Tobacco Origins Part 3

The Mayans were responsible for spreading the tobacco plant throughout the Americas. But who do we give credit for spreading the plant to the rest of the world? The soldiers and conquistadors stationed in the new world fell to the addictive nature of smoking crude cigars. The Spanish and Portuguese brought the plant back with them and grew it in their gardens as a sign of wealth. The wealthy Spanish and Portuguese families would then pass the cigars on to ambassadors of other countries – France was one of the first to receive tobacco. Soon, all of Europe was cultivating the tobacco plant.

Tobacco plantations in North America were established in the early 1600s in Virginia and Maryland, but were strictly producing pipe tobacco. It wasn’t until the mid 1700s that tobacco leaf for the purpose of rolling cigars was grown in North America. In fact, the only countries that were smoking cigars in the 1600s to mid 1700s were Spain and Portugal. Snuff, a form of tobacco inhaled through the nose, was more popular than cigars and pipes in Britain until the 1800s.

The tobacco plant’s home is thought to be in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The Mayans were one of the first tribes to cultivate tobacco for smoking. As the Mayan empire began to collapse in the 8th and 9th centuries, Mayans migrated all over the America’s, planting tobacco wherever they settled. During the colonization of the Americas, Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors brought the tobacco plant back to their countries. The plant was planted and showcased in their gardens and soon spread to the rest of Europe.

Tobacco Origins Part 2

Many of the sailors and soldiers kept diaries during their journeys, and all written accounts of natives smoking tobacco boggled them — they couldn’t understand why they were doing it. The natives presented these valuable dried leaves as gifts to Columbus and his men. It is recorded that Columbus took the dried tobacco back to the ship and had them thrown away.

Experts agree that one of the first people to cultivate tobacco for smoking were probably the Mayans. The Mayans had a large civilization in Central America, not far from the tobacco plants native home in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The Mayans suffered a mysterious downfall in the 8th and 9th centuries and their empire collapsed — probably due to over population and civil war. The Mayans then spread throughout South and North America, transporting their precious tobacco plant wherever they settled.

Tobacco Origins Part 1

The hardy tobacco plant has many mysteries behind its origins. Today, Tobacco is cultivated on every continent except Antarctica. But who were the first to cultivate and smoke the broad leaves of the plant? And where was it first cultivated and why? These are questions that no one has definite answers to. But through speculation and accounts of Spanish conquistadors and soldiers we can theorize the origin of tobacco, and how it spread throughout the world.

We know that Christopher Columbus landed in the Bahamas in 1942. Upon meeting the natives of the surrounding areas he noticed that many smoked dry leaves rolled into crude cylinders. Until his arrival in the Bahamas the tobacco plant was a complete mystery to the rest of the world, and the sight of natives lighting and smoking tobacco must have been bizarre.

Rolling Cigars. Part 4

The ugly looking cigar is removed from the press and given back to the roller for wrapping. The wrapper is the most expensive part of the tobacco plant and the cigar roller knows it. He uses all his skill and experience to firmly yet carefully wrap the cigar, smoothing out the leaf as he wraps. Once the cigar is wrapped the roller uses his knife to trim both ends of the cigar. A cap is created from the excess wrapper and applied to the cigar using a dab of glue – one cigar made.

Next time you’re visiting a tobacco shop shopping for a tasty smoke, take a moment and look at all the hand-rolled cigars on the shelves. Each and every one was hand made by a master roller sitting in a room of a factory, probably with a cigar in mouth, rolling one cigar after another. The weather is hot and humid, salsa music is blaring in the background and piles of leaves are being shaped for you and me.

Rolling Cigars. Part 3

Once the roller has the proper blend and amount of filler tightly shaped in his hand, he must wrap it with a binder while keeping the filler nice and tight — a feat that is easier said than done. Thankfully the workers who sorted the binder leaves made sure that these specific leaves were tough. Holding the filler in hand the roller takes the binder and starts to wrap the filler from the top down. He slowly applies pressure as the binder rotates in a spiral fashion around the fill and through his hand until all the filler is wrapped snugly inside.

