A cigar is a tightly rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco which is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the smoker's mouth. H Upmann is the name of two brands of premium Cigar, one produced on the island of Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company and the Montecristo is the name of two brands of premium Cigar, one produced on the island of Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company and the Macanudo is the name of a Cigar brand that is produced in the Dominican Republic. Romeo y Julieta is the name of two brands of premium Cigar, one produced on the island of Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company and Tobacco is an Agricultural product recognized as an addictive drug processed from the fresh Leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. The English cigar comes from the Spanish cigarro, which in turn derives from the Mayan word for tobacco, siyar; see the entry for cigarro at the Spanish Royal Academy's online dictionary. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The Real Academia Española (“Royal Spanish Academy” the RAE, is the official royal institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language ^[1] Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, the Philippines, and the United States. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld The Republic of Cameroon is a unitary republic of central and western Africa. The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la The Dominican Republic ( Spanish: República Dominicana;) is a nation located in the Caribbean region and shares the island of Hispaniola with Honduras in Spanish, República de Honduras) is a democratic republic in Central America. The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Nicaragua (ˌnɪkəˈrɑgwə officially the Republic of Nicaragua () is a representative democratic republic and the largest nation in Central America The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Cigars rolled from Cuban tobacco are often popularly reputed to be of higher quality and better taste. The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la

Contents 1 History 2 Manufacture 3 Marketing and distribution 4 Families in the cigar industry 5 Composition 5.1 Wrappers 5.2 Fillers 5.3 Binders 6 Size and shape 6.1 Parejo 6.2 Figurado 6.3 Little cigars 7 Flavor 8 Cuban cigars 8.1 United States embargo against Cuba 8.2 Cigars specific to other countries 9 Health effects 10 Popularity 11 Popular culture 12 See also 13 References 14 External links

History

The indigenous inhabitants of the islands of the Caribbean Sea and Mesoamerica have smoked cigars since as early as the 10th century, as evidenced by the discovery of a ceramic vessel at a Mayan archaeological site in Uaxactún, Guatemala. For the region see Caribbean. The Caribbean Sea (kəˈrɪbiən or /ˌkærɨˈbiːən/ is a tropical Sea in the Western Hemisphere Mesoamerica or Meso-America (Mesoamérica is a Region extending approximately from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua, defined The Maya civilization is a Mesoamerican Civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the Pre-Columbian Americas Uaxactun (waʃakˈtun is an ancient ruin of the Maya civilization, located in the Petén Basin region of the Maya lowlands in the present-day department Guatemala (República de Guatemala) is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west the Pacific Ocean to the southwest The vessel was decorated with the painted figure of a man smoking a primitive cigar. Explorer Christopher Columbus is generally credited with the introduction of smoking to Europe. Christopher Columbus (1451 &ndash May 20 1506 was an Italian Navigator, colonizer

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. Rodrigo de Jerez was one of the Spanish crewmen who sailed to the Americas on the Santa Maria as part of Christopher Columbus 's first voyage Luis de Torres (died 1493 perhaps born as יוסף בן הלוי העברי Yosef Ben Ha Levy Haivri, ("Joseph the Son of Levy the Hebrew" was Christopher The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Maize (ˈmeɪz ( Zea mays L. ssp mays) known as corn in some countries is a cereal grain domesticated in Mesoamerica

Around 1592, the Spanish galleon San Clemente brought 50 kilograms (110 lb) of Cuban tobacco seed to the Philippines over the Acapulco-Manila trade route. A galleon was a large multi-decked Sailing ship used primarily by the nations of Europe from the 16th to 18th centuries The seed was then distributed among the Roman Catholic missions, where the clerics found excellent climates and soils for growing high-quality tobacco on Philippine soil.

In the 19th century, cigar smoking was common, while cigarettes were still comparatively rare. A cigarette ( French "small Cigar " from cigar + -ette) is a product consumed through Smoking and manufactured The cigar business was an important industry, and factories employed many people before mechanized manufacturing of cigars became practical. Many modern cigars, as a matter of prestige, are still rolled by hand: some boxes bear the phrase totalmente a mano, "totally by hand" or hecho a mano, "made by hand".

