Early Cigar Labels: 1835 - 1868

(National Cigar History Museum) Although cigars had been smoked in Europe and the U.S. since the 1760’s, there didn’t seem to be strong brand competition prior to the 1840’s. A cigar was a cigar and you took whatever you could get. Cigars were advertised as Spanish, half-Spanish, Havannah, Manila, Hamburgh, Yara or common, all descriptions of how, where, or what they were made of. You might find mention of Regalias or Londres, the two most popular shapes, both about four inches long, the former straight, the later bulbous. Cigars were rarely mentioned by brand name. In newspaper ads and government documents before 1840, I’ve seen only RIFLE and DOS AMIGOS in 1838 and LA CARONA [sic] in 1839. By 1840, things were changing. Continued