Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-05-06
Dark Wrapper Held to In
dictate a Strong
Cigar.
Let me have a cigar please"

/ '"0' W. Nou prefer. q milo or
strong brand?"
"oh. something rather mild. No.
don't want that dark one. It's too
strong for me-
The above is a sample of dialogue
which can be heard in any Rock island
cigar store any day in the week And
yet that man would shake his head
and assume his incredulous expression
were the clerk TO tell him that the dark
cigar he had refused was not half as
strong as the light-wrapped brand he
finally selected and lii.
Local cigar dealers are having the
same trouble which has been exper-
fenced all over the United States in
the matter OF the color of cigars. The
smoking public for some reason or
other had gained the fallacious idea
that the color OF the wrapper denotes
the flavor of a cigar and that a light
cigar is mild and a dark weed a great
deal stronger
Every tobacco dealer who thorough
ly understands his business will state
that this idea is absolutely preposter-.
Gus as the color of the wrapper is new
er indicative of the flavor of the filler
The mildest tobacco may be encased
in an almost pitch black wrapper and
vice versa
Laughed at for Years.
This prevailing sentiment has been
laughed at by tobacco men for years
but within the past year il has assum:
ed the form of a craze until tobacco
dealers have been confronted with a
serious problem. The big demand for
light colored cigars has caused such
a decrease in the sales of dark colored
cigars that large quantities of them
have accumulated in the storage de
partments of big houses and the deal
ers have been unable To dispose of
them.
Another thing which is causing
alarm is that not enough light colored
tobacco is grown to supply the smOk-
ers of the country with light-filled Gig
ars and as matter of course a certain
percentage of the men who like their
cigars must use dark colored weeds.
A prominent cigar dealer in speak
ing on this question said: I'VE are
having the same trouble here that they
are having in every other city in the
United States. The smokers will not
realize that a dark cigar is not neces-
sarily stronger than a light one. and
in many cases a great deal milder.
81 have cigars in my show cases
which are almost black yet they are
mild enough to satisfy any new begin
ner in the smoking art. In making
cigars. tobacco OF certain grade is
a a
rule this tobacco. although of the same
flavor is of various shades ranging
from light brown to a very dark
shade of the same color.
Classify by Color.
When the cigars are finished they
are laid ont and soTters go over them
and select the ones of the same color
10 pack so that every cigar in the same
box will be of uniform color. This
classification is for color only and has
nothing whatever to do with the flavor
which is the same in all of them.
I'VE are trying to educate. the pub
lie to the idea that color has nothing
TO do with the the flavor of cigar and
one of the leading tobacco journals OF
the country has entered into cam
paign to accomplish this. At first 1t
was thought that the best scheme
would be to have the clerks tell the
customers of the plan. but 1t was
found through experience that this
scheme wouldn't work.
The average smoker believes that
he is a fit Judge of his cigars and VIII
not stand for anyone 'butting in and
telling him what cigar to smoke. The
next scheme and the one which is be
ing tried now with great success Is
10 reach the smokers throughout the
country by the newspapers. Articles
have been prepared and sent to hun
dreds of dailies and in nearly every In
stance have been published.
The good accomplished by TINS
means has already been noticed for In
several districts the sale of dark col
ored cigars has increased perceptibly
after the publication of these articles
and we believe that If this method OF
educating smokers is only kept mp long
enough the time will ultimately come
when they will be just az many calls
for the dark cigar as the light one ana
the dealers will not have TO put their
dark brands away in storage.
An Open Letter.
From the Chaplin. s. G.. News; Early