Manufacture

Tobacco leaves are harvested and aged using a process that combines use of heat and shade to reduce sugar and water content without causing the large leaves to rot. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} This first part of the process, called curing, takes between 25 and 45 days and varies substantially based upon climatic conditions as well as the construction of sheds or barns used to store harvested tobacco. The curing process is manipulated based upon the type of tobacco, and the desired color of the leaf. The second part of the process, called fermentation, is carried out under conditions designed to help the leaf die slowly and gracefully. Fermentation is the process of deriving energy from the oxidation of organic compounds such as carbohydrates using an endogenous electron acceptor which is Temperature and humidity are controlled to ensure that the leaf continues to ferment, without rotting or disintegrating. This is where the flavor, burning, and aroma characteristics are primarily brought out in the leaf.

Once the leaves have aged properly, they are sorted for use as filler or wrapper based upon their appearance and overall quality. During this process, the leaves are continually moistened and handled carefully to ensure each leaf is best used according to its individual qualities. The leaf will continue to be baled, inspected, unbaled, reinspected, and baled again repeatedly as it continues its aging cycle. When the leaf has matured according to the manufacturer's specifications, it will be used in the production of a cigar.

Quality cigars are still hand-made. An experienced cigar-roller can produce hundreds of very good, nearly identical, cigars per day. The rollers keep the tobacco moist—especially the wrapper—and use specially designed crescent-shaped knives, called chavetas, to form the filler and wrapper leaves quickly and accurately. Once rolled, the cigars are stored in wooden forms as they dry, in which their uncapped ends are cut to a uniform size. From this stage, the cigar is a complete product that can be "laid down" and aged for decades if kept as close to 70 °F (21 °C), and 70% relative humidity, as the environment will allow. According to some experts, however, long-term cigar aging requires significantly lower storage temperatures (for example, 40 °F (4 °C) is recommended for a 50-year storage). The higher temperatures which are usually used in standard cigar storage will cause the cigar to deteriorate after several years, resulting in an eventual corruption of the cigar's flavor. Once cigars have been purchased, proper storage is usually accomplished by keeping the cigars in a specialized wooden box, or humidor, where conditions can be carefully controlled for long periods of time. A humidor is any kind of box or room with constant Humidity (and often Temperature as well used to store Cigars or pipe tobacco Even if a cigar becomes dry, it can be successfully re-humidified so long as it has not been handled carelessly.

Some cigars, especially premium brands, use different varieties of tobacco for the filler and the wrapper. "Long filler cigars" are a far higher quality of cigar, using long leaves throughout. These cigars also use a third variety of tobacco leaf, a "binder", between the filler and the outer wrapper. This permits the makers to use more delicate and attractive leaves as a wrapper. These high-quality cigars almost always blend varieties of tobacco. Even Cuban long-filler cigars will combine tobaccos from different parts of the island to incorporate several different flavors.

In low-grade cigars, chopped up tobacco leaves are used for the filler, and long leaves or even a type of "paper" made from tobacco pulp is used for the wrapper which binds the cigar together.

Historically, a lector or reader was always employed to entertain the cigar factory workers. This practice became obsolete once audio books for portable music players became available, but it is still practiced in some Cuban factories. The name for the Montecristo cigar brand may have arisen from this practice. (See List of cigar brands. In the list of cigar brands, those cases where two or more brands of Cigars from different countries bear the same name the one mentioned is the original one (e )

Marketing and distribution

Cigars are marketed via advertisements, product placement in movies and other media, sporting events, cigar-friendly magazines such as Cigar Aficionado, and cigar dinners. Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a type of Advertising, in which promotional Advertisements placed by marketers using Cigar Aficionado is an American Magazine that is dedicated to the world of Cigars Published since September 1992 the magazine is known for its Advertisements often include depictions of affluence, sexual imagery, and explicit or implied celebrity endorsement. Wealth derives from the old English word "weal" which means "well-being For the use of the term testimonial in sport (especially Football) see Testimonial match. ^[2]