The cigar is now starting to take shape. The roller places the cigar into a wooden mold that has slots for twenty cigars. When the mold is filled with cigars it is closed and placed under a press. For several hours the press will apply pressure to the wooden molds. No glue or other substance is used to keep the cigar in tact. The natural oils of the leaf combined with the pressure of the press keeps the cigars perfectly in tact.

Rolling Cigars. Part 2

The cigar rollers are the most skilled workers in the factory. They are true artist. Working with only a few tools, it is the skill of the roller and not the sophistication of modern tools that makes a perfect cigar. Using their hands, a knife, a wooden mold and a press, a cigar roller can make 100 or more cigars a day.

The stage where the cigar rollers perform their artistry is not much different than that of a large cafeteria. Rows of tables and chairs sit in a spacious room with high ceilings. Latin music fills the air to help stimulate the brains of the rollers. Rolling cigars is a highly repetitive job that takes many years to master.

Rolling a cigar starts with the filler. Depending on the blend of the cigar, the Roller will begin by taking leaves from the filler piles. He will bunch the leaves in his hand, varying short and long leaves to mix up the flavor. He measures the amount of filler by using his experience, only. In his tobacco stained hand he forms the filler into a cylinder that is a bit longer than the final product.

Rolling Cigars. Part 1

Planted, nurtured and raised with the care and love of a mother, the tobacco plant grows into a beautiful broad-leafed plant under the sun. Harvesting the broad leaves is the first step of a long process that will transform tobacco into a cylinder shaped bundle of pure joy and satisfaction. But once the processes of growing, harvesting and curing the tobacco ends, how is it then transformed into a premium cigar? Find out who the true artisans of the cigar world are, and how they create their works of art by reading further.

The making of a good cigar starts with properly sorting the tobacco leaves into filler, binder and wrappers. The tobacco leaf is inspected over and over by experienced workers who grade the quality of the leaves. The highest quality leaves are used for the wrappers, and the rest are used as filler and binders. Once the leaves are sorted they are given to the cigar rollers.

Advice for Men – 6 Tips For Men How to Have a Successful Relationship. Part 4

Tip 6. Friends and family. Her friends might love you. Her family might hate you. Your job, as the boyfriend, is to get along with both. This one can get real tough, specially if her family is crazy, but hey, I haven’t met a family that doesn’t have a little ‘crazy’ in them. If the family is too crazy, well, you might consider if the girl is worth it.

If you’ve made it to the end of this article and your eyes are popping out from their sockets, and it feels like your sitting in a sauna — you may need some extra help like a ‘playa’ exorcism. Sorry, I stopped performing those. And for those saying, “I can do this,” I invite you to give it a try. Remember to be honest, trusting, send flowers and notes, respect her and get along with her friends and family. And, if you make a mistake remember that nobody is perfect.

Advice for Men – 6 Tips For Men How to Have a Successful Relationship. Part 3

Tip 4. Do the little things. In a recent study in my mind, it turns out that the little things, like sending flowers and writing notes, are actually big things. A sincere note left in your girlfriend’s purse will win you just as many points as a fancy dinner! Can you believe that? Well you should, because it’s true and less expensive. I’m sure you can appreciate that in this economy. And if you’re going to send her flowers take a little extra time and write some careful words — it will make a difference.

Tip 5. You have to give respect to earn respect. No matter how close you and your partner become you will always be individuals. Respect that individuality and the fact that you two will not always see eye-to-eye. Never tease her during a fight or make her feel bad because you do not understand or agree with her (and vice versa) — that’s disrespectful.

Advice for Men – 6 Tips For Men How to Have a Successful Relationship. Part 2

Tip 2. Trust her. Without trust, there is no relationship. If you’ve ever been burnt by a woman, then you may have some trust issues. Don’t let one bad apple ruin the whole barrel for you. What I have noticed with people who have trust issues, is that they are the ones who can’t be trusted. If you focus on being loyal to your partner, then, you’ll trust her more when she is not around, too.

Tip 3. If you don’t like her then break up. Do not settle into a relationship that you know is not going anywhere. There is nothing worse than letting months go by with someone you do not really care for. Sure you care, but not the way two lovers should. Even though it hurts to break up, and you know she might cry, it truly is the best thing for both of you.