Cigar Blog

Happiness is a good cigar

Cigar Production in the Philippines

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Image: flickr

The Philippines has been producing cigar for quite some time and is one of the largest producing in Asia.  The introduction of tobacco in the Philippines is credited to Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer who brought tobacco seeds from Cuba to Spanish missionaries staying in the Philippines.  The cultivation of these seeds paved the way for the birth of what would be a successful cigar industry.

The Spaniards chose to cultivate these seeds in the Philippine soil which was a colony during that time.  Thus it came to pass that Spaniards propagated the commercialization of tobacco production while spreading the Christian faith.  The tobacco had a ready market in Spain and other countries and was so much in demand that Filipinos had to suffer through forced production of tobacco to meet the high demand.  Filipino tobacco farmers eventually found the chance to produce tobacco voluntarily and under better conditions.

There are at least 27 tobacco-producing provinces at present offering four types of tobacco including the native variant, Virginia, Turkish, and burley.  It is the Virginia tobacco which is the most prevalent in the country.  Most are grown in the province of Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Abra, and La Union.

Some of the Philippine cigar brands include the Alhambra, Calixto Lopez, Flor de Filipinas, Fighting Cock, Independencia 1898, La Tabacalera, and 1881, among others.  La Flor de la Isabela and Tabaquena de Filipinas were among the more reliable cigar producers in the Philippines.  A cheap variant was made available through local cigars manually done by individual tobacco farmers. Although they do not offer much in looks, they still offer good taste and flavor.

Dominican Republic- the Cigar Country

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Image: dominicanrepublicrealestate

Given that Cuba is the most popular cigar-producing country, it would be logical to think that it holds the title of being the Cigar Country.  Apparently, this isn’t so since the prestigious title has been bestowed to the Dominican Republic, paradise located in the very heart of the Caribbean.  Why this became so was a result of historical events that not even the people of Dominican Republic could have anticipated.

The cigar industry of the country started quite small but even then, it boasted of good soil and perfect climate for tobacco.  The trade embargo imposed by the US on Cuba during the 1960’s started a series of events that would end up benefitting the cigar industry of Dominican Republic.  Many notable Cuban cigar-makers opted to transfer to Nicaragua and Spain to take advantage of the low salaries of trained cigar-makers.  Dominican Republic merely saw this as a chance to export tobacco leaves to these two countries.

The Cuban cigar families that chose to move to the Dominican Republic contented themselves in selling cigar on a wholesale basis.  The production of cigar in the Dominican Republic remained the same until the move of big cigar manufacturers due to the civil war in Nicaragua, and the increased taxes in Spain.  These people found an ideal place within which to continue their profitable cigar-making operation.  Noted cigar-makers from Florida also came and established themselves in the country.

Dominican Republic became a haven for these big cigar manufacturers because of the country’s duty-free industrial parks and conducive lifestyle.  The tobacco planters of the country who were formerly poor peasants became proud cigar makers with good income and stable jobs.  The Dominican Republic has indeed become the cigar country.

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