In the U. S. , cigars are exempt from many of the marketing regulations that govern cigarettes. For example, the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act of 1970 exempted cigars from its advertising ban,^[3] and cigar ads, unlike cigarette ads, need not mention health risks. The Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act is a United States federal law, passed in 1970 designed to limit the practice of smoking. ^[2] Cigars are taxed far less than cigarettes, so much so that in many U. S. states, a pack of little cigars costs less than half as much as a pack of cigarettes. ^[3] It is illegal for minors to purchase cigars and other tobacco products in the U. S. , but laws are unevenly enforced: a 2000 study found that three-quarters of Internet cigar marketing sites allowed minors to purchase cigars. ^[4]

Families in the cigar industry

Nearly all modern cigar makers are members of long-established cigar families, or purport to be. The art and skill of hand-making premium cigars has been passed from generation to generation; families are often shown in many cigar advertisements and packaging.

In 1992, Cigar Aficionado created the "Cigar Hall of Fame"^[5] to recognize families in the cigar industry. To date, six individuals have been inducted into the Hall of Fame for their families' contributions to the cigar industry:

• Edgar M. Cullman, Chairman, General Cigar Company, New York, USA
• Zino Davidoff, Founder, Davidoff et Cie. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The United States of America —commonly referred to as the , Geneva, Switzerland
• Carlos Fuente, Sr. Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation , Chairman, Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia. , Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
• Frank Llaneza, Chairman, Villazon & Co. Founded in 1495 during the first wave of European colonization of the New World, today Santiago de los Caballeros (the first " Santiago " of The Dominican Republic ( Spanish: República Dominicana;) is a nation located in the Caribbean region and shares the island of Hispaniola with , Tampa, Florida, USA
• Stanford J. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the Newman, Chairman, J.C. Newman Cigar Company, Tampa, Florida, USA
• Angel Oliva, Sr. JC Newman Cigar Company is the oldest family-owned premium Cigar maker in the United States. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the , Founder, Oliva Tobacco Co. , Tampa, Florida, USA

The oldest family-owned premium cigar company in the USA is the J.C. Newman Cigar Company, a four-generation family with headquarters in Tampa's Ybor City cigar district, which has been making their Cuesta-Rey cigars since 1895. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the JC Newman Cigar Company is the oldest family-owned premium Cigar maker in the United States. Ybor City (ˈiːbɔr (EE-borh is a historic neighborhood in Tampa Florida, located just northeast of downtown; it is also known as Tampa's Latin Quarter Cuesta-Rey (originally 'La flor de Cuesta-Rey' and still printed on the box is a brand of hand-made Cigar, founded in 1884 by Angel LaMadrid Other brands include La Unica, Diamond Crown and Rigoletto. Perhaps the best-known cigar family in the world is the Arturo Fuente family. Arturo Fuente is a brand of Cigar, founded by Arturo Fuente Sr Now led by father and son Carlos Fuente, Sr. and Jr. , the Fuente family has been rolling their Arturo Fuente and Montesino cigars since 1916. The release of the Fuente Fuente OpusX in 1995 heralded the first quality wrapper grown in the Dominican Republic. The oldest Dominican Republic cigar maker is the León family, who have been making their León Jimenes and La Aurora cigars on the island since 1905.

Not only are premium cigar-makers typically families, but so are those who grow the premium cigar tobacco. The Oliva family has been growing cigar tobacco since 1934 and their family's tobacco is found in nearly every major cigar brand sold on the US market. Some families, such as the well-known Padrons, have crossed over from tobacco growing to cigar making. While the Padron family has been growing tobacco since the 1850s, they began making cigars that bear their family's name in 1964. Like the Padrons, the Carlos Torano family first began growing tobacco in 1916 before they started rolling their own family's brands, which also bear the family name, in the 1990s.

