Posts Tagged ‘Cigar History’

Cuba and Cigars

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

cubaThere are many different stories about the origin of tobacco and therefore the history that brought about the production of cigars. One thing is certain that during this debatable history, Cuban cigars have become the benchmark of cigars.

In the 1600’s, Cuba became a distribution hub for tobacco for Europe. During this time tobacco began being cultivated in Cuba. Many people considered the Cuban seed, the best flavor tobacco and thus it became the ultimate in tobacco.

It is rumored that Cuban locals began the cigar craze by making a crude type of cigar made from twisted and dried leaves that were rolled in another leave. This method of smoking tobacco leaves began to spread and surpassed the tendency to smoke tobacco in a pipe.

By the late 1700’s, cigar factories started to appear and to be produced. Cigars were not exported from Cuba at this time and even did not start to be exported until the 1800’s. With the continued praise about the quality of the Cuban seed, Cuban hand rolled cigars were considered the best of cigars. Even with the advent of machine rolled cigars, the popularity and the elite status of the hand-rolled Cuban cigar has remained intact. It is still the most prestigious cigar in the world.

Cuban cigars are in a class of their own. If you’re ever given the opportunity to smoke one, you won’t be disappointed. Hopefully in the upcoming months the U.S. embargo will be lifted making it much easier to buy them to be enjoyed and experienced more commonly in America.

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.