Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-07-17
FACTS ABOUT CIGARS.
TOLD BY A TOBACCONlST WHO
HAS STUDIED THE SUBJECT.

The "Dry smoke" Habit and How It 1
and Fillers-Peculiarities of tho Fra
grant Havana-Some Heavy Smokers.
"Much has been written about cigar
and smokers" said La Sale street to
bacconist, "but there are some thing
that haven't been told yet. For in
stance, do you know that dry smokins
is on the increase? A dry smoke is max
ing away with the cigar without lighting
it-crunching, chewing, crushing away
on it with the teeth until the last particl,
Of juice is extracted"
'What is the origin of this habit?'
asked the reporter, as he pulled away a
fragrant Havana the cigar dealer hae
passed over to him.
'1n nearly every case it begins with
heart scare. You see, in some forms o.
dyspepsia the stomach distends with
wind and presses a trife against the
heart. The smoker turns pale as he re
fleets that the red corpuscles Of the blooG
have become triangulated, as his scien
tific doctor told him they would, anG
now he must give up smoking if he
would live. But giving up smoking is
with most tobacco users, far easier said
than done. Then comes the compromise.
The frightened smoker holds the cigar in
his mouth but does not light it. Every
nerve in his body is a-quiver, and moth
ing but the extract of tobacco will allay
that nervousness. The teeth press down
upon the unlighted torch, the nicotinous
fluid starts. This is dry smoke. The
man soon learns to like it, and the habit
grows upon him just as the real fire
smoke habit had done. But he is no bet.
ter off. He gets fully as much tobacco
into his system by that practice as by the
other-in many cases more"
Can man get away with many Ct
gars in that way?"
81 should say so. I have customer
"a well known attorney-who buys
daily box of twenty-five imported Ha-
vana cigars, for which he pays me 81. 80,
or eighteen cents apiece. He is wealthy
and can afford the expense. He dry
smokes these cigars pretty thoroughly,
too. l have another customer-a real
estate broker, and one of the most COM
Danionable and sociable of fellows-who
huys thirty-five straight ten-cent domes-
tic cigars every morning, and he smokes
every one Of them himself. Should he
give one to friend he buys another to
take its place. He is systematic in all
h.
no less than the number mentioned"
The reporter subsequently saw this
broker, who confirmed the statement,
and denied that his nerves or his health
were in any wise affected by the large
number of cigars he smoked.
''Men's whims and caprices are shown
as decidedly in the matter of cigars as
in anything in the world, A physician,
and a popular one, too, smokes just
seven cigars day, no moro and no less,
and they are of special brand. He has
smoked them for thirteen years. Dur
ing all this time, he assures me, he has
never smoked one more or one less than
seven day. Physicians are called out
so irregularly that one would least ex-
pect to find method in their ranks; yet
he has a regular hour for smoking, and
will let nothing interfere with it, He
pays twenty-five cents apiece for his
cigars"
''Is there such acute taste as that in
cigars? Is it possible for man to be
educated up to particular brand, SO
that he can eniOy no Otber2"
imagination plays big part in that
particular. A certain brand which has
had big run will suddenly grow IN
popular. Smokers will declare the
quality has deprecated, but such is not
the case. Any honest manufacturer will
seek above all things to maintain the
quality. It's imagination. l demon
strated that once to my entire satisfac-
ton. l had an excellent brand, which
for convenience I'll call the 'Escurial,'
but it palled on my customers taste.
Knowing it to be splendid cigar, the
qest quality of goods l carried, got the
manufacturer to change the name to
we'll, let me call it The Amber and at
once those who had rejected it under an
other name took to it handsomely. That
was a year ago, and / have no more
popular cigar in my entire stock"
Has the color of the wrapper any
thing to do with the strength of cigars?'
''It has very little. You will observe
how small part of the weight it is. 1t
is the filler, the great inside bulk, which
determines the quality Of a cigars
strength, and not the binder or the
wrapper, neither of which constitutes
twentieth part of the volume of goods !
used"
Concerning favored Havana cigars?"
There it is again. How often have
heard self styled connoisseurs in import
ed cigars invite attention to the delight |
fulperfume in certain brand and allege |
that therein is the virtue Of the cigar.
LET me tell you there is not manu-
facturer in Havana who ever did or ever
will export scented cigar. They do |
place stems in bogshead and fill it with |
water, and use the water when it be- |
comes impregnated with the strength Of |
the stems for the sprtnkling Of the tobao- |
co when they work it. But this is done
to give slightly added strength to the |
goods, not to perfume it. There is no
essence OF extract on the face Of the |
earth that can compare IN excellence,
from the smokers standpoint with the
natural bouquet Of choice tobacco grown
in Cuba Let me get back to the wrap
per business to say this:
Don't you know that the Sunnatra |