The first cigar smokers
When one mentions cigars, Cuba is often mentioned in the same breath. It's true that the Cuban climate and soil provide excellent conditions for growing tobacco, also known as tabaco negro or Cuban black tobacco. As a result, the country boasts a rich history in tobacco cultivation and cigar production. However, other countries, such as the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Cameroon, are also renowned for their excellent tobacco and hand-rolled cigars, and they should not be overlooked.

But credit where credit is due... according to historians, the origins of the cigar lie with the Maya civilization. Archaeologists discovered drawings and murals from the 10th century depicting Mayans smoking rolled tobacco leaves. Later, historians found writings referring to tobacco, dried and rolled in palm or plantain leaves.

Smoking cigars was a status symbol and was also used by indigenous peoples for its medicinal properties. Chiefs and tribal leaders also used it to invoke their gods.

How the cigar found its way to Europe
When explorer Christopher Columbus set foot on the American continent in 1492, his main focus was on gold, silver, and spices. However, three of his crew members discovered another type of 'gold' in present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic: tobacco leaves. Tobacco was already a well-established crop in America at that time.

The discovery of the New World also marked the beginning of an intense tobacco and cigar trade between the continents of America and Europe, a trade that has never ceased since. In Europe, it was the Spaniards who opened the first cigar factory in Seville in 1717. They began rolling the dry tobacco leaves in paper instead of leaves. From Spain and Portugal, it spread further to France and the rest of Europe through the Frenchman Jean Nicot, the man who gave his name to the substance nicotine.

The cigar in the Netherlands and Belgium
Cigar production started in the Benelux countries in the first half of the 19th century. Particularly in the regions of Eindhoven and Tilburg and in the Antwerp Kempen, cigar factories sprung up like mushrooms. Amsterdam also had success with cigars. As early as 1826, the 19-year-old entrepreneur Pantaleon Gerhard Coenraad Hajenius opened a cigar shop, which quickly became too small due to its success. 
Read more about Hajenius's history here. 

In the 20th century, cigars faced serious competition from cigarettes, which were industrially produced and therefore available in larger volumes. Consequently, a lot of employment in the cigar industry disappeared, although the 'Low Countries' held their ground. Netherlands and Belgium still rank second and fourth respectively in cigar-producing countries in the world: 2.3 billion cigars in the Netherlands and 1.1 billion in Belgium.

Origin of the word 'cigar'
There is still some debate about the origin of the word 'cigar'. Some historians and etymologists claim that 'cigar' comes from the Mayan word 'sikar', meaning tobacco leaves, or the derived word 'zikar', meaning smoking. However, this contradicts the Cuban version, where 'tabacos' is used to refer to cigars. Other sources mention the Spanish word 'cigarra', meaning grasshopper. Historians are still searching for a definitive explanation and a common etymological basis for the words 'cigarra' (grasshopper) and 'cigarro' (cigar). From a European standpoint, however, this latter version would certainly not be illogical. Spain and Portugal were indeed the first European countries to introduce cigar smoking into society.