Families are such an important part of the premium cigar industry that the term "cigar family" is a registered trademark of the Arturo Fuente and J. C. Newman families, used to distinguish and identify their families, premium cigar brands, and charitable foundation. Even the premium cigars made by the cigar industry's two corporate conglomerates, Altadis and Swedish Match, are overseen by members of two cigar families, Altadis' Benjamin Menendez and Swedish Match's Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. Altadis is a multinational purveyor and manufacturer of Cigarettes Tobacco and Cigars Altadis is the result of a 1999 merger between Swedish Match is a Swedish company based in Stockholm that makes Snus, Tobacco, cigars (handmade and processed pipe tobacco Red Man

Composition

Cigars are composed of three types of tobacco leaves, whose variations determine smoking and flavor characteristics:

Wrappers

A cigar's outermost leaves, or wrapper, come from the widest part of the plant. The wrapper determines much of the cigar's character and flavor, and as such its color is often used to describe the cigar as a whole. Colors are designated as follows, from lightest to darkest:

• Claro – light tan or yellowish. Indicative of shade-grown tobacco.
• Colorado – reddish-brown (also called Rosado or "Corojo").
• Colorado Claro – mid-brown; particularly associated with tobacco grown in the Dominican Republic or in Cuba. The Dominican Republic ( Spanish: República Dominicana;) is a nation located in the Caribbean region and shares the island of Hispaniola with The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la
• Colorado Maduro – dark brown; particularly associated with Honduran or Cuba-grown tobacco. The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la
• Double Claro – very light, slightly greenish (also called Candela, American Market Selection or jade); achieved by picking leaves before maturity and drying quickly; often grown in Connecticut. Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America.
• Maduro – dark brown to very dark brown.
• Natural – light brown to brown; generally sun-grown.
• Oscuro – a. k. a. "Double Maduro", black, often oily in appearance; mainly grown in Cuba, Nicaragua, Brazil, Mexico, and Connecticut, USA. The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Nicaragua (ˌnɪkəˈrɑgwə officially the Republic of Nicaragua () is a representative democratic republic and the largest nation in Central America |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America.

Some manufacturers use an alternate designation:

• American Market Selection (AMS) – synonymous with Double Claro
• English Market Selection (EMS) – can refer to any color stronger than Double Claro but milder than Maduro
• Spanish Market Selection (SMS) – either of the two darkest colors, Maduro and Oscuro

A common misconception is that the darker the wrapper, the fuller the flavor. If anything, dark wrappers add a touch of sweetness, while light ones add a hint of dryness to the taste.

Fillers

The majority of a cigar is made up of fillers, wrapped-up bunches of leaves inside the wrapper. Fillers of various strengths are usually blended to produce desired cigar flavors. The more oils present in the tobacco leaf, the stronger (less dry) the filler. Types range from the minimally flavored Volado taken from the bottom of the plant, through the light-flavored Seco (dry) taken from the middle of the plant, to the strong Ligero from the upper leaves exposed to the most sunlight. Fatter cigars of larger gauge hold more filler, with greater potential to provide a full body and complex flavor. When used, Ligero is always folded into the middle of the filler because it burns slowly.

Fillers can be either long or short; long filler uses whole leaves and is of a better quality, while short filler, also called "mixed", uses chopped leaves, stems, and other bits. Recently some manufacturers have created what they term "medium filler" cigars. They use larger pieces of leaf than short filler without stems, and are of better quality than short filler cigars. Short filler cigars are easy to identify when smoked since they often burn hotter and tend to release bits of leaf into the smoker's mouth. Long filled cigars of high quality should burn evenly and consistently. Also available is a filler called "sandwich" (sometimes "Cuban sandwich") which is a cigar made by rolling short leaf inside long outer leaf.

Binders

Binders are elastic leaves used to hold together the bunches of fillers.

Size and shape

Cigars are commonly categorized by the size and shape of the cigar, which together are known as the vitola.

The size of a cigar is measured by two dimensions: its ring gauge (its diameter in sixty-fourths of an inch) and its length (in inches). For example, most non-Cuban robustos have a ring gauge of approximately 50 and a length of approximately 5 inches. Robustos which are of Cuban origin always have a ring gauge of 50 and a length of 4 ⅞ inches.

