BRAZILIAN CIGARS. 3807 
is dark-colored, firm and strong, clinging with tenacity to the 
cigar, which is the best evidence of the quality of the leaf, 
In Paraguay they are considered superior to all other kinds 
and are smoked continuously without any seemingly ill effect. 
Page alludes to the custom of smoking as being universal, 
“Men, women, and children—delicate, refined girls, and 
youngsters who would not with us be promoted to the dignity 
of pantaloons—smoke with a gravity and gusto that is 
irresistibly ludicrous to a foreigner.” The Paraguayans 
consider excessive smoking of other tobacco as injurious but 
not of the delicate flavored leaf of Paraguay. These cigars 
are rolled firm and strong usually small and hold fire until 
the entire cigar has been consumed. 
GUATEMALA CIGARS. 
This variety of cigars, although of excellent flavor, is 
hardly known outside of Central America, They are made 
from Guatemala tobacco—one of the few varieties of tobacco 
bearing white blossoms, and possessed of a similar flavor to 
Mexican tobacco. Although Guatemala tobacco has not 
been thoroughly tested by the great manufacturers of cigars 
either in Europe or America, it doubtless is well suited for 
cigars. It is a distinct variety from those kinds bearing 
pink and yellow blossoms, and its growth and quality would 
seem to suggest some doubt as to its quality and adaptability 
for cigars. Stephens and other travelers seem to regard it 
as tobacco of excellent quality, and allude to its constant 
use by the ladies who smoke puros, a cigar made of a single 
leaf, or formed entirely of tobacco. They also use the pape- 
lotes wrapped in paper and sometimes in the dried leaf of 
maize. It would seem probable from the climate of Ccn- 
tral America, that Guatemala tobacco would be exactly 
suited for the manufacture of cigars, but so little is known 
concerning it, and its cultivation is so limited, that at present 
it is simply a matter of conjecture. 
BRAZILIAN CIGARS. 
+ The cigars of Brazil, like those made of South American 
