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.

Around 1592, the Spanish galleon “San Clemente” brought 50 kg of Cuban tobacco seed to the Philippines over the Acapulco-Manila trade route. 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. 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,” as proof.

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Cigars, which probably originated in Spain, have been embedded in popular culture and social life all around Europe and America for several centuries. Today cigar smoking is considered to be as elitist as wine-tasting. It has become one of the idiosyncrasies of those in the upward rungs of society.

The major attraction of cigars is in their method of manufacture. Even today, most cigars are wrapped by hand. Cigars contain three types of tobacco leaves – one for the external wrapping, second for the inner filler and a third one for binding the filler together. Hence, cigar smoke contains a unique blend of three types of tobacco flavors, quite unlike cigarette smoke which contains only one type of tobacco.

Cigars can be flavored. There are chocolate, apple, vanilla and coffee-flavored cigars. People who smoke cigars savor these various essences. A good quality cigar smoke will have just a fragrant flavor without any smoky aftertaste. Classic Cuban cigars, in fact, have no smoky taste at all.

However, the tobacco leaves that go into the making of a cigar contain nicotine. Nicotine is an artificial stimulant of the nervous system. It creates a false feeling of euphoria. More dangerously, nicotine is an addictive carcinogen. Cigar smoke also contains ammonia, tar and benzene. Ammonia is known to increase the addictive nature of tobacco. Tar is a sticky substance which can cause paralysis of the lung. Benzene is a carcinogen. Smoke emanating from a cigar also contains harmful metals like lead and cadmium, both of which are banned in food products in many countries. In all, there are about 4,000 chemicals in cigar smoke, 43 of which are proven carcinogens.

Cigars are smoked in a unique manner. A cigar smoker swirls the smoke inside the mouth and then exhales it. A connoisseur of cigars would never inhale the cigar fumes. This has led to the misconception that cigars are harmless. However, it has been seen that cigars also cause of cancers, emphysema and cardiovascular disorders. The incidences of death are fewer than those among cigarette smokers, but higher than those of nonsmokers.

Also, a cigar is smoked for a longer period of time. A single cigar can introduce as many of the harmful ingredients within the body as a whole pack of cigarettes. Even though cigars may use filters and flavors to mask the disastrous effect, they are still fatally addictive.

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Despite their similarities to cigarettes, cigars have long possessed a much more sophisticated persona. Though they have often been portrayed as accessories of the rich and powerful in years past, cigars have seen a much broader degree of mainstream popularity recently. Magazines like Cigar Aficionado extol the joys of cigar smoking, and the whole array of elegant humidors (used for storage,) boxes, lighters and other related products available to cigar smokers exude a distinctive style or persona.

The humidor, the most well known cigar accessory, comes in a variety of shapes, sizes and price ranges. In addition, one can find many other boxes, display cases, lighters, cutters and cigar-related gifts available at local stores or online retailers. Websites like Cigarworld can direct you to a local outlet that will serve all your needs.

Despite a remaining stigma regarding their legality, Cuban cigars still count themselves among the most highly regarded and sought after brands. Due to their superior taste and quality, and also because of the geographical obstacles to obtaining them, they have traditionally been difficult to buy and very expensive once located. Fortunately, recent relaxations of various U.S. sanctions regarding the importation of Cuban Cigars has made their availability to American buyers much more common.

The increased availability of discount prices on premium brand cigars has also contributed to the rise in popularity of cigars and cigar smoking. Online merchants such as Payless-cigars offer many high quality brands at prices much lower than those found in traditional stores. Plus, they can be shipped to your doorstep quickly, cheaply and anonymously.

With all the other cigar accessories available for purchase, cigars have become big business in the States in recent years. In fact, since the early 1990s sales for cigars and cigar products have risen to heights previously unseen. Due in part to their popularity among celebrities, cigar smoking has taken on a hip, youthful image that elevates smoking cigars from a simple recreational hobby, to an integral part of a luxurious lifestyle.

Cigars Info provides comprehensive information on cigar smoking, Cuban cigars, discount cigars, humidors, lighters, boxes, and more. Cigars Info is the sister site of Humidors Web.

By Dave Lavinsky