Kansas City daily journal., 1896-11-01
FASHIONS IN CIGARS.
Popularity of Dark Brands Returning
Small Sizes FavOrites.

Popularity of Dark Brands Returning
Small Sizes Favorites.
From the New York Tribune.
AS in everything else that can be bought
and sold there are fashions in cigars.
cigarettes and tobacco, and the tastes and
likings of men for particular fiavors and
bouquets change with the lapse Of years.
Only in the case of anything in the form
of tobacco the fashions change slowly and
are hard to trace, for the reason that the
lower class, consuming by far the greater
bulk. will take anything cigar-shaped. and
the common phrase. "a see-gar. means
simply whatever will draw" and waste
itself away in smoke. Nevertheless there
is ample evidence that within the last ten
years change in the popular taste has
been slowly coming over American smok-
ers. The dealers notice it, and each year
now they lay in altogether different stocks
from what they used to be.
Gradually, yet slowly, the discriminating
smokers are coming back to the dark
cigars Of fifteen years ago. A dealer now
sells three dark cigars where he sold two
several years back, or in 1893 and 1884.
This is popular prejudice in favor OF the
cigar approaching blackness more than 1t
is anything else, due to the idea that
higher flavor is found in them. AS a mat
ter of fact, color really has little to do
nine out of every hundred that are made
the "fller,'' or the major part of the cigar,
is of precisely the same tobacco. without
reference to the hue Of the wrapper.
Experts say that averaging up all grades
the effect of the light cigar with greenish
spots is more pronounced on the system
than that of the darker and supposedly
stronger. However this may be. the spot
ted" cigar is yielding in popularity to the
IN
Another change that has been noticed Is
the increase in consumption of Tampa and
Key West cigars and the reduced call for
| cigars of Havana make. This began to be
| marked before the Cuban war set in with
| all its force, so that 1T can not be due to
| the present difficulty in getting Havana
| brands The truth is that the famous old
| days of the mild Havannah," celebrated
| in song and story, have gone by, 1t Is
| feared never to return. Nevertheless, Ha-
vana tobacco has not lost Its vogue, the
| cigars mentioned as most popular being all
| Havana stock. Domestic tobacco has nev-
| er come largely into use for the good
grades, and the supply is mainly utilized
| in the production of "hves, two Tor nve'
and three for five
In size the small cigar is supplanting the
larger ones for general smoking. When
business in New York was leisurely af-
| fair men had time to appreciate the flavor
| of good-sized, fat cigar, of both bulk
| and body. But nowadays. in the rush OF
trade, in the hurry and scurry Of morning
and afternoon, the quick smoke" little
cigar that is usually puffed hardly three
quarters through and then thrown away,
is the fashion. In his home at night. or in
| his club, the man who knows smokes"
| in nine cases out Of ten perfecto or a
regalia especial that seems something like
those Of the old times. but for use in the
day the concha Is the cigar Of the mo-
| ment, and more OF these are sold than all
| the others.
If you know where to go you can buy a
cigar for a cent in New York. Millions of
the three for five'' are sold over on the
East side. From this point the prices
range up to $3.50 for single smoke. "
Cigars are actually sold at this figure in
this city, though they do not show their
| value in smoking, despite their aroma.
! Fifty cents buys just about as good cigar
as can be purchased. Recently there has
come about change in the prices men are
willing to pay for these luxuries. The
"three for a quarter has taken the place
of the "two-fer," and the men who used
to think nothing of spending 2o cents for
each cigar now get two for that amount
of money. Where S12 hundred used to
be paid, 81, $s or 50 is now the figure.
| In cigarettes the fashion Is for the mild
est and lightest Virginia leaf. and nothing
else is popular. Smoking tobaccos are light
er mixtures than they used to be, and get.
ting lighter each year. Perique is used
more and more. and in larger proportions
The favorite mixtures have periqne as
their foundation. then Virginia and Hav,
ana, and finally very little Turkish
Seventy-five cents for quarter OF a pound
is about as high as the average man viii
pay for these. There is very delicious
and aromatic Turkish tobacco On sale IN
several nlaces in New York costing 81 q
quarter pound, but it is seldom bought
except by foreigners.