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cigars of yester-year VS. Todays?

smokinbrew

smokinbrew

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BOTLs,
so the old man was watching Columbo yesterday and saw him smoking a small "green" cigar (i wasn't there to see it) and he asked me a question i wasn't prepared or knowledgable enough to answer......how do the cigars of the early days(1800s, 1900s) compare to today? were they less flavorful, more of a straight tobacco taste vice the array of flavors we get today? rolled differently? were the flavors akin to rotgut whiskey and a wild west hookers naughty parts? he is comparing the cigars of Wyatt Earp to the ones i smoke. i told him i would think today we have a better flavor profile due to science and cross breeding. was i wrong? any info or links to the history (he loves reading history of any topic) would be appreciated. Thank you BOTLs!
 
Cigary43

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Well, when I used to have conversations with people like Mark Twain and Ulysses Grant in my day the cigars were just tobacco rolled up...not all that great and they didn't have the complexity they do now. The storing of them was usually in places underground where the RH was better otherwise they'd just dry out and smoke like a piece of firewood. As the decades worn on cigars were beginning to catch on and there was more to the art of growing and rolling them but most were machine made while the handmade ones were far too expensive for the everyday person. It wasn't until the early 70's that strides were made in the development and growth of the manufacturing and growing of quality tobacco...we're lucky to be alive in this century where the quality is unsurpassed and we have a ton of brands out there.
 
Cigary43

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herfdog said:
Wait I don't believe that.

We can actually "just roll a cigar" - with no complex blend?
Click to expand...
Cigars back then lacked the complexity that we have now. ..that you can believe in. The tobacco then was just rolled into a cigar much like today's cigars but the difference between then and now is that we're fortunate to be living at a time when cigars are so much better.
 
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Couple of quick points:

1 - Many of today's machine made brands, AyC, El Producto, Hav-a-Tampa, etc were premium handmade cigars in the 1940s and 1950s, in fact many were "clear Havana" meaning they were made of Cuba grown fillers and often wrappers also. The owners of these brands were concerned about rising costs over the years so they started making micro adjustments to maintain price and profit margin, over the course of decades this resulted in what was formerly a handmade Clear Havana becoming the machine made partial tobacco products they have become today.

2 - The green hue was because the most popular cigars of the time were made with Candela wrapper, this wrapper fell out of favor over the course of the late 60s and 70s.

3 - Cigars on the whole were significantly smaller, the most popular format was a 5 x 42 corona vs the 6 x 52/54 toro it is now.

4 - Cigars were significantly milder on the whole.

5 - Maduro was associated with cheap, lower grade cigars in both the machine and handmade segment - funny given how much more expensive true maduro-seed wrapper is to utilize on cigars today.

6 - Five decades ago the only handmade cigars as we know them today construction and blend wise were those being handcrafted in Cuba, hence establishing Cuba as the leader in the manufacture of handmade premium cigars, albeit on the whole most of the blends were also milder and bulk of the vitolas smaller. However Cuba did make 7 x 47 churchill and 7 x 49 double corona formats and some robusto formats.

7 - It wasn't until the exile of the primary cigar makers from Cuba that the handmade industry began to establish itself elsewhere and today prospers as it does.

Imo, I believe the handmade cigars we get today are overall significantly better. Far greater range in tobacco diversity, blends, strength levels, formats, complexity, etc. etc. Even our friends in Cuba have started to take their cues from others by expanding their range in formats, blends and higher quality limited releases.

BR,

STS
 
mwlabel

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ssaka said:
Couple of quick points:

1 - Many of today's machine made brands, AyC, El Producto, Hav-a-Tampa, etc were premium handmade cigars in the 1940s and 1950s, in fact many were "clear Havana" meaning they were made of Cuba grown fillers and often wrappers also. The owners of these brands were concerned about rising costs over the years so they started making micro adjustments to maintain price and profit margin, over the course of decades this resulted in what was formerly a handmade Clear Havana becoming the machine made partial tobacco products they have become today.

