About Me
I am cigar. History tells us that tobacco was first discovered on the island of Cuba when Christopher Columbus first arrived in 1492. He noted in his log book that the natives of San Salvador were inhaling the smoke of leaves of a local plant. Some traces of tobacco have also been found in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The natives smoked tobacco wrapped in maize, palm or other native vegetation. The Spanish actually created the cigar. Spanish conquistadors had introduced tobacco to Spain and Portugal in the 16th century. The Mayans used the word "Ciq-Sigan" which gave way to the Spanish word "Cigarro" from which "Cigar" comes from. Cuba discovered the climate was ideal for tobacco and around the middle of the 16th century I was Cuba's leading industry.
I am made from three components. I have a filler, tobacco selected for my body. Then there's a binder leaf, its job is to hold the filler together and is what gives me my strength. Lastly is my wrapper, and like many things my wrapper gives me my look. All three parts account for the flavor. The selection can be very meticulous.
I come in many shapes, sizes, and varieties. Most of the names for me are Hispanic since that is my ancestry. But there are others such as Churchill, named for Winston Churchill. My length is measured in inches. My width is called ring gauge which is expressed in 64ths of an inch.
My different wrappers account for much of my flavor and there are various wrapper types and names...
Claro: Light tan wrapper, usually shade-grown wrappers like Connecticut Shade, mild and smooth flavor.
Natural: Light brown to brown, also called English Market Selection, often sun-grown wrappers, fuller bodied flavor than the Claro.
Colorado: Reddish dark brown, robust and rich flavor. Colorado Maduro: Dark brown, aromatic and rich medium flavor.
Maduro: Very dark brown, usually sweet and strong flavor. The darkest maduro wrapper, called Oscuro, is almost black and stronger than the lighter maduro wrappers, usually from Nicaragua, Mexico, Brazil or Connecticut Broadleaf.
I have two basic body types, Parejos featuring straight sides and rounded heads, and Figurados which have more unusual shapes with names like Pyramids, Torpedo, Perfecto. "Close But No Cigar" - a popular expression.
Around the mid 20th century in the United States, when one went to a fair or carnival, stalls would sometimes hand out cigars as prizes. The expression appears to have come from comments given to those that lost but did well.