See also Factory name. In Cuban Cigar production the factory name or vitola de galera is a standard name given to the size of the cigar across all manufacturers

Parejo

The most common shape is the parejo, which has a cylindrical body, straight sides, one end open, and a round tobacco-leaf "cap" on the other end which must be sliced off, have a V-shaped notch made in it with a special cutter, or punched through before smoking.

Parejos are designated by the following terms:

• Coronas
  • Rothschilds (4 ½" x 50) after the Rothschild family
  • Robusto (4 ⅞" x 50)
  • Hermosos No. The Rothschild family (often referred to simply as the Rothschilds) is an international Banking and Finance Dynasty of German 4 (5" x 48)
  • Mareva/Petit Corona (5 ⅛" x 42)
  • Corona (5 ½" x 42)
  • Corona Gorda (5 ⅝" x 46)
  • Toro (6" x 50)
  • Corona Grande (6 ⅛" x 42)
  • Cervantes/Lonsdale (6 ½" x 42), named for Hugh Cecil Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale
  • Dalia (6 ¾" x 43)
  • Julieta, also known as Churchill (7" x 47), named for Sir Winston Churchill
  • Prominente/Double Corona (7 ⅝" x 49)
  • Presidente (8" x 50)
  • Gran Corona ("A") (9 ¼" x 47)

• Panatelas – longer and generally thinner than Coronas
  • Small Panatela (5" x 33)
  • Carlota (5 ⅝" x 35)
  • Short Panatela (5" x 38)
  • Slim Panatela (6" x 34. Hugh Cecil Lowther 5th Earl of Lonsdale, KG, GCVO ( 25 January 1857 – 13 April 1944) was an English Nobleman Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 9)
  • Panatela (6" x 38)
  • Deliciados/Laguito No. 1 (7 ¼" x 38)

These dimensions are, at best, idealised. Actual dimensions can vary considerably. ^[6]

Figurado

Irregularly shaped cigars are known as figurados and are sometimes considered of higher quality because they are more difficult to make.

Historically, especially during the 19th century, figurados were the most popular shapes; however, by the 1930s they had fallen out of fashion and all but disappeared. They have, however, recently received a small resurgence in popularity, and there are currently many brands(manufacturers) that produce figurados alongside the simpler parejos. The Cuban cigar brand Cuaba only has figurados in their range. The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Cuaba is the name of a Cuban Cigar brand produced in Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company

Figurados include the following:

• Torpedo - Like a parejo except that the cap is pointed.
• Pyramid - Has a broad foot and evenly narrows to a pointed cap.
• Perfecto - Narrow at both ends and bulged in the middle.
• Presidente/Diadema - shaped like a parejo but considered a figurado because of its enormous size and occasional closed foot akin to a perfecto.
• Culebras - Three long, pointed cigars braided together.
• Tuscanian - The typical Italian cigar, created in the early 19th century when Kentucky tobacco was hybridized with local varieties and used to create a long, tough, slim cigar thicker in the middle and tapered at the ends, with a very strong aroma. It is also known as a cheroot, which is the largest selling cigar shape in the United States. The Cheroot or Stogie is a cylindrical Cigar with both ends clipped during manufacture

Arturo Fuente, a large cigar manufacturer based in the Dominican Republic, has also manufactured figurados in exotic shapes ranging from chili peppers to baseball bats and American footballs. The Dominican Republic ( Spanish: República Dominicana;) is a nation located in the Caribbean region and shares the island of Hispaniola with They are highly collectible and extremely expensive, when publicly available. In practice, the terms Torpedo and Pyramid are often used interchangeably, even among very knowledgeable cigar smokers. Min Ron Nee, the Hong Kong-based cigar expert whose work An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars is considered to be the definitive work on cigars and cigar terms, defines Torpedo as "cigar slang". Nee thinks the majority is right (because slang is defined by majority usage) and torpedoes are pyramids by another name.

