rolled measures 20.4 meters ending length. It was an achievement of Jose Castelar Cairo, from Havana, which had stiff competitions from the long cigars hand rolled by many others in the world. In the pursuit of creating a world record, this Cuban cigar roller designed the cigar approximately of the size of a blue whale. He is a proud holder of two ‘Guinness World Records’ where he broke his previous record with the 20.4 meters cigar.

Christian Mortensen who lived a ripe age of 115 entered into the list of world records by becoming the oldest cigar smoker. He is also claimed to be the longest cigar smoker because he preferred to smoke till his last breath. Mortensen was found to be smoking fine Danish handmade cigars with great frequency. He passed away in 1998 and was a voracious cigar smoker all his life.

Jugglers have a soft corner for the cigar boxes that they use for performing their juggling actions to attract the onlookers. The bowling pins, sticks of fire, and the knives became common after the usage of cigar boxes by jugglers. The general facts apart, it is noteworthy that Kris Kremo created the Guinness World Record by performing an exceptionally enthralling juggling act with the cigar boxes. In 1977, he impressed everyone by throwing one of the cigar boxes and catching hold of it after a quick quadruple pirouette. In 1994, Kristian Kristof performed a more complex act by releasing three cigar boxes at a time and taking hold of them after a quicker quadruple pirouette.

A seemingly simple stack ups with the strong and square cigar boxes created a world record when a whooping number of 211 boxes were balanced one over the other and did not fall to the powerful gravity for almost 9 seconds.

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Interested in Cigar Smoking

Thursday, June 4th, 2009
Cigar Aficionado

Cigar Aficionado

Do You Consider Cigar Smokers Impressive?
It is natural for anyone who is interested in cigar smoking that they have their personal sources of inspiration. It can be anything from the characters in the movies or the family members. In most of the cases, the picture of a cigar-smoking person brings to our mind a rich, relaxed, and authoritative image.

Although analyzing the authenticity of this fact is a topic under discussion, many surveys indicate that most of the individuals have their passion for cigars not just for its favor and aroma but also to feel important. Have you been instilled by your rich uncle/aunt who smokes a handmade cigar in a stylish way? Then you are too into the game and will most probably develop the habit of cigar smoking if you have not yet begun. The passionate cigar smokers are always on a hunt for gaining as much cigar knowledge as possible as it makes the experience even more fun and close to heart. Moreover, there are several personalities who have left their mark because they were voracious cigar smokers and never quenched their thirst for gaining the maximum cigar knowledge.

Join The Club!
If you wish to find people with similar interest as you and gain more cigar knowledge then you can sign up in any of the innumerable cigar clubs that are operating all over the internet. However, make sure that you are a person who is not going to take pot shots at cigar smokers or having a bad humor about cigar smoking, because these members are serious about their passion for cigars and will not appreciate the negative attitude.

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Famous Cigar Smokers

Thursday, June 4th, 2009
Groucho Marx

Groucho Marx

Listed below are handfuls of personalities who still continue to be a source of inspiration for the cigar smokers. If you are person interested in enhancing your cigar knowledge then it is a must that you must know sufficient details about these renowned persons.

Winston Churchill – This powerful British Statesmen and Prime Minister needs no introduction. He was quoted to have said that he smokes at least 8–10 cigars per day and called it as “sacred rite” which he wished to follow frequently.

Groucho Marx – He was not famous only for his comedy but also for his passion for cigars, which continued to appear as his extra limb. This great comedian was quoted that he would prefer only cigars even if the choice was between cigars and woman.

Sigmund Freud – The famous psychoanalyst, who was gifted to notice phallic symbols in almost everything, stated that a cigar is sometimes just a cigar. He was an aggressive cigar smoker and passionate about gaining cigar knowledge, thus needed at least 20 cigars per day.

George Burns – He was a person who was seldom seen without cigar, be it on stage or in photographs. He is said to have chosen his cigar brands on the factor, how long they lasted. Burns was quoted to have defined happiness as good meal, good or bad woman, but always accompanied with a good handmade cigar.

Mark Twain – This popular writer, who enthralled the world with his works, was a cigar smoker who needed 22 – 40 cigars per day. He is said to have stated that he had no interest to go to Heaven if smoking was not allowed there.

