The cigar industry has a long and storied history.
1492 Christopher Columbus, traveling on the Santa Maria from Spain, discovers the Antilles and the habit of “drinking smoke” among the native people
1560s Tobacco is first introduced in England
1614 The Spanish court formally authorizes cultivation of tobacco in Cuba, long after indigenous Cubans had been wiped out
1750s In northern Europe the renaissance of smoking as a social accomplishment marks a turning point when the cigar surpasses the pipe in becoming fashionable
1762 The first Cuban cigars reach the colonies in New England
1810 - The first U.S. cigar factory opens in Connecticut
- 5 million cigars imported into the U.S.
- 29 million cigars are manufactured in the U.S.,
- The Cuban trademark office records the first two applications for cigar brand registrations
1821 Spanish King Ferdinand VII issues a decree encouraging the production of cigars by a state monopoly
1830 - Gustave Antoine Bock, a European manufacturer established in Havana, invents the cigar band to distinguish his cigars from others
1830 - The banking firm H. Upmann invents the wooden cigar box to maintain freshness and starts shipping cigars in sealed cedar containers from Cuba back to London
1837 Ramon Allones, a Galician immigrant to Cuba, is first to use colorful lithographic labels on his
cigar boxes to stand out from the competition
1840s The first great European and American booms in cigar smoking take place
1849 Demand in the U.S. and Europe for Cuban cigars triples the output in the widest variety of shapes and names ever available up until that time
1868 A law is enacted requiring British railway companies to provide special smoking compartments on trains
1870 253,882 pounds of cigars are imported to England
1880 All U.S. states currently admitted to the Union have cigar factories, except for Montana and Idaho
1890s Smoking concerts were all the rage in the U.S. and in Europe
1898 Annual consumption of cigars in the U.S surpasses 4 billion
1900 An estimated 4 out of 5 American men are smoking cigars
1901 Queen Victoria of England, who disapproves of all tobacco, yields the crown to her son Edward who ascends the throne and says “Gentleman you may proceed to smoke.”
1907 Alfred Dunhill opens his first store dedicated to fine tobacco products in London
1915 15,732 U.S. cigar factories are operating, making 6.6 million cigars
1920 - U.S. cigar consumption reaches 7 billion
- Vice President Thomas Riley Marshall, while presiding over the U.S. Senate, says “What this country needs is a good five-cent cigar.”
1921 Alfred Dunhill opens his first American smoking store in New York City
1919 Cigar manufacturers move quickly to mechanization making cigars affordable to everyone, including the working man
1935 Total number of U.S. cigar factories declines to 4,905
1946 Swiss cigar merchant Zino Davidoff joins with Fernandez, Palicio y Cia, to revive interest in Havana cigars at the conclusion of World War II
1962 President John F. Kennedy declares an economic embargo in Cuba in October, but not until he has his press secretary Pierre Salinger secure a lifetime supply of his favorite smoke for his personal enjoyment
1965 U.S. cigar consumption soars to 9.9 billion
1973 U.S. Cigar consumption up to 11.23 billion
1990 Overall consumption of cigars declines, but new strength is seen in premium, handmade imported cigars
1992 The first issue of Cigar Aficionado is published in the fall
1993 While cigar consumption bottoms out at 3.42 billion, imports of premium cigars reach a new height of 126.9 million, including 55 million hand made cigars from the Dominican Republic
1994 Overall cigar sales rise by 8.65 percent and total imports for the year total 146 million cigars
1995 - Cigar sales enjoy another boom year with imports of premium cigars up 33.3 percent
- Smoke, another enthusiast publication, is launched with a sell-out edition
1996 Cigar consumption in the U.S. climbs to 4.5 billion
2009 Goldwin Cigar launched the first premium Rosado leaf cigar. Retailing at over $50, it is the most exclusive cigar ever to be sold. LOUIXS is considered the Bugatti Veyron of the cigar industry and ranked Top 10 (7) cigars in the world.