| The cigar has a lot of history, a lot of trivia, and a lot of | | | | circumstances. For some women, diamonds are |
| interesting facts. However, it's often easy to become | | | | forever, but for others, infinity belongs to the cigar |
| so consumed with actually smoking the cigar, the | | | | band. |
| luxury of its aroma, its flavor, its essence, to remember | | | | Cigar Sayings |
| any of the legends and tales cigars light a match | | | | One of the most popular sayings, Close by no cigar, is |
| under. But, to miss out on these is to miss out on a lot | | | | a euphemism for getting near success, only to have it |
| of the cigar's culture, miss out on its extravagance, and | | | | evade you at the last moment. Though no one is 100 |
| destroy its past. So take a moment every now and | | | | percent positive as to the origin of this saying, it's highly |
| again to enjoy some cigar tidbits...before they go up in | | | | speculated that it came from old carnival games and |
| smoke. | | | | old slot machines. When first invented, the carnival |
| The First Connoisseurs | | | | games wouldn't pay out with plush toys stuffed with |
| While Christopher Columbus, in addition to being | | | | Styrofoam and the slot machines wouldn't pay out |
| credited with the discovery of America, is generally | | | | with hard cash. Instead, the winners would receive |
| allowed to get away with writing "cigar inventor" on his | | | | cigars, leaving the loser to, of course, only take solace |
| resume, he wasn't actually the first person to come up | | | | in the fact that they were close. |
| with the concept of smoking tobacco. According to | | | | The Zippo Lighter |
| archeological discovery, the inhabitants of the | | | | A lighter known for speed, perhaps marketed to the |
| Caribbean Islands and Mesoamerica smoked cigars at | | | | cigar smoker on the go, the Zippo lighter was invented |
| least as far back as 900 A.D. This discovery was | | | | in 1932 in Bradford, Pennsylvania by a man named |
| made when researchers discovered a ceramic vessel | | | | George G. Blaisdell. It was invented not only to light a |
| at a Mayan ruin in Guatemala that was decorated with | | | | cigar at a more rapid rate, but to provide cigar |
| a painting of a cigar-smoking man. This man, likely | | | | smokers with a portable convenience - something that |
| diseased, was not available for comment. | | | | could fit in a pocket, a briefcase, or a golf bag. It is |
| The Invention of the Cigar Band | | | | rumored to have been named "The Zippo" because |
| To the non-smoker, the cigar band may sound like a | | | | Blaisdell liked how the word "zipper" sounded. |
| group of musicians who get together in a smoky | | | | From Henry Clay to JFK |
| basement, belting out songs about tobacco and singing | | | | The brand Henry Clay is named for the 19th century |
| "The Blues" over the Cuban Trade Embargo. | | | | senator from Kentucky. He was known as an |
| However, to the cigar smoker, the cigar band is an | | | | illustrious leader, a statesman and orator who often |
| elemental part of the cigar, full of color and history. | | | | eased disagreements among fellow leaders. Henry |
| The cigar band, or cigar ring, is a circular piece of | | | | Clay, like the cigars named for him, was renowned |
| paper that's wrapped around the head of most cigars. | | | | with the ability to evoke a sense of calmness, leading |
| In legend, it's said to have been invented by either | | | | those into the room into a compromised agreement. In |
| Spanish Nobles or Catherine the Great, the women | | | | 1957, JFK, a cigar lover himself, named Henry Clay as |
| who reigned as Empress of Russia in the late 1700's | | | | one of the top five US Senators in the history of |
| and early 1800's. The reason for the invention, as the | | | | America. |
| legend attests, was because these nobles, fond of | | | | The Smoking Jacket: Smoking Hot Fashion |
| cigars, were not fond of the stains cigars left on their | | | | The smoking jacket, nowadays, is rarely worn, with |
| gloves. Thus, they invented a band where they could | | | | one occasionally popping up in portraits hanging above |
| place their fingers, keeping them stain free while | | | | fireplace mantels. But, during Victorian Times, smoking |
| smoking. | | | | jackets were all the rage. Because people believed |
| However, other legends state that the invention of the | | | | that women had tender nostrils, and would thus be |
| cigar band was the genius of Gustave Bock, a Dutch | | | | sensitive to the aroma of tobacco, men often donned |
| advertising guru. His reasoning for the invention was | | | | a smoking jacket before lighting up a cigar. While it |
| simply to help keep the cigar together, binding the | | | | initially was worn to appease women, smoking jackets, |
| wrapper to the filler in a more cohesive manner. | | | | made of expensive material, eventually became a sign |
| Whether invented by European nobility or as a | | | | of status. |
| promotional tool, the cigar band carries with it a lot of | | | | Cigar tidbits are a dime a dozen; there are enough out |
| lore. To start, most cigar bands are printed with the | | | | there to fill the world's largest ashtray. From lore to |
| name of the brand, the country from which it came, | | | | factual information, cigars have been a part of the |
| and an indication as to whether or not it was | | | | world for longer than most other things: if they could |
| hand-rolled. In addition, the cigar band is said to have | | | | talk, they'd probably never shut up, engaging smokers |
| been used in many wedding ceremonies of yore, | | | | with stories and tales. When it comes down to it, the |
| when the groom could either not afford a wedding | | | | cigar is simply multi-talented; it's rich with the lives of the |
| band, misplaced it, or asked for a woman's hand in | | | | puffers of yore, and enriching the lives of the |
| marriage under spontaneous, and expedited, | | | | modern-day smoker. |