The History of the Cigar
The history of cigars dates back to the 9th century when evidence of tobacco smoking by Indigenous peoples in the Caribbean was first observed[2][6]. The Mayan ceramic pot from Guatemala dating back to the 10th century depicts people smoking tobacco leaves tied with a string[1]. While tobacco was widely diffused among many of the Indigenous peoples of the islands of the Caribbean, it was completely unfamiliar to Europeans before the discovery of the New World in the 15th century[1].
Although the origins of cigar smoking are unknown, cigar smoking was first observed by European explorers when encountering the indigenous Taino people of Cuba in 1492[1]. The Spanish word "cigarro" spans the gap between the Mayan and modern use[1]. Tobacco smoking became familiar throughout Europe by the mid-16th century, in pipes in Britain[1]. Spanish cultivation of tobacco began in earnest in 1531 on the islands of Hispaniola and Santo Domingo[1]. In 1542, tobacco started to be grown commercially in North America, when Spaniards established the first cigar factory in Cuba[1].
Tobacco was originally thought to have medicinal qualities, but some considered it evil. It was denounced by Philip II of Spain and James I of England[1]. It is believed that the first cigar band was created in Cuba in 1830[2]. The majority of tobacco arriving in Spain was processed in Cádiz to be made into cigars or made into snuff[2]. Spanish settlers in Cuba returning to Spain, however, retained the "expensive and aristocratic vice of smoking Havana cigars, which they had sent to them from Cuba"[2].
In the late 19th century, automated cigarette-making machinery was invented. Factories, primarily located in the southern United States, allowed for the mass production of cigarettes[6]. Other manufacturers followed, and Tampa soon became the world's leading cigar producing community by specializing in "Clear Havana" cigars—hand-rolled cigars made from Cuban tobacco by mostly Cuban workers[2].
In 1961, General Cigar, which was profitably selling about $30 million worth of cigars annually, was purchased for approximately $25 million by a group of investors headed by Edgar M. Cullman[3]. A careful effort was made to reblend the product for the large American marketplace (then and now subject to a ban on Cuban tobacco, the industry's gold standard) using select binder and filler from the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Mexico and Connecticut shade-grown wrapper[3]. Mass advertising was conducted in support of the brand, which by the early 1990s had grown into the best selling premium cigar label in the United States[3].
Beginning in 1992, imports and sales of premium cigars began to rise dramatically and manufacturers struggled to keep up with demand, leading to industry-wide growth and a period known as the "cigar boom"[5]. Over the years, a number of important celebrities revealed themselves to be cigar connoisseurs in its pages, including television's William Shatner and radio's Rush Limbaugh[5]. From its inception, Cigar Aficionado has made use of blind taste testing of cigars, comparing the merits of one brand to another, expressed on the basis of a 100-point scale similar to that used in judging wine[4].
In conclusion, the history of cigars dates back to the 9th century when evidence of tobacco smoking by Indigenous peoples in the Caribbean was first observed. The Mayan ceramic pot from Guatemala dating back to the 10th century depicts people smoking tobacco leaves tied with a string. Although the origins of cigar smoking are unknown, cigar smoking was first observed by European explorers when encountering the indigenous Taino people of Cuba in 1492. Spanish cultivation of tobacco began in earnest in 1531 on the islands of Hispaniola and Santo Domingo. In 1961, General Cigar was purchased by a group of investors headed by Edgar M. Cullman. Beginning in 1992, imports and sales of premium cigars began to rise dramatically and manufacturers struggled to keep up with demand, leading to industry-wide growth and a period known as the "cigar boom".
Citations:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigar
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_cigar
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Cigar_Company
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigar_Aficionado
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigar_boom
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_smoking