While smoking has become seriously politically and medically incorrect among many people across the developed world there is still a strong interest in how some tobacco products such as cigars came into being. Of all cigar products there is one that stands out – the Cuban cigar.

For hundreds of years now Cuba has been renowned for the quality of its cigars. In fact they are the most famous and perhaps only truly consistently successful export industry that Cuba has retained since the onset of Communism when the Batista regime was overthrown by the Fidel Castro led revolution in 1959. However the Castro regime quickly nationalised the Cuban tobacco industry.

According to historians, the commercialisation of the Cuban tobacco industry dates back to the 18th century when tobacco production became a major industry. While the tobacco plant originated in South America its beginning does not appear to have been accurately recorded.

Initially the use of tobacco was very much for so-called medicinal purposes – something that seems hard to believe today. This was due to the Cuban natives’ belief in tobacco being a miraculous cure.

There are many different brands of Cuban cigar including:

Bolivar cigars, Cohiba cigars and El Rey Del Mondo cigars

Cuban cigar production is quite complex with a great deal of concentration on perfection. Up to 20 different kinds of tobacco leaves are used to form the wrappers for the cigars. Keeping the right level of humidity is also essential to maintain the quality of the tobacco and the cigar overall. It is up to the cigar maker to get the wrapping of the cigar just right including the trimming and smoothness of the wrapper.

Special attention needs to be paid to shaping the end of the cigar exactly to fit the mouth of the cigar smoker. The cigar also must be of an exact length. A specially designed guillotine is used to cut the cigar to the desired length.

The next part of the process is the tying of the ribbon around the cigar after which the cigars must be placed in a special fumigating chamber for immunization to protect smokers against the risk of plagues infecting the tobacco.

The final step is a further quality control process that must be perfect. Any inconsistency in meeting the required length and shape, thickness and texture of the cigars will see the cigar maker’s batch of cigars rejected.

As the cigar makers’ are paid on a piece-work basis such failures cannot be allowed. This in turn assists in producing a consistently high standard of cigar.

Ah, the fine premium cigar. There truly is nothing to compare to the experience of a fine cigar, a glass of really good cognac, and an evening in the shade. It is a peaceful experience to say the least.

However, have you ever looked at your high-profile smoke and wondered what the events were that led to the making of it? Most true cigar aficionados have at one point or another.

The chain of events that led to the production of the cigar that you now hold in your hand is a long one, spanning back over 500 years. It all began when a brave explorer by the name of Christopher Columbus decided to throw caution to the wind and risk it all to prove that there was more to the world than everyone knew at the time. In 1492, he found success, along with a little something in the new world called tobacco.

Ironically, Luis De Torres of a Spanish Envoy to America decided to take some back to his home for personal use. After spotted lighting it, he was arrested for witchcraft and sentenced to a decade in prison.

The presence of tobacco popped up again as Cortez stumbled upon a tribe of Aztec natives that are smoking tobacco. Through Cortez, the tobacco makes its way throughout Spain. From there, the pipe-smoked substance began to grow in fame and use. By the mid 1500’s, tobacco had made its’ way all the way to France where the first seeds were planted and cultivated by a monk by the name of Andre Thevet.

From there, tobacco made its’ way to the distant lands of Portugal, Russia, Turkey, and Italy. The Portuguese, via a trade route, introduce it to the Japanese. Onward it spreads to Morocco, Egypt, and even to the Philippines. Finally, in the early 1600’s, it makes a full historical circle as documents reveal that the husband of Pocahontas, John Rolfe, brings tobacco to the state of Virginia.

By the early 1600’s, Cuba has built a solid name for fine tobacco growth and becomes the major supplier for the majority of the known world.

In the mid 1700’s, the infamous Catherine the great creates the cigar band as a concept. It seems that Catherine would smoke cigars so often that her fingers would take on a brownish colored stain. Therefore, to avoid this, she had a band designed so she could hold her cigars without the irritating stain.

