Have you ever wondered where tobacco came form or where cigars were first produced? It is commonly believed that cigars were first produced in Spain because for years Spain was the leading producer of cigars. But before cigars became very popular in Europe, cigar tobacco was needed to make them. Tobacco is indigenous to North and South America. Native populations have produced it for hundreds of years. It is believed that the Maya of Yucatan peninsula in Mexico and parts of Central America were one of the original tribes to begin smoking tobacco. Slowly, tobacco use spread to other surrounding tribes. It is believed that its first use in the United States was probably among the tribe along the southern end of the Mississippi river. 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.
Apparently, Columbus was not impressed by tobacco or its use among native peoples. Yet, many sailors grew found of the strange spicy plant. Because of its rarity, 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. Tobago is the name of a Caribbean island where explorers would certainly have visited. Still others believe it comes from the word Tabasco, a region in Mexico.
Along with many other farms during that era, the first tobacco plantation in the United States was established in Virginia in 1612. More tobacco plantations followed up and down the coastal colonies soon after. Although tobacco became a popular crop, colonists only smoked it 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. Putnam had traveled to Cuba after the Revolutionary War and returned with a box of fine Cuban cigars. Naturally their popularity quickly spread. Soon enough there were cigar factories being 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. Among the aristocracy, the favored method of enjoying tobacco was the cigar. Cigar smoking remains a habit associated with the wealthy to this day. Want to read something interesting about cigars, here is the worlds longest cigar.
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