This page is about the tobacco product, for the horse Cigar, see Cigar (horse).
A cigar is a tightly rolled bundle of dried, then fermented tobacco leaves which is lit for the purpose of inhaling (or merely drawing into the mouth rather than into the lungs) its smoke (see tobacco smoking).
The word "cigar" is from the Spanish word cigarro, which is possibly derived from the Maya language word sik meaning tobacco.
The Oxford English Dictionary, on the other hand, suggests that it is from cigarra, the Spanish word for cicada, due to its shape (specifically of what is now called the perfecto).
Cigars manufactured in Cuba are considered by many cigar smokers to be without peer. At one time, this may have been unarguably true, but in the present day, even the most elite of cigar cognoscenti have admitted that the best of non-Cuban cigars have come up to the quality level of Habanos.
Some United States smokers object to and circumvent continuing trade sanctions imposed by the government of the USA against Cuban goods.
In the 19th century cigar smoking was common while cigarettes were still comparatively rare. The cigar business was an important industry, factories employed many people before mechanized manufacturing of cigars became practical.