From there, it is only a matter of time until the major brands began to establish themselves. Cohiba, H. Upmann, Partagas, El Rey del Mundo, Sancho Pancza, Romeo y Julieta, Hoyo de Monterrey, Montecristo and the rest of the premium cigars that you and I enjoy today become very notable over the next century.

That brings us to the here and now. Today, we can sit back and enjoy our fine cigars knowing that they have a history that dates all the way back to Christopher Columbus. So when you enjoy that next high-profile smoke, blow a plume and say, “Here’s to you Chris!”.

Have you ever wondered where cigars were first produced? It is widely believed that cigars were first produced in Spain. But before cigars became all the rage in Europe, tobacco was needed to make them. Tobacco is indigenous to the Americas, where native peoples have produced it for hundreds of years. It is believed that the Maya of Yucatan peninsula in Mexico and parts of Central America cultivated tobacco, and even smoked it! Tobacco use spread to other tribes, both north and south. It is believed that its first use in the United States was probably among the tribe along the Mississippi. It wasn’t until Christopher Columbus sailed his famous voyage to the Americas in 1492 that the rest of the world came to know tobacco.

It is said that Columbus was not impressed by tobacco or its use among native peoples, but many sailors grew found of the strange plant. Soon it quickly caught on in Spain and Portugal. From there, it spread to France, where the French ambassador Jean Nicot lent his name to the scientific name for tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). The origins of the word tobacco itself are still suspect, although many believe it is simply a corruption of the word Tobago, which is the name of a Caribbean island. Still others believe it comes from the word Tabasco, a region (and now state) in Mexico.

The first tobacco plantation in the United States was established in Virginia in 1612. More tobacco plantations followed in Maryland soon after. Although tobacco became a popular crop, it was only smoked in pipes. The cigar was not introduced to the United States until the late 18th century. Israel Putnam, an army general who had served in the Revolutionary War, is credited with introducing the cigar to the United States. He had traveled to Cuba after the Revolutionary War and returned with a box of Cuban cigars. Their popularity quickly spread, and soon enough cigar factories were established in the area of Harford, Connecticut, where General Putnam resided.

In Europe, cigar production and consumption did not achieve widespread popularity until after the Peninsula War in the early 19th century. British and French veterans returned to their homelands after years of serving in Spain with their tobacco pipes in tow. Among the rich and fashionable, the favored method of taking tobacco was the cigar. Cigar smoking remains a habit associated with the rich and discriminating of upper society.

A cigar shop is a retail establishment that exists either as a storefront or an online catalogue. A walk-in store gives the smoker access to the most premium, fine cigars. It also gives the new smoker or the smoker on a budget, access to less expensive or newer brands.

One of the great things about a storefront cigar shop is it also gives smokers a place to actually smoke, and it also maintains a wait staff who can attend to clientele and answer questions.

An online cigar shop is a virtual realm that replaces the old storefront. It transcends geography, and it gives smokers from all over the world access to a very large inventory. A community management program is initiated to provide clients with customer service, specials, and information. Online cigar stores also offer a variety of prices so people on a budget can also enjoy fine tobacco.

Regardless of whether or not you are walking into a storefront cigar shop or surfing the catalog of an online equivalent, you can always count on finding premium cigar brands, less well-known but very good brands, cigar lighters, cigar cutters, and cigar humidors.

Many cigar stores also carry specialty cigarettes, such as electronic cigarettes, or cigarettes made from additive free tobacco. Many also carry pipes and pipe tobacco as well.

Gift items are also very popular through online resources. Cigars can now be purchased in gift packages, and special accessories like coffee mugs, special ashtrays, and golf cart clips can also be obtained. Such gifts can be great gestures of appreciation in a world that seems to be appreciating smokers less and less on a daily basis.

But who needs them when we have each other, right?

As things have changed in this great and mysterious world that we live in, so, too, has the old imagery and feel of many cigar shops changed. What we often visualize as iconic is really a memory of a bygone era.

