The History Of Cuban Cigars

Welcome back my fellow learners, today is all about the cigar. These have become increasingly popular over the last few years due to the likes of Stallone and Schwarzenegger sporting one in nearly every picture or movie they have starred in.

However, it cannot be determined when they were first brought into production or even smoked, it one thing is for certain most Europeans knew nothing of tobacco until Columbus made his legendary voyage in 1492.

But, this is were it gets a tad confusing, 2 of Columbus's sailors stated that they saw the Cuban Indians smoking a form of cigar, using dried tobacco leaves that were twisted and then rolled into other leaves like palm or plantain. However, I have to ask the obvious question here, who in their right mind looked at these leaves and thought about setting fire to them, then ingesting them into their lungs??? So now I know who to blame for my life long love affair of tobacco!

Okay, lets get back on track here. Over time the Spanish and other European sailors caught the tobacco bug, as did the Conquistadors, smoking then spread like wild fire to Spain and Portugal and last but not least France, this was mostly down to Jean Nicot, the French ambassador to Portugal, who actually used his name, so giving the world nicotine. Much later, it spread to Italy and, after Sir Walter Raleigh's went to America, eventually to England.

Smoking was popular throughout Europe, mostly in pipes in England, by the time the mid 16th century rolled round, tobacco began to be grown in the US. The biggest joke of all was Tobacco was originally said to have medicinal qualities, take that boffin eggheads, however, there are always die hards that considered it evil, and so tobacco was outlawed by Philip II of Spain, and James I of England. The word cigar came from the Mayan Indian work sikar, which literally means “smoking”

The Cigars we know today were made first in Spain in the 18th century, using that delicious smelling and every expensive Cuban tobacco. However, then no cigars were being brought in from Cuba.

So there you have it, how the evil weed came into existence.