Cigars

You can thank Christopher Columbus for bringing cigars to the outside world. Prior to his voyage in 1492, tobacco smoking was an unknown concept to anyone outside of the Americas. Columbus and his shipmates discovered tobacco smoking when they landed in Cuba. Cuban Indians were smoking tobacco leaves that were rolled in other vegetation, such as maize or palm leaves. This rough style of cigar smoking became popular among the sailors and reports are that cigars burned throughout the rest of the expedition.

Cigars in History

Despite repeated attempts, it was soon discovered tobacco would not grow very well outside of its native land. The English were forced to purchase their tobacco from the Spanish. Importation of tobacco from Spain did not sit well with many Englishmen. Once colonization of the New World began, tobacco was found to grow well in Virginia. This was a great relief to the English. The cigar business in the United States of America began to boom around the time of the Civil War. By the end of the 19th century, almost every state in the union had a cigar factory.

Cigarettes were a spin-off of the cigar, and almost everyone at that time was a smoker, or lived with one. The early part of the 20th century saw cigar sales skyrocketing. Reports tell us the weight of tobacco sold in the United States alone in one year would equal the weight of the entire population of 10 states combined. Cigars could be found anywhere, and were priced decently to meet the needs of the general population.

Cigarette smoking has declined in the last decade due to government reports stating that smoking is bad for a person's health. However, there has been a recent rise in the number of cigar smokers. This can be credited to reputable people in society, such as politicians and movie stars, who have been seen with a cigar pursed between their lips. The general population is following their lead and lighting up.