Though it is much less common today than it used to be, handing out cigars at the birth of a child has been a long-standing tradition in the United States and Europe.

Unfortunately it is unclear exactly when the tradition began, but it is believed that it originated with the birth of a son, when fathers handed out cigars (which were a rare and expensive commodity) to celebrate the blessing.

Also, because men used to be excluded from the birth process, after the baby was born men would celebrate with their friends and relatives in the parlor or other room in the house by smoking cigars. Occasionally women were included, but traditionally it was a male custom.

While fewer people smoke today, giving out cigars at the birth of your child remains a fun way to celebrate with your friends the new joy in your life. Come talk to us in person and let us help you pick out some cigars to celebrate your baby’s birth!

This week we’ll begin with one of the best-known regions for cigar production: the Caribbean. We’ll focus specifically on cigar production in Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

Cuban Cigars

Due to our trade embargo with the Cuba, Americans are precluded from the privilege of buying Cuban cigars (though they’re available in Canada and Mexico).

Even though purchasing Cuban cigars is illegal for all U.S. citizens, according to this piece in the New York Times, JFK wanted to exempt Cuban cigars from the embargo, but cigar-makers in Tampa, Florida objected.

In Cuba, all cigar production is controlled by the government. Because of this, many of the country’s best cigar makers moved to the Dominican Republic or other parts of Latin America after the Communist Revolution.

However, Cuba’s cigars and cigar production are still excellent. Cuban cigar rollers (torcedores) are considered to be some of the best in the world, promoting the art of hand-rolling cigars.

Dominican Cigars

As we mentioned above, some of Cuba’s best cigar makers left Cuba for the Dominican Republic, and since then cigar making and tobacco growing have flourished in the DR. However, even without the influx of Cubans, the Dominican Republic has its own long and extensive history of tobacco growing and cigar manufacturing.

The Dominican city La Romana boasts the biggest hand-rolled cigar factory in the entire world, and the capitol, Santiago, also boasts its share of cigar factories (and museums).

Who’s your favorite Caribbean cigar maker? Do you think Cuban cigars are still the best in the world?

• Stogied
• Wikipedia
• Go Dominican Republic

Cigars on 6th is proud to launch our new website. We hope you’ll enjoy it. The site features images of our Denver cigar shop, including our humidor room, our smoking lounge, and other aspects of the cigar shop.

If you haven’t yet, please check out our Cigar of the Month Club. While we encourage all cigar lovers to sign up for the club, it also makes an excellent gift for holidays, birthdays, and Father’s Day. The Club is available to anyone, so consider signing up even if you don’t live in Denver.

Cigars on 6th is proud to continue our tradition of providing Denver cigar smokers with an excellent selection of the finest cigars available. Our shop also includes a full service barbershop, giving Cigars on 6th a truly classic feel.

We look forward to seeing you again soon.