King Edward VII – He was eldest son of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, who had a voracious appetite and an unending passion for cigar smoking. He used at least 20 cigarettes in addition to 12 large cigars per day. His famous quote was also relevant to cigars when he gave permission for smoking in his kingdom.

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Cigar History

Thursday, June 4th, 2009
Cigars

Cigars

It is common to find individuals forgetting to know the history or culture of handmade cigars, as they get lost in essence, flavor, and aroma of the cigars. To start with, Christopher Columbus is considered as one of the first cigar connoisseurs even though he was not the first person who invented the concept of smoking cigars. Cigar smoking dates back to as early as 900 A.D. and the inhabitants of Mesoamerica and the Caribbean Islands are believed to be the forerunners of cigar smoking culture.

Though many of the non-smokers may confuse the term ‘cigar band’ to be related with music, cigar band or ring is in fact the circular piece of paper that is wrapped around the cigar’s head. To highlight the significance of the cigar bands before passing onto its history; the cigar band has lots of lore associated with it. Any cigar band has the name of the country and the brand from which it was made along with the indications to show if it is hand-rolled.

These cigar bands are believed to be discovered by Catherine the Great or Spanish Nobles, who was the Empress of Russia in 1700’s. It is said that the nobles who were fond of cigars did not approve the stains left by them on the gloves thus prompted the invention of cigar bands. But on the other hand, invention of cigar bands is accredited to Gustave Bock who was an advertising guru from Europe.

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The Road to Becoming a Cigar Aficionado

Thursday, June 4th, 2009
Cigar Aficionado

Cigar Aficionado

It needs no second saying that handmade cigars have always been an entity related to majestic personalities; who does not wish to resemble those eminent style gurus? If you are a newbie but wish to be a cigar connoisseur, it can be a very enjoyable road to learn more and try new cigars daily. Make sure to invest sufficient time and money to analyze the various sources of cigar knowledge and in no time, you will become an appreciable cigar connoisseur. Although there are innumerable reviews on all kinds of cigars available on earth, many experts suggest that nothing can be equal to hand-on experiences as far as cigar knowledge is considered.

Therefore, if you want to know more about cigars, get started to try your favorites and the popular ones in the market; you are sure to get the opportunities for comparing and reviewing them. Knowing only the pros or the good favors will not complete your cigar knowledge, so you must try even those brands that you may hate if you wish to become a cigar aficionado. Thus, variety is the key and if you choose to taste different cigars occasionally, you will become an expert reviewer yourself.

It is possible that you will feel lost in the maze when you begin your ‘study’ on cigars and this is when the books/reviews on cigar will be handy. They can serve as an effective starter and expose you to many new ideas that will work wonders when combined with your interest for cigars.

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Effective Cigar Reviews

Monday, June 1st, 2009
Imported Cigars

Imported Cigars

A good review is the one that can provide the unbiased comparisons, pros, and cons of the particular cigar under inspection. However, it is to be remembered that almost all the Cuban cigars are illegal as per the laws of many countries such as the United States. There are reviews on all the varieties of non-Havana cigars, which do not face the legal problems as of the Cuban cigars, thus will guide you in making the suitable choices. With a good review or book, you can gain the cigar knowledge to the best, which may include anything from tips on properly cutting the hand rolled cigars to the possible styles with cigar smoking. There are even websites exclusively on providing cigar knowledge to their readers.

There are several reviews that are fighting tooth and nail to offer the best of cigar knowledge and they analyze all types of cigars ranging from the factory-made cigars, namely, Phillies that are cheaper to the latest Rocky Patel handmade cigars. With the advent of internet, it will not be tough to find the sources of cigar knowledge that are free in most of the cases. Most of the sources do not stop with reviewing the cigar products but also go a step further and include videos, photos, and more to complete the cigar knowledgebase. The reviews will be ideal to compare the rates and specialties of different cigar brands that are highly useful while shopping for cigars.

The websites dedicated to provide cigar knowledge are offering to solve the most common doubts and clarifications too. In many cases, the sources provide the cigar reviews accompanied by rating of the particular product based on several factors. You can also look for special discounts provided by cigar manufacturing companies and the answers for the questions you may have related to cigars in the websites dedicated to offer the maximum of cigar knowledge.

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