Little cigars

Little cigars (sometimes called small cigars) differ greatly from regular cigars. They weigh less than cigars and cigarillos,^[7] but more importantly, they resemble cigarettes in size, shape, packaging, and filters. A cigarillo ( Spanish for "little cigar" pronounced "see-gah-ree-yoh" is a short narrow Cigar. ^[8] Sales of little cigars quadrupled in the U. S. from 1971 to 1973 in response to the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act, which banned the broadcast of cigarette advertisements and required stronger health warnings on cigarette packs. The Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act is a United States federal law, passed in 1970 designed to limit the practice of smoking. Cigars were exempt from the ban, and perhaps more importantly, were taxed at a far lower rate. Little cigars are sometimes called "cigarettes in disguise", and unsuccessful attempts have been made to reclassify them as cigarettes. Sales of little cigars reached an all-time high in 2006, fueled in great part by their taxation loophole. ^[3]

Flavor

Each brand and type of cigar tastes different. While the wrapper does not entirely determine the flavor of the cigar, darker wrappers tend to produce a sweetness, while lighter wrappers usually have a "drier" taste. Whether a cigar is mild, medium, or full bodied does not correlate with quality. Different smokers will have different preferences, some liking one good cigar better than another, others disagreeing.

Cigar smoke, which is rarely inhaled, tastes of tobacco with nuances of other tastes. Many different things affect the scent of cigar smoke: tobacco type, quality of the cigar, added flavors, age and humidity, production method (handmade vs. machine-made) and more. A fine cigar can taste completely different from inhaled cigarette smoke. When smoke is inhaled, as is usual with cigarettes, the tobacco flavor is less noticeable than the sensation from the smoke. Some cigar enthusiasts use a vocabulary similar to that of wine-tasters to describe the overtones and undertones observed while smoking a cigar. Some even keep journals of cigars they've enjoyed, complete with personal ratings, description of flavors observed, sizes, brands, etc. Cigar tasting is in some respects similar to wine and cognac tasting. Wine tasting (often in wine circles simply tasting) is the sensory examination and evaluation of Wine. Cognac (ˈkɒnjæk named after the town of Cognac in France, is a Brandy produced in the region surrounding the town

Cuban cigars

Cigars manufactured in Cuba are widely considered to be the best, although many experts believe that the best offerings from Honduras and Nicaragua rival those from Cuba. The Cuban reputation is thought to arise from the unique characteristics of the Vuelta Abajo district in the Pinar del Río Province at the west of the island, where the microclimate allows high-quality tobacco to be grown. Vuelta Abajo (or Vueltabajo) is a district in the Pinar del Río Province of Cuba. Pinar del Río is one of the Provinces of Cuba. It is at the western end of the island of Cuba. A microclimate is a local atmospheric zone where the Climate differs from the surrounding area

Cuban cigars are rolled from tobacco leaves found throughout the country of Cuba. Tobacco is an Agricultural product recognized as an addictive drug processed from the fresh Leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la The filler, binder, and wrapper may come from different portions of the island. All cigar production in Cuba is controlled by the Cuban government, and each brand may be rolled in several different factories in Cuba. Cuban cigar rollers or "torcedores" are claimed to be the most skilled in the world. Torcedores are highly respected in Cuban society and culture and travel worldwide displaying their art of hand rolling cigars. One of the world's most famous Toredores Jorge Lopez traveled as far as Vancouver, Canada to display his art of hand rolling Cuban cigars.

Habanos SA and Cubatabaco between them do all the work relating to Cuban cigars, including manufacture, quality control, promotion and distribution, and export. Habanos SA is the arm of the Cuban state Tobacco Monopoly, Cubatabaco, that controls the promotion distribution and export of Cuban Cubatabaco, short for "Empresa Cubana del Tabaco" is the Cuban state Tobacco Monopoly. Manufacturing (from Latin manu factura, "making by hand" is the use of tools and labor to make things for use or sale In Engineering and Manufacturing, quality control and quality engineering are involved in developing systems to ensure products or services Cuba produces both handmade and machine made cigars. All boxes and labels are marked Hecho en Cuba (made in Cuba). Machine-bunched cigars finished by hand add Hecho a mano, while fully hand-made cigars say Totalmente a mano in script text. Some cigars show a TC or Tripa Corta, meaning that short filler and cuttings were used in the hand-rolling process.

