Time was when a cigar was basically a big, fat, long smoke – maybe even 9 inches or more in length and possibly up to nearly an inch in diameter. Even if you could actually keep one burning until it was finished and avoid soaking the tobacco with saliva, you would definitely need a considerable amount of time in which to complete the task. This may be OK if you are a General Patton, Winston Churchill, Fidel Castro or King Edward but it’s not always convenient for the average smoker – even if they can afford the cost of one of these monsters these days!
Smaller Can Be More Practical
Obviously, the less tobacco in a cigar, the lower its cost and, since smaller cigars are easier for mechanized production, they can be made in bulk with big savings on individual costs. If they are of a size that can be smoked in under ten minutes, not only do they solve the time inconvenience problem; they are also appealing to those who smoke their tobacco in cigarette form.
Cigarettes V/s. Cigars
It used to be folk law that cigars were for the rich and famous while cigarettes were for the ordinary Joes. Perceptions change and lines blur but, it is probably the anti-tobacco lobby that has done the most to cause an upswing in cigar sales. This strange state of affairs stems from our legislators decisions to reduce smoking throughout the land by way of increasing the taxes on cigarettes so that fewer and fewer people can afford to smoke. However, the smoking and health debate is somewhat complicated and, one way or another, in many tax jurisdictions, cigar taxes are not as punitive as those levied on cigarettes. As a result, a mass produced little cigar can actually be sold at a price lower than a cigarette in some places.
The Taste Aspect
Supporters of hand rolling tobacco, pipe tobacco and cigars often claim that their habit of choice is less harmful than cigarette smoking. This is because they all roll the smoke around the inside of their mouths to fully savor its taste whereas cigarette smokers drag it down deep into their lungs to get tobacco’s nicotine into their bloodstreams.
Since even the best pipe or hand rolled smoke could be seen as a little harsh for some tastes, it has been a practice to add flavorings to these tobaccos. Cigar manufacturers also thought along similar lines and began using flavors to enhance their product lines.
The cigarette companies are forbidden to make their products more attractive and are restricted to either plain tobacco or menthol flavored – these restrictions do not apply to cigars. So, these days, Cheap Flavored Cigars (especially those with filters) can be a very real alternative to cigarettes.
