308 AMERICAN CIGARS. 



tobacco, are noted for their superior flavor. They are made 

 of " Brazilian Aromatic " one of the finest tobaccos of Brazil. 

 Although but little known in this country, both the tobacco 

 and the cigars are highly esteemed in Europe, where most of 

 the leaf is sent. Both Brazilian cigars and the celebrated 

 "Tauri Cigarettes " possess a delicacy of flavor, described by 

 travelers as unapproachable by any other variety of cigars and 

 cigarettes. A late traveler says concerning them : " Accus- 

 tomed to smoke only Havana cigars, I was unprepared to re- 

 cognize any others as being worthy even of the name of cigars. 

 I was presented with a box of Brazilian cigars of commend- 

 able size and finish, of a dark color and of a good flavor, 

 before trying them, I ignited one, merely to test their 

 quality and not from any impression that they were worth 

 even the value of the cheapest Havanas. Great was my sur- 

 prise to find them of an agreeable flavor and very pleasant 

 to the taste." 



The leaf is very thin, and without doubt, well suited for a 

 cigar wrapper. The flavor of all cigars made from South 

 American tobacco is similar, especially those made from 

 tobacco grown east of the Andes. A writer, alluding to 

 their mode of manufacturing cigars for their own use says : 



" They take the leaf after it is cured and ready for manu- 

 facture into cigars, and dampen it, not with pure water but 

 with water containing the juice of the poppy so as to pro- 

 duce the effect of opium. When prepared in this manner 

 they are much esteemed by the Brazilians and especially 

 by the herders." 



AMERICAN CIGARS. 



This was the name given to cigars made some forty or fifty 

 years ago composed of Connecticut seed-leaf, or as it was 

 then called, American tobacco. The fillers were selected 

 from various kinds of tobacco, including Virginia, Kentucky, 

 and Spanish, using for a wrapper Spanish, American or 

 Maryland leaf. At this time the tobacco was not sorted as 

 now, and was made up into cigars after being stripped, but 

 the cigars after being manufactured were kept for some time 

 before they were sold. At this time but little pains compar- 

 atively was taken in their manufacture: they were not as- 

 sorted or shaded according to the present standard, and were 



