The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-18
CIGARS MAY BE TOO GOOD
A BIG WASTE OF MATERIAL IN THE,
MOST EXPENSIVE MAKES.
that Americans Are Extrava-
giant Smokers.
New York Mail and Express.

New York Mail and Express.
The American prides himself upon the
quality of the cigars he smokes, and with
good reason. He wants the best, and he
gets it, for he is willing to pay for it. A
European tobacco merchant now in this
city spoke entertainingly on the subject
of cigars and tobacco the other day at a
luncheon offered him at downtown club.
Americans are extravagant in nothing
so much as in the material they put into
their CIGARS" said this expert. 1.-The cigar
have here is magnificent article, fully
worth the tremendous price on the check
you have just signed. So far as the graft
fication of our sense of taste and of smell
is concerned, however, half the quantity
of frst-class tobacco mixed with less ex
pensive but good quality would serve the
same purpose. You can taste, smell, see
and hear just much and no more. The
material in this cigar would have made two
cigars just as fine for all practical purposes,
but you do not mind paying the higher
price, and the manufacturer deals with
you with admirable honesty. 1t reminds me,
however, somewhat of the soldiers chorus
from Faust sung some years ago by the
De Reszkes, Nordica, Media, Calve. Maurel
and the other principals of the opera at the
Metropolitan. There is more excellence here
than you can grasp at one sitting.
81 am not so sure about New York's I'M
disputed supremacy in the manufacture of
CIGARS" he continued in answer to a ques-
ton. Some of the finest cigars and some
of the best made 1 have examined and
smoked in this country have come from
Boston This fact is generally known to
10 reflects
New York article. One can remain salts
fed with New York cigars all ones life
81 suppose that the best Havana cigars
are found in this country" was the next
question.
THE best Havana cigars" answered
the merchant, ARE un ioubtedly found in
London. That has at least been my eX-
perience. OF course, ii is impossible to
make absolute statements of this kind.
The best is found wherever there is
wealth TO buy ii. London has no monop-
oily of the best tobacco. But to a direct
question such yours, the only direct an
swer can be the one | have just given. Lon
don is the place for the best Havana Gig
arS.
TT is easier to say where the worst
Havana cigars are found-and that is in
Havana itself 1t is a case of the early
vegetable and the city market The best
is not kept for home consumption, but
exported. have made three trips TO Cuba
now. and have learned the occasional
wisdom of carrying coal to Newcastle, and
Havana cigars TO Cuba
CONTINENTAL CIGARS.
Generally speaking" continued the ex-
pert. in answer to another question, CON
tinental European cigars are of poor quail
ty, partly because they are cheap, perhaps,
but principally because your continental
European insists upon having his cigars old
and dry. instead of new and fresh. He
buys them thousand at time, puts them
in closet where there is plenty of dry
heat, and thus extracts from them all the
flavor and rich moisture the tobacco orig
inally contained. To his strange taste, a
cigar must crackle when pinched, and when
the tip is cut off the dust must fly. Still
good cigars are to be had everywhere on
the continent; the dealers keep them for
beyond their understanding. Hamburg will
give YOU as good cigar as you can posi-
oily desire, and so will Holland, the cOun-
try of smokers; but ii will be an imported
article. By the way, the only tobacco
that improves with age is the Havana va
riety called Vuelta Abajo.
Dutch cigars. like the Italian article
are very bad. | am speaking now of the
average cigar OF commerce. The Dutch
man evidently cares more for quantity
than for quality. Like his hard-fightinS
cousin. the Boer, he is always smoking, and
mis- children begin at twelve. or so. II does
not appear TO harm them. although j should
not like TO see the statistics OF tobacco
heart in Holland gathered by the life in
surance companies. The conservatism of
the Dutch is strangely manifest in their
taste in cigars. Many time have l seen
a fine cigar of mine scorned for the sake
OF horrible thing sold at the modest price
of four for ten Dutch cents, or one Ameri-
can cent. apiece.
Royalty must have the best Of every