That is not to say that you will not find the same images and motifs present in a modern cigar lounge or store, but there is a greater diversity of products and clear evidence of globalization in even the smallest of haunts these days.

In the old days there was little difference between what we now call a cigar lounge and a cigar shop. Both were places to purchase and smoke cigars, and smaller stores had limited inventories or maybe even only a handful of brands to offer. In those days as well, many European immigrants to the United States were truly and utterly illiterate and could not read even so much as a sign over the door of a store.

So it was decided by cigar store owners at that time to symbolize the establishment with a wooden statue of a Native American man or woman standing at the door. This symbol was chosen because Native Americans introduced Europeans to tobacco when first contact was made between the two cultures.

Today, it is considered bad form to use a racial symbol like this. It promotes a negative stereotype of Native American people, and it is also no longer necessary, considering how European-Americans have since learned to read, and even shop online.

What are the basics of cigar smoking?  How do you light a cigar?  How do you draw on the cigar properly?  Do you inhale?  What are the dos and don’ts of cigar smoking?  If you have ever pondered any of these questions, read on.  Here is a simple and accessible primer designed to help you gain familiarity with the sometimes confusing, always enigmatic world of cigar smoking.  

First Step:  Lighting Up

First, all new cigar smokers should learn how to properly light a cigar.  Use a clipper designed for cigars to clip off the edge of the head (the section you put to your mouth). If possible light the foot of your cigar with a cedar match.  Avoid regular cigarette lighters.  They produce a nasty odor that can linger and ruin a good cigar.  If you must use a lighter, use butane lighter.  These will keep the odor to a minimum.  However, you should always strive to use a wooden match because lighters can easily taint the foot of your cigar.  How do you light up?  Simply strike a match and hold the edge of your cigar over the flame.  Avoid touching the cigar to the fire, simply hold the cigar over the flame and draw deeply until the cigar is lit.

Second Step:  Burn it down to a nub?

Should you burn your cigar down to a nub?  Experts recommend you leave at least two inches to your cigar.  Even the finest cigars will tend to get bitter if you let it burn all the way down.  What about ashes?  Should you knock the ashes off of your cigar?  Rather than knocking the ashes off the edge, let the cigar rest in the ashtray when you’re not smoking it.  The ashes will fall off naturally.  

Third Step:  Relax and Enjoy

A cigar should never be rushed.  By design, cigars should be savored, preferably after dinner and with a glass of good brandy.  Hold the cigar between your thumb and fingers—anything else might be considered bad taste.  Also, don’t inhale deeply.  The smoke should not reach your lung.  This is very bad for your health, and it will not help you taste the cigar any better.  Of course, you should always be considerate of those around you.  If possible, smoke in the company of other cigar smokers. A good cigar can be enjoyed alone and even more so with friends.

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I landed on the website ashtraysearch.com and started browsing their cigar ashtrays when I found this amazing black marble square ashtray that almost jumped off the page at me. Made of solid black marble, this cigar ashtray is an impressive 1¼ thick. At the current time the marble cigar ashtray is going for $39.99 so it seemed like a really good deal. I jumped on it and ordered one for the office off the ashtraysearch.com website which sells Amazon.com products. Actually, I ordered two of them since my brothers birthday is right around the corner and he also smokes cigars. For less than a hundred bucks I had two brand new black marble square ashtrays including the shipping costs!

A few days later I received a package in the mail from Amazon.com. I knew exactly what it was as I hadn’t ordered anything online other than the ashtrays lately. I promptly ripped the box open to check out my new cigar ashtrays. I then took the marble ashtrays out of the box to inspect for any damages as sometimes packages do get damaged in transit. Luckily both of my marble cigar ashtrays were in perfect condition with no problems. I immediately took the ashtray to its final resting place on the corner of my desk.

In the end, finding a marble cigar ashtray for my office was a snap. The world wide web really makes life easy for us lazy people that like to shop online. Thanks to ashtraysearch.com I was easily able to find an ashtray that fit my needs and budget.