808 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. hen 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 
