Cigar Blog

Happiness is a good cigar

Famous Cigar Smokers

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The reason why ads promoting cigarettes are being sought to be curtailed is because of the strong influence of famous personalities to the public in lending a glamorous nature to the practice.  Cigar smoking which is said to be different from cigarette smoking has its own league of famous loyal patronizers.  It is said that there was nothing that could separate them from their cigar, so much so that seeing without it makes on wonder if he is looking at th real one.

Winston Churchill was one the more well-known personalities who offered absolutely no excuses for his taste for cigars.  There was no one or nothing that can stop him, not even a visiting king who particularly prohibited smoking in his presence or an oxygen mask while on flight.  He was supposed to have smoked 8-10 cigars per day of his favorite Cuban brand.  He was so identified with smoking cigars that a tobacco size was named after him.

John Kennedy was another personality who conveniently used his political power to ensure a steady supply of his favorite tobacco first before signing an embargo that will affect products of Cuba including his well-loved Petit Upmann cigars.  Fidel Castro was at it for at least 44 years, giving it up only because of health concerns that involved his country. George Burns disproved his doctor’s medical admonition to stop smoking and actually smoked cigar for at least 70 years of his 100-year life.  He was particularly known for smoking a cigar while doing his acts, settling for a brand that would stay lit all through out  a show.

Mark Twain is said to have smoked the most on a daily basis, smoking as much as 20 cigars per day.  He is not particularly choosy of his brand and would smoke anything except Havana.  Many other known names have lent their persona once in their lifetime to cigar smoking.  A complete perusal of the list will reveal that one doesn’t have to be extraordinarily famous to appreciate what these famous men did.

 

Originally posted on August 22, 2012 @ 7:36 pm

Cigar-Producing Countries

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Many countries have made their name in the cigar-manufacturing industry.  One or two managed to actually make their country synonymous to a specific brand or quality of cigar.  These countries continue their long-established tradition of making excellent-quality cigars.

There is a general belief that Cuban cigars are the best in the world.  In fact, even with the ongoing trade embargo by the United States, it has still managed to come out on top by offering a wide variety of superior quality cigars.  Its toughest competition are Dominican and Nicaraguan cigars.  Cuba was where Columbus was supposed to have discovered tobacco which he took back to the Old World.  Cigar manufacturing was predominantly independent.  Many cigar producers fled the country when the government seized all private businesses and made them its property.

Dominican Republic is often referred to as the “cigar country”.  The land of the country is said to offer the perfect environment for producing the best quality cigars.  One of the favorites of cigar smokers is the Fuente Fuente Opus X.  Nicaragua for a time had the Joya de Nicaragua as the standard.  It is of special note that the best cigar makers of Nicaragua were originally from Cuba who went on exodus due to the Castro Revolution.  Although Nicaragua has been producing cigar for quite some time before this,  the entry of Cuban cigar makers and the use of the best seeds from Cuba paved the way for the faster growth of the cigar-manufacturing industry in the country.

Other countries who have made their mark in the industry include Indonesia, Mexico, and Brazil.

 

Originally posted on September 30, 2012 @ 5:38 pm

The US Trade Embargo and Cuban Cigars

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Image: wealthwire

Since the year 1958, Cuba has been the subject of an arms embargo due to an armed conflict between the Batista regime and rebels.  Cuba’s revolutionary government however caught the ire of the US government when it seized US properties.  US retaliated by reducing Cuba’s brown sugar import quota.  Cuba found its ally in the then Soviet Union when it agreed to buy the sugar rejected by the US.

The alignment of Cuba with the Soviet Union resulted to further restrictions as decided upon by then President John F. Kennedy through an Executive Order.  Kennedy however was completely taken in by the Petit H. Upmann cigar which was a product of Cuba.  Stories have it that Kennedy asked his press secretary to buy every available Petit H. Upmann cigar before making the extended trade embargo effective.  His Press Secretary Pierre Salinger managed to round up about 1,201 pieces of Kennedy’s preferred cigars which guaranteed his enjoyment of it in spite of the restrictions.

This just goes to show how especially appealing Cuban cigars are, that a personal desire for it has to be accommodated first before allowing a law to take effect.  This is probably in anticipation of the length of time that such an embargo will take effect.  Cuban cigars continue to be illegal in the United States at this time.

Americans who violate this prohibition of buying or bringing Cuban cigars into the country can be penalized through fines and other means depending on specific circumstances surrounding the case.  Those who wish to avoid the reach of this law can do so while traveling in other countries since there is no practical way of enforcing such laws beyond US borders.  Americans who wish to abide by it wherever they are can opt for quality cigars made in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, or Honduras

Originally posted on December 2, 2012 @ 1:09 am