Dan with the Gary R. Ellis, President and CFO of Altadis USA, and Salesman John Triano

New Hampshire store

Steve and Bob stop by for a smoke and small talk.

Bob, Donna & Jack enjoying a good cigar!

Juliana and Dad in NH!

 The "Mad Fisherman" and his

Dad at A.B.C. North in North

Hampton, N.H.

Watch Charlie's TV shows on Sunday night on NESN!

Herb, Dan, and Archie "Unofficial Board Members" enjoying a cigar and talking about cigars!

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The Cigar Lounge

What do the men talk about around the TV set in the Cigar Lounge? Cigars, of course. The other day two subjects came up for discussion...The history of the cigar and how to spot a fake Cuban cigar.

The History of the Cigar

It appears that when Columbus and his men stepped ashore in the new world they soon discovered the natives were smoking a primitive formed cigar looking nothing like our present day cigar. The men had to try this "thing" and in due course smoking spread to Europe. Sir Walter Raleigh helped further spread the use of tobacco used in cigars and cigarettes. Many people thought that tobacco had medicinal qualities. The word "cigar" probably came from "Sikar" the Mayan-Indian word for "smoking" which became "cigarro" in Spanish. The cigar probably arrived in North America in 1762, when Israel Putnam, returned from Cuba to his home in Connecticut. It is believed that he had a large selection of Havana cigars and many Cuban tobacco seeds.  However, cigar smoking did not take off in the United States until around the time of the Civil War. Remember, General Grant had a big cigar smoking habit smoking as many as twenty cigars daily! When you smoke your cigar today remember it is  the product of many years of development. Enjoy!

Fake Cuban Cigars

The sale of Cuban cigars is illegal in this country and has been for many years. However, they are out there "floating" around and said to be Cuban. So, how do you spot a fake Cuban just in case you should come across one? Many fakes are very good and difficult to identify.

Here are a few tips

1. The cigars in the box should all be of similar color.

2. The cigars should all be the same size. They should
    be  within 1/16 of an inch in size of each other.

3. The cigars should be finely made.

4. The cigar wrapper should not have large veins. If
    veined, they should be very fine.

5. The ring bands should have a solid color and be well
    printed. The band should fit tightly.

6. The cap should be folded precisely.

7. Spotting a "fake" is all about looking for fine details.

8. Remember, they are illegal and someday when they
    become legal there will be a big surge to get one. At
    first, they will be expensive, and as the price comes
    down and smokers realize that the mystery of what it is
    like to smoke a real Cuban has vanished, smokers may
    take a different course!