2 - The green hue was because the most popular cigars of the time were made with Candela wrapper, this wrapper fell out of favor over the course of the late 60s and 70s.

3 - Cigars on the whole were significantly smaller, the most popular format was a 5 x 42 corona vs the 6 x 52/54 toro it is now.

4 - Cigars were significantly milder on the whole.

5 - Maduro was associated with cheap, lower grade cigars in both the machine and handmade segment - funny given how much more expensive true maduro-seed wrapper is to utilize on cigars today.

6 - Five decades ago the only handmade cigars as we know them today construction and blend wise were those being handcrafted in Cuba, hence establishing Cuba as the leader in the manufacture of handmade premium cigars, albeit on the whole most of the blends were also milder and bulk of the vitolas smaller. However Cuba did make 7 x 47 churchill and 7 x 49 double corona formats and some robusto formats.

7 - It wasn't until the exile of the primary cigar makers from Cuba that the handmade industry began to establish itself elsewhere and today prospers as it does.

Imo, I believe the handmade cigars we get today are overall significantly better. Far greater range in tobacco diversity, blends, strength levels, formats, complexity, etc. etc. Even our friends in Cuba have started to take their cues from others by expanding their range in formats, blends and higher quality limited releases.

BR,

STS
Click to expand...
If you ever write a book, I'm snagging a copy. A lot of good insight. Greatly appreciated, Steve.
 
broadleaf

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In terms of the Wyatt Earp reference, the little cigar shop in Tombstone sells these between petite lancero and lancero cigars that look rough. All of the re-enactors in the town smoke these. Supposedly that's what they use to smoke. And they are real tasty. Surprisingly not weak in flavor or bitter or sour at all. I need to remember to buy a box when I go down the next time. I love that little shop, just never thought of buying a box, because that's pretty much the only cigar that the guy sells that moves......
 
S

ssaka

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mwlabel said:
If you ever write a book, I'm snagging a copy. A lot of good insight. Greatly appreciated, Steve.
Click to expand...
Kind of you to say - thanks. People including my friend cigar legend Lew Rothman have been asking me to author a book since 1999, but the truth is I am too lazy, plus too much of a perfectionist, I would never finish the damn thing...
 
Erikcooper

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ssaka said:
Kind of you to say - thanks. People including my friend cigar legend Lew Rothman have been asking me to author a book since 1999, but the truth is I am too lazy, plus too much of a perfectionist, I would never finish the damn thing...
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It could be a worthwhile endeavor in your between time, and something to do while you decide what the future holds. It may take awhile but it would be a hell of a life story/informative read!
 
hdroadglide

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you also have to remember that back in steve's day, there were literally THOUSANDS of cigar factories in the united states. which prompted a prominent us senator around 1917-18 to say, "what this country needs is a good five cent cigar"!
 
Ducttapegonewild

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ssaka said:
Kind of you to say - thanks. People including my friend cigar legend Lew Rothman have been asking me to author a book since 1999, but the truth is I am too lazy, plus too much of a perfectionist, I would never finish the damn thing...
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Hell, hire a ghost writer... You have the knowledge, let them flesh it out for you... I'd be another one interested in a copy of that book.
 
Daven

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broadleaf said:
In terms of the Wyatt Earp reference, the little cigar shop in Tombstone sells these between petite lancero and lancero cigars that look rough. All of the re-enactors in the town smoke these. Supposedly that's what they use to smoke. And they are real tasty. Surprisingly not weak in flavor or bitter or sour at all. I need to remember to buy a box when I go down the next time. I love that little shop, just never thought of buying a box, because that's pretty much the only cigar that the guy sells that moves......
Click to expand...
Yes, those kind of remind of of banditos which arent too shabby for an ultra cheap/quick smoke. I was just down to this shop two weekends ago and it's the same folks running it, good group of people.
 
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