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Cigars History
OriginsThe indigenous inhabitants of the islands of the Caribbean Sea and Mesoamerica have smoked cigars since at least the 900s AD, as evidenced by the discovery of a ceramic vessel at a Mayan archaeological site in Uaxactún, Guatemala, decorated with the painted figure of a man smoking a primitive cigar. Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus is generally credited with the introduction of smoking to Europe, an action which is often termed the "discovery" of smoking, despite his having borrowed the practice from the indigenous Americans. Two of Columbus's crewmen during his 1492 journey, Rodrigo de Jerez and Luis de Torres, are said to have disembarked in Cuba and taken puffs of tobacco wrapped in maize husks, thus becoming the first European cigar smokers. In the 19th century, cigar smoking was common while cigarettes were still comparatively rare. The cigar business was an important industry, and factories employed many people before mechanized manufacturing of cigars became practical. However, all modern cigars of high quality are still rolled by hand; some boxes bear the phrase Hecho a Mano, "Made by Hand", as proof. U.S. embargo on CubaThe cigar became inextricably intertwined with political history on February 7, 1962, when United States President John F. Kennedy, intending to sanction Fidel Castro's communist government, imposed a trade embargo on Cuba. Americans were thus prohibited from purchasing what were at the time considered the finest cigars on the market, and Cuba was deprived of a large portion of its customers. According to Pierre Salinger, then Kennedy's press secretary, the president ordered him on the evening of February 6 to obtain a thousand Petit H. Upmanns Cuban cigars; upon Salinger's arrival with the cigars the following morning, Kennedy signed the executive order which put the embargo into effect. Cigars obtained prior to the embargo are not considered contraband, and became known as "pre-embargo Cubans". As of 2006, it remains illegal for Americans to purchase or import Cuban cigars. As is usual with embargoes, there exists a lively smuggling trade, coupled with elevated prices and rampant counterfeiting. Due to the increased use of home computers and the advent of the Internet, it has become much easier for people in the US to purchase illegal cigars online from neighboring countries such as Canada where there is no embargo against Cuba. The full impact of computers and the Internet on the embargo is not known. As with all illegal activity, there is a higher risk of being taken in a scam, either by receiving counterfeit goods or nothing at all. Revival of interestDuring the mid- to late 1990s in the United States, numerous cultural phenomena
caused the popularity of cigar smoking to skyrocket. Lavish dinner events, or
"smokers", were held in virtually every metropolitan area of consequence across
the United States. Celebrities, radio and television talk-show hosts,
politicians, blue-collar workers, and even a large number of women were drawn to
the allure of the cigar. The sudden resurgence in cigar smoking created demand
that was difficult to supply. Additionally, the significance of America's Cuban
trade embargo – imposed some 30 years earlier, before many of the new
aficionados were born – suddenly became very evident. Cigar retailers, a good
number of them new establishments looking to capitalize on the craze, could name
their price on virtually every type and brand of cigar. Some even refused to
sell any one customer an entire box at a time, regardless of the fact that only
a very few could afford to, as a courtesy to their other customers.
In the rush to meet demand, the quality of many premium cigars suffered for
brief periods of time. Eventually, consumer demand so far outpaced supply that
many of those who took it up had to cease the practice altogether. For many,
this was mainly due to either lack of supply or overinflated prices. For others,
the newness of the fad had simply worn off. By 2005, cigar prices had descended
to reasonable levels, and supply of the best brands is abundant for those who
continue to enjoy cigar smoking, even in the face of public scrutiny and
disapproval.
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Cigarettes
