Cigar Weekly

xrundog · 09-25-2017, 09:26 AM

There were cigar rolling operations all over the place in the US in those days. A town of significant size probably had more than two. I have an old birds eye view map of my hometown, Sheboygan, Wis., from the late 1880s. It was commissioned by local merchants so their premises are marked on the map. The town had maybe 20,000 people at the time. There were something like 5 cigar factories.
So I wonder if Twain smoked the domestic product, or preferred a fine Havana cigar?

BigO · 09-25-2017, 09:28 AM

Back then, they blended Habano tobacco with domestic. Many others were puros of either kind. I do not know his preferred brand.

xrundog · 09-25-2017, 09:32 AM

Free ones were probably his favorites.

Briandg · 09-25-2017, 12:14 PM

He wrote a story about smoking cheap cigars. In most of the photos he appears to be smoking dark coronas. I suspect that he bought cheap local cigars, as he was never stunningly wealthy and he smoked a lot of them.

He did not smoke shade grown Churchill, everything you will see about him shows him with it in his right (iirc) side of his jaw. I don't think that he held one unless he was speaking.

That's the best I can do for you and I may be wrong about some of it.

xrundog · 09-25-2017, 12:47 PM

Yeah, in the black and white photos all the cigars look very dark.

grtrx · 09-25-2017, 06:29 PM

Elmira NY once had multiple cigar makers, it was a thriving town when he lived there. I have seen pictures of him in some kind of parade there. He looks miserable.

Today he would have a marketing deal

beevod · 09-26-2017, 07:12 AM

Marsh Wheelings

TommyBB · 09-26-2017, 07:17 AM

I have read, over the years, that both Mark Twain and U.S. Grant bought cigars by the barrel, and that they are surmised to have been pretty nasty. I think Hacker mentions it in The Ultimate Cigar Book however, I would have to go back and check.

Every city, especially what we might consider medium-sized and larger, had multiple cigar manufacturers. J.C. Newman/Cuesta-Rey started in Cleveland, New Orleans had at least three.

bsk · 09-26-2017, 07:34 AM

In his autobiography Twain stated he preferred the "domestic" variety over the "imported" ones. In his prime he smoked nearly a box per day, especially when he was writing.

tonycsmoke · 09-26-2017, 09:27 AM

I forget where I read it, but he smoked Mexican tobacco. There was a story about a dinner party he hosted. He pulled out a box of his cigars. He had switched them with a more expensive brand. He handed them out and supposedly everyone took the chance to throw them out not realizing what they were.

09-25-2017, 09:26 AM	#1
xrundog Contributing Editor Herf Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Central, Iowa Posts: 9,806	What did Mark Twain smoke? There were cigar rolling operations all over the place in the US in those days. A town of significant size probably had more than two. I have an old birds eye view map of my hometown, Sheboygan, Wis., from the late 1880s. It was commissioned by local merchants so their premises are marked on the map. The town had maybe 20,000 people at the time. There were something like 5 cigar factories. So I wonder if Twain smoked the domestic product, or preferred a fine Havana cigar?

09-25-2017, 09:28 AM	#2
BigO Publisher/Owner El Chefé BBQ Guru Herf God Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Atlanta. Posts: 55,778	Back then, they blended Habano tobacco with domestic. Many others were puros of either kind. I do not know his preferred brand. __________________ Every time you think you've become too cynical, the world finds a way to teach you that the real problem is that you haven't become cynical enough Free speech is free speech is free speech. There is no qualifier. If you aren't outraged, you aren't paying attention. Never attribute malice to that what can be explained as stupidity. Unborn lives matter too.

09-25-2017, 06:29 PM	#6
grtrx Contributing Editor Herf God Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Naperville IL Posts: 44,579	Elmira NY once had multiple cigar makers, it was a thriving town when he lived there. I have seen pictures of him in some kind of parade there. He looks miserable. Today he would have a marketing deal __________________ "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Sir Winston Churchill "A sick thought can devour the body's flesh more than fever or consumption." - Guy de Maupassant

09-26-2017, 07:12 AM	#7
beevod Herf God Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: New York City Posts: 20,927	Marsh Wheelings __________________ "Moderation in all things. Excess in everything else."

09-26-2017, 07:17 AM	#8
TommyBB Editor-in-Chief Herf God Join Date: Aug 1998 Location: Metairie, LA Posts: 86,656	I have read, over the years, that both Mark Twain and U.S. Grant bought cigars by the barrel, and that they are surmised to have been pretty nasty. I think Hacker mentions it in The Ultimate Cigar Book however, I would have to go back and check. Every city, especially what we might consider medium-sized and larger, had multiple cigar manufacturers. J.C. Newman/Cuesta-Rey started in Cleveland, New Orleans had at least three. __________________ +In Memory of E.Guevara(Cubano67)W.Orlando(Shadow) A.Morris (Knife) D.Odom (dodom) D.Revermann (dgr) S.Bouchard (sb1396) M.Cole (Matt76) S.Faccenda (TOJE) R.Smith(IBMer) V.Vandermeer (van55)M.Davis(boxdoctor)S.Singer(bassman)K.Doetze l (drillrk1)D.Hart(garme1962)J.Coleman(John C 81)T.Gossett(Dartplayer1)J.Bolt (jb)E.J.Ferralles(CaballoPinto)M.Cataldo(FVFanMC)K Payne(SanchoPanza)F.Seltzer(Mowee)+LB+Connor Olson+Micah Kercheval+Maggie Bonefas+Karen

09-25-2017, 09:32 AM	#3
xrundog Contributing Editor Herf Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Central, Iowa Posts: 9,806	Free ones were probably his favorites.

09-25-2017, 12:14 PM	#4
Briandg CW Squirrel Wrangler Herf God Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: southwest Missouri Posts: 35,518	He wrote a story about smoking cheap cigars. In most of the photos he appears to be smoking dark coronas. I suspect that he bought cheap local cigars, as he was never stunningly wealthy and he smoked a lot of them. He did not smoke shade grown Churchill, everything you will see about him shows him with it in his right (iirc) side of his jaw. I don't think that he held one unless he was speaking. That's the best I can do for you and I may be wrong about some of it.

09-25-2017, 12:47 PM	#5
xrundog Contributing Editor Herf Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Central, Iowa Posts: 9,806	Yeah, in the black and white photos all the cigars look very dark.

09-26-2017, 07:34 AM	#9
bsk Club Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Now the Sunshine State! Posts: 2,472	In his autobiography Twain stated he preferred the "domestic" variety over the "imported" ones. In his prime he smoked nearly a box per day, especially when he was writing.

09-26-2017, 09:27 AM	#10
tonycsmoke Club Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: St Louis Posts: 3,135	I forget where I read it, but he smoked Mexican tobacco. There was a story about a dinner party he hosted. He pulled out a box of his cigars. He had switched them with a more expensive brand. He handed them out and supposedly everyone took the chance to throw them out not realizing what they were. __________________ "Homer, slow down you'll kill us" yelled Marge. "Or die trying" exclaimed Homer.

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