A-Z of smoking

A is for Afficionado [Spanish, past participle of aficionar, to induce a liking for, from afición, liking, from Latin affectio, affection]

B is for Band, Catherine The Great was an avid cigar smoker. To avoid soiling her fingers with tobacco stains, she is credited as being the first to put a band around a cigar.

C is for Cohiba, name of the exclusive cigar brand. Castro decided to release his personal cigars as a premium cigar brand for public consumption when the 1982 World Cup was held in Spain. It is origianly an ancient taino Indian term for cigars and tobacco which they used to light with their 'cuabas'.

D is for Divinios (the smallest cigar of the habanos, from the Cuaba line)

E is for Epicure. The word meaning gourmet is used by Hoyo de Monterrey for two of the cigars in their line.

F is for Fermentation. After the Tobacco is cured the second part of the manufacturing process is called fermentation and is carried out under conditions designed to help the leaf die slowly. Temperature and humidity are controlled to ensure that the leaf continues to ferment, without rotting or disintegrating. This is where the flavor, burning, and aroma characteristics are primarily brought out in the leaf.

G is for Guevara. Anything extra we can write on the amazing isle of Cuba and especialy the infamous revolutionary Che Guevara makes us happy.

H is for Habanos. Habanos SA is the arm of the Cuban state tobacco monopoly, Cubatabaco, that controls the promotion, distribution, and export of Cuban cigars and other tobacco products worldwide. The word habanos means literally (something) from Havana, and is the word used in the Spanish-speaking world for Havana cigars and, sometimes, cigars in general.

I is for Isla de Cuba

J is for Julietas.

K

L is for Lector. Historically, a lector or reader was always employed to entertain the cigar factory workers. This practice became obsolete once audio books for portable music players became available, but it is still practiced in some Cuban factories. The name for the Montecristo cigar brand may have arisen from this practice.

M is for Montecristo. The most famous of the many famous Havana brands started only in 1935 as a new brand from Menendez, Garcia y Cia., then the owners of the H. Upmann brand. The name is also reported to have been inspired by Alexandre Dumas' 1844 novel Le Comte de Montecristo.

N is for Nicotine. Nicotine is an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants (Solanaceae) which constitutes approximately 0.6 - 3.0% of dry weight of tobacco,[1][2] with biosynthesis taking place in the roots, and accumulating in the leaves.

O is for olor, which translates to smell or aroma in Englis

P is for Partagas. The Spaniard Don Jaime Partagás Ravelo established his own factory- Real Fábricas de Tabaco Partagás in 1845, on 60 Industria Street in Havana, one of the largest of its time. The name translates as "Partagás Royal Tobacco Factory," and was chosen because of Don Jaime's status as cigar supplier to various European and Asian nobility. He owned many of the best plantations in the Vuelta Abajo tobacco-growing region of Cuba and being able to choose from among the finest tobaccos on the island made the brand incredibly successful.

Q

R is for Rollers. Quality cigars are still hand-made. An experienced cigar-roller can produce hundreds of very good, nearly identical, cigars per day. The rollers keep the tobacco moist - especially the wrapper - and use specially designed crescent-shaped knives, called chavetas, to form the filler and wrapper leaves quickly and accurately.

S is for Sabor, which translates to taste in English. The taste of a Cuban cigar is unparalleled.

T is for Tobacco. Two of Columbus's crewmen during his 1492 journey, Rodrigo de Jerez and Luis de Torres, are said to have encountered tobacco for the first time on the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas, when natives presented them with dry leaves that spread a peculiar fragrance. Tobacco was widely difused among all of the islands of the Caribbean and therefore they again encountered it in Cuba, where Columbus and his men had settled.

U is for Uaxactún. The discovery of a ceramic vessel from the 10th century at a Mayan archaeological site in Uaxactún, Guatemala depicts a man smoking a primitive cigar.

V is for Violeta. A popular cigar size.

W is for Winston. Winston Churchill was a legendary cigar smoker and chose the Romeo y Julieta brand who in turn named their 7" 42 ring cigar after him.

X

Y is for Yucatan, the yucatan peninsular is where tobacco was first cultivated by native Americans in what is now Mexico.

Z