History of Cuban Cigars

By BobbyRica | November 16, 2011

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Smokers all over the world are familiar with Cuba’s “tobacco reputation” — they believe that if you haven’t tried Cuban cigar, then you are definitely missing out on the best cigar in the world! But, how did the Cubans start to make fine cigars?

cuban tobacco worker

The history of Cuban cigars — or at least, how we came to know it — started with Christopher Columbus. When he sailed to “the new world” or the Americas in 1492, he and his fellow Europeans were introduced to tobacco. The natives offered the sailors the first form of tobacco — tobacco leaves wrapped in maize. Naturally, Columbus and his men brought back this discovery to Europe.

By the 1500’s, smoking became familiar in Europe and tobacco was farmed commercially in the Americas for the European’s consumption. People grew to love smoking, despite the fact that the King of England and Spain both loathed tobacco and denounced the habit. Punishments were given to offenders, and eventually, spread to other countries like Persia, Turkey, Russia, and Japan. Curiously enough, tobacco became used widespread for medicinal purposes.

KingPhillipIIIofSpain

In 1623, King Phillip III of Spain declared Cuba as the main center of tobacco distribution under the Spanish Empire. This was how Cuba became well known as the world center for tobacco production and cultivation. The Europeans used pipes to smoke and cigars only appeared in the early 1700s.

On April 11, 1717, King Philip V of Spain set up a royal monopoly on tobacco-growing in Cuba, and was known as “Estancodel Tabaco.” Tobacco farmers who opposed the onerous law were executed. The monopoly ended in June 23, 1817 through a royal decree. Free trade between Cuba and the rest of the known world continued — however, it was done through Spanish ports.

While Europeans treated tobacco as a luxurious commodity, Cuban natives, who called tobacco “Cohiba,” treated it as a staple plant that is deeply embedded in their culture. For them, tobacco was a miraculous medicine and an essential element for their social, political, and religious ceremonies. It was also a crucial factor for their agriculture. It was speculated that the tobacco plant existed and was used by natives as early as 3000 or 2000 BC.

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The tobacco plant was traditionally grown in small “conucos” found in the middle of cassava sown fields. This is a tubercle very used by natives. Unlike sugar production, which was a work for slaves, tobacco farming was a chore that was done by free men. This is because tobacco plants are more delicate. At the end of the 19th century, tobacco farming was given to immigrants from the Canary Islands who arrived in Cuba.

By the mid-1800s, export of Cuban tobacco exports, mostly Cuban cigars, have reached 800 tons a year. Numerous brands were created, many of which are still present today, such as Por Laranaga, Partagas, H. Upmann, and Ramon Allones. In the 1900’s, exports had grown to over 6,000 tons per year. Cuban cigars became consumed all over the world. They even symbolized class and bourgeois.

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So if that’s the case, then why are Cuban cigars banned in the U.S. today? That, I believe, is an entirely different story. Right now, I’m craving a fine cigar!