Key West and ‘Clear Havana’ cigars

(Palm Beach Post) ... “Pablo” is a descendant of the thousands of Cubans who fled the revolt against Spain in 1868. Cubans migrated to Key West by the hundreds and brought the Havana cigar business with them. These immigrant cigar makers imported tobacco from Cuba and began rolling local cigars with Cuban tobacco. Their product was called “Clear Havana” since little tax was demanded by Spain for raw leaf exports compared to rolled cigars. Continued

Photo: Cigar workers, stranded when factories moved north, turn to manufacturing in their homes. Key West, Florida 1938 (Arthur Rothstein/FSA/Library of Congress).