The History of the Cigar

In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered much more than a New World. Among many things, he also discovered a new enjoyment that is delighting connoisseurs throughout the entire world to this day: tobacco.

Up until this time, Europeans were unaware of tobacco. But as Columbus’s sailors watched Cuban Indians smoke a primitive form of a cigar – twisted, dried tobacco leaves rolled in other leaves, such as palm or plantain – they took home with them a new enjoyment that spread rapidly across Europe, and eventually the United States.

By the mid–16th century, tobacco was grown commercially in America. The word cigar is thought to have come from the Mayan Indian word sik’ar, meaning smoking, which transformed into the Spanish word cigarro sometime during the 18th century. Because it originally was considered to have medicinal qualities, it grew in popularity.

Cuba led the way in the cigar industry. Cuban peasants became tobacco growers. Europeans demanded high quality cigars, and pushed the demand for Spanish cigars to an all time high. (During this period, Cuba was a Spanish colony.) Eventually, the cigar became the country’s national symbol, and the Havana cigar became the recognized leader in the cigar industry.

In the early 19th century, American production of tobacco began to take off, growing tobacco from the Cuban seed. Cigar smoking began to boom in the United States around the time of the Civil War in the 1860’s, with individual brands emerging by the late 19th century.

By 1900, an estimated four out of five men in the U.S. were cigar smokers, attracting presidents, kings, generals and a fair amount of women.

Though the American Surgeon General has had a huge impact on the popularity of smoking in general, there has been a major revival in the popularity of cigars. Thanks to the enthusiasm shown by stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Woods, Jack Nicholson, Sharon Stone, Demi Moore and model Linda Evangelista, the pure pleasures of premium cigars are again all the rage.

Cigar Samplers