| The cigar was smoked throughout the islands of the Caribbean Sea and in Mesoamerica for centuries before the Europeans discovered the Americas in the late 15th century.
In the 19th century cigar smoking was common while cigarettes were still comparatively rare. The cigar business was an important industry, factories employed many people before mechanized manufacturing of cigars became practical. To this day, however, the higher-quality cigars are still made by hand (some boxes bear the phrase "Hecho a Mano", or "Made by Hand", as proof).
The cigar became inextricably intertwined with political history on February 7, 1962, when American President John F. Kennedy imposed a trade embargo on Cuba. The purpose was to punish the Cuban regime, but had the unintended consequence of punishing Americans who enjoyed smoking fine Cuban cigars. Interestingly, Kennedy supposedly ordered Pierre Salinger, then his press secretary, to obtain 1,000 Cuban cigars the night before issuing the executive order authorizing the embargo (according to Salinger's personal account of the events). Cigars obtained prior to the embargo were not contraband, and became referred to as "Pre-Embargo Cubans". To this day, Americans face difficulties obtaining and enjoying premium Cuban-grown cigars. As is usual with embargoes, a lively smuggling trade exists, coupled with elevated prices and rampant counterfeiting.
During the mid to late 1990's in America, numerous cultural phenomena caused the popularity of cigar smoking to skyrocket. Lavish dinner events, or "smokers", could be attended in virtually any metropolitan area of consequence across the country. Celebrities, radio and television talk-show hosts, politicians, blue-collar workers, and even a large number of women - a fact surprising to some observers, were drawn to the allure of the cigar. The sudden resurgence in cigar smoking created demand that was difficult to supply. Additionally, the significance of America's Cuban trade embargo – imposed some 30 years earlier, before many of the new aficionados were born - suddenly became very evident. Cigar retailers, a good number of them new establishments looking to capitalize on the craze, could name their price on virtually every type and brand of cigar. Some even refused to sell any one customer an entire box at a time, regardless of the fact that only a very few could afford to, as a courtesy to their other customers.
In the rush to meet demand, the quality of many premium cigars suffered for brief periods of time. Eventually, consumer demand so far outpaced supply that many of those who took it up had to cease the practice altogether. For many, this was mainly due to either lack of supply, or overinflated prices. For others, the newness of the fad had simply worn off. Today, cigar prices have descended to reasonable levels, and supply of the best brands is abundant for those who continue to enjoy cigar smoking – even in the face of public scrutiny and disapproval
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