United States embargo against Cuba

Main article: United States embargo against Cuba

The cigar became inextricably intertwined with U. The United States Embargo Against Cuba (described in Cuba as el bloqueo, Spanish for "the Blockade " is an economic commercial and S. political history on February 7, 1962, when United States President John F. Kennedy imposed a trade embargo on Cuba to sanction Fidel Castro's communist government. Events 457 - Leo I becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 1074 - Battle of Montesarchio in which the Prince Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of The United States Embargo Against Cuba (described in Cuba as el bloqueo, Spanish for "the Blockade " is an economic commercial and Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born August 13 1926 is a Cuban revolutionary leader who was prime minister of Cuba from December 1959 to December 1976 and then president until Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based According to Pierre Salinger, then Kennedy's press secretary, the president ordered him on the evening of February 6 to obtain a thousand H. Upmann brand petit corona Cuban cigars; upon Salinger's arrival with the cigars the following morning, Kennedy signed the executive order which put the embargo into effect. Pierre Emil George Salinger ( June 14, 1925 &ndash October 16, 2004) was a White House Press Secretary to U Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats the combined army of Pompeian followers and Numidians under Metellus Scipio H Upmann is the name of two brands of premium Cigar, one produced on the island of Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company and the A cigar is a tightly rolled bundle of dried and fermented Tobacco which is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the smoker's mouth ^[10]

The embargo prohibited US residents from legally purchasing Cuban-cigars on the market, and Cuba was deprived of its major customer for tobacco.

In the United States, authentic Cuban-made cigars are widely considered to be "the best smoking experience" of all cigars and are seen as "forbidden fruit" for Americans to purchase. Forbidden Fruit is an album by singer/pianist/songwriter Nina Simone (1933-2003 Many former Cuban cigar manufacturers moved to other countries, and the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Nicaragua continue to manufacture cigars.

It remains illegal for US residents to purchase or import Cuban cigars regardless of where they are in the world,^[11] although they are readily available across the northern border in Canada, and small quantities can in practice be brought back without trouble from US Customs if the bands are removed prior to crossing. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Until March 2003 the United States Customs Service was the portion of the U While Cuban cigars are smuggled into the USA and sold at high prices, counterfeiting is rife; it has been said that 95% of Cuban cigars sold in the USA are counterfeit. ^[12] Although Cuban cigars cannot legally be imported into the USA, the advent of the Internet has made it much easier for people in the United States to purchase cigars online from other countries. The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks

Cigars specific to other countries

Italy produces the "Sigaro Toscano" (Tuscan cigar), very different from the Havana style. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest

The cheroot is traditionally associated with Burma and India. The Cheroot or Stogie is a cylindrical Cigar with both ends clipped during manufacture Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country

Health effects

Further information: Tobacco and health

Like other forms of tobacco use, cigar smoking poses a significant health risk. It is similar to cigarette smoking in nicotine addiction, oral cancer, periodontal health, and tooth loss. A cigarette ( French "small Cigar " from cigar + -ette) is a product consumed through Smoking and manufactured Nicotine is an Alkaloid found in the Nightshade family of plants ( Solanaceae) which constitutes approximately 0 Oral cancer is any cancerous tissue growth located in the Mouth. Periodontology, or Periodontics, is the branch of Dentistry which studies supporting structures of teeth, and diseases and conditions that affect them It causes many types of cancer, including that of the lung and upper digestive tract; many of these cancers have extremely low cure rates. Lung cancer is a Disease of uncontrolled Cell growth in tissues of the Lung. Risks are greater for those who smoke more cigars, smoke them longer, and inhale when they smoke. Cigar smoking also increases the risk of lung and heart diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD) is a Disease of the lungs in which the Airways become narrowed ^[13]

