by Denise Gabbard

Created on: March 23, 2010

After the Spanish, led by Christopher Columbus, explored the island of Cuba and returned to Europe with some of the tobacco, a passionate response to the Cuban tobacco was ignited in Spain and all over Europe. In Spain, the habit of smoking tobacco had quickly gained a lot of loyal followers.  In other areas, like Russia, Turkey, and Japan tobacco was ruled illegal and cruel punishments were set as penalty for disobeying the law. 

As the prohibition on the use of tobacco products grew, so too did the use of tobacco for medicinal purposes. In England as early as the late sixteenth century, tobacco was being recommended as a cure for halitosis, cancer, toothaches, worms, and lockjaw, among other maladies. It seems that no matter what the problem, tobacco might often be prescribed to take care of it.

In 1717, rebellions against the Spanish crown were incited by Cuban tobacco farmers when King Felipe V set up a royal monopoly, called a Factoria, on all of the tobacco grown on the island. Many of the honest tobacco farmers refused to grow crops under the government’s restricted trade laws. This “Tobacco Monopoly” lasted for exactly one hundred years, until Royal Decree overturned it, allowing the island to open up free trade with the rest of the world. Even then, trade was always done through Spanish ports so that there was a degree of control.

Tobacco farming was seen as an occupation that should only be done by free men. In contrast, the island's number one crop, sugar farming, and its production was seen as a much simpler, though rougher occupation which was easily done by the use of slaves. Tobacco farming, on the other hand, required some specific skill and knowledge. Especially the higher quality tobacco brands which required extra care and fermentation to give it the smoothness and flavor that is so coveted by aficionados. Because of this, the Spaniards urged thousands of immigrants from the Canary Islands to relocate to Cuba and work in the fledgling tobacco industry. These immigrants arrived to Cuba by the end of the 19th century and helped to build the industry. 

Cuban cigars remain the most coveted, due in part to the trade embargo sanctions that the United States put on Cuba almost 50 years ago. This makes the demand for Cuban cigars, especially the high end Cohiba Cigars, very high, while the embargo keeps the supply, especially in the United States, very low. Cuban cigars are illegal in the United States, but can still be purchased for a premium price.

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