Cigar smokers have plenty to be thankful for . . . while smoking is still allowed

(CigarCyclopedia) ... this is a golden age for cigars coming from the three major cigar-producing nations - the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua - as well as for boutique brands from the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico and elsewhere. Perhaps never before has there been so much good tobacco for blending, and so many enthusiastic growers and blenders who are working to create new strains of cigar tobacco which are more and more flavorful and more resistant to disease and spoilage.
Cigars themselves are better than ever, and new cigar stars are being created constantly. Just five years ago, who had ever heard of Jesus Fuego? Or A.J. Fernandez? Or the "Fifth Generation" of the Quesada family, three women and three men who have dedicated themselves to carrying on the family's tradition in tobacco and the pioneering work of father/uncle Manolo Quesada at MATASA? Continued

Pictured: F.H. Marquardt cigars, Coln, Germany, c1900 (Library of Congress).