Origins of Cuban Cigars

The natives of the islands of the Caribbean Sea and Mesoamerica smoked cigars since the 10th century, as evidenced by the discovery of a ceramic vessel at a Mayan site in Uaxactún, Guatemala, decorated with the painted figure of a man smoking a primitive cigar. Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus is generally credited with the introduction of smoking to Europe.

Two of Columbus's crewmen during his 1492 journey, Rodrigo de Jerez and Luis de Torres, are said to have disembarked in Cuba and taken puffs of tobacco wrapped in maize husks, thus becoming the first European cigar smokers.

In the 19th century, cigar smoking was common while cigarettes were still comparatively rare. The cigar business was an important industry, and factories employed many people before mechanized manufacturing of cigars became practical. Many modern cigars, as a matter of prestige, are still rolled by hand; some boxes bear the phrase Totalmente a mano, "Totally by hand," as proof.

Cuban cigars

Cigars manufactured in Cuba are widely considered to be without peer, although many experts believe that the best offerings from Honduras and Nicaragua rival those from Cuba. The Cuban reputation is thought to arise from both the unique characteristics of the Vuelta Abajo district in the Pinar del Río Province at the west of the island, where the microclimate allows high-quality tobacco to be grown.

Cuban cigars are rolled from tobacco leaves found throughout the country of Cuba. The filler, binder, and wrapper may come from different portions of the island. All cigar production in Cuba is controlled by the Cuban government, and each brand may be rolled in several different factories in Cuba. Cuban cigar rollers are claimed to be the most skilled rollers in the world."Manufactured in Cuba".

Habanos SA and Cubatabaco do all the work relating to Cuban cigars, including quality control, promoting and distributing and exportation. Cuban cigars are either hand made, or machine made. All bear the statement Hecho en Cuba, on the box or label, regardless of method of production. Hand-finished cigars previously bunched by machine add Hecho a mano, while fully hand-made cigars say Totalmente a mano in stylized text. Some cigars show a TC or Tripa Corta - meaning short filler and cuttings were used in the hand-rolling process.

List of current notable Cuban cigar brands:

• Bolivar
• Cohiba
• Cuaba
• Diplomaticos
• El Rey Del Mundo
• Fonseca
• Guantanamera
• H. Upmann
• Hoyo de Monterrey
• Jose Piedra
• Juan Lopez
• La Gloria Cubana
• Montecristo
• Partagas
• Por Larranaga
• Punch
• Quai D'Orsay
• Quintero
• Rafael Gonzalez
• Ramon Allones
• Romeo y Julieta
• Saint Luis Rey
• San Cristobal de la Habana
• Sancho Panza
• Trinidad
• Vegas Robaina
• Vegueros.

Most people in the United States order Cuban cigars because the quality of the cigar and the taste.