Cigars for beginners

A ceramic pot was found at the Mayan archaeological site of Uaxactún, Guatemala dating from the 10th century. It was decorated with a man smoking a primitve cigar.

Tobacco was originally thought to have medicinal qualities, but by the time Colombus returned from his epic 1492 voyage there were already some who considered it evil. It was denounced by Philip II of Spain, and James I of England.

The word cigar originated from sikar, the Mayan-Indian word for smoking, which became cigarro in Spanish.

Jean Nicot, the French ambassador to Portugal, who gave his name to nicotine did much to spread the trend of smoking in Europe.

First manufactured in Spain from the early 18th century, using Cuban tobacco 40 years before cigars were exported from Cuba. Production of "segars" began in Britain in 1820. The Prince of Wales and future Edward VII was a devotee, much to the annoyance of his mother, Queen Victoria, who disliked smoking. Cigars didnt take off in the United States until the Civil War in the 1860s and by the late 19th century the cigar had become a status symbol. Legendary cigar smokers include Sir Winston churchill, John. F. Kennedy and Fidel castro and Al Capone.

Since the early 1990s, there has been a major revival in the popularity of handmade cigars: becoming chic once more, thanks to the enthusiasm shown for them by stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Woods, Jack Nicholson, Sharon Stone and Linda Evangelista. Among the rich and famous, cigars are just as popular as ever.