Popularity

The prevalence of cigar smoking varies depending on location, historical period, and population surveyed, and prevalence estimates vary somewhat depending on the survey method. In Epidemiology, the prevalence of a Disease in a Statistical population is defined as the total number of cases of the disease in the population at a given The 2005 U. S. National Health Interview Survey estimated that 2. 2% of adults smoke cigars, about the same as smokeless tobacco but far less than the 21% of adults who smoke cigarettes; it also estimated that 4. 3% of men but only 0. 3% of women smoke cigars. ^[14] The 2002 U. S. National Survey of Drug Use and Health found that adults with serious psychological distress are significantly more likely to smoke cigars than those without. ^[15] A 2007 California study found that gay men and bisexual women smoke significantly fewer cigars than the general population of men and women, respectively. ^[16] Substantial and steady increases in cigar smoking were observed during the 1990s and early 2000s in the U. S. among both adults and adolescents. ^[8] Data suggest that cigar usage among young adult males increased threefold during the 1990s, a 1999–2000 survey of 31,107 young adult U. S. military recruits found that 12. 3% smoked cigars,^[17] and a 2003–2004 survey of 4,486 high school students in a Midwestern county found that 18% smoked cigars. ^[18]

Popular culture

Major U. S. print media portray cigars favorably; despite widespread coverage of the health effects of cigar smoking, they generally frame cigar use as a lucrative business or a trendy habit, rather than as a health risk. ^[19] Rich people are often caricatured as wearing top hats and tails and smoking cigars. For the item of clothing see Top hat. For the fictional TUGS character see Top Hat (TUGS. A tailcoat is a coat with the front of the skirt cut away so as to leave only the rear section of the skirt known as the tails. In the United States a poor-quality cigar is sometimes called a "dog rocket". ^[20] These cheap cigars are often converted into blunts rather than smoked directly. A blunt is a Cigar which is wider than a Cigarillo and not quite as wide as a traditional cigar Cigars are often smoked to celebrate special occasion: the birth of a child, a graduation, a big sale. The expression "close but no cigar" comes from the practice of giving cigars as prizes in games involving good aim at fairgrounds. An idiom is a Phrase whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal Definition, but refers instead to a figurative meaning that is known only A prize is an Award given to a person or a group of people to recognise and reward actions or achievements

King Edward VII enjoyed smoking cigarettes and cigars, much to the chagrin of his mother, Queen Victoria. Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901 was from 20 June 1837 the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland After her death, legend has it, King Edward said to his male guests at the end of a dinner party, "Gentlemen, you may smoke. " In his name, a line of inexpensive American cigars has long been named King Edward.

President Ulysses S. Grant of the USA and Dr. Sigmund Freud were both known for regularly smoking an entire box (25 cigars) a day. Ulysses S Grant, born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27 1822 &ndash July 23 1885 was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Sigmund Freud (ˈziːkmʊnt ˈfʁɔʏt born Sigismund Shlomo Freud (May 6 1856 &ndash September 23 1939 was an Austrian Psychiatrist who founded Challenged on the "phallic" shape of the cigar, Freud is supposed to have replied "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. The word phallus can refer to an erect Penis, or to an object shaped like a penis "^[21]

Winston Churchill was rarely seen without a cigar during his time as Britain's wartime leader; a large cigar size was named in his honour. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874

Rudyard Kipling said in his poem The Betrothed, "A woman is only a woman: but a good cigar is a smoke. Joseph Rudyard Kipling (30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936 was an English Author and poet "

Since apart from certain forms of heavily cured and strong snuff, the cigar is the most potent form of self-dosing with tobacco, it has long had associations of being a male rite of passage, as it may have had during the pre-Columbian era in America. Snuff is a type of smokeless Tobacco. There are several types used in different ways but traditionally it means Dry/European nasal snuff which is inhaled Its fumes and rituals have in American and European cultures established a "men's hut"; in the 19th century, men would retire to the "smoking room" after dinner, to discuss serious issues.

See also

• Box-pressed
• Cabinet selection
• Cigar bar
• List of cigar brands
• Smoking jacket

References

^[1]

External links

• Cigar Smoker's FAQ - compiled from alt.smokers.cigars
• Cigars Review

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