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A Short History Of Cigars
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.
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