Q. I always believed that the reason that we,
in Britain, removed the bands from our cigars was that it is vulgar (as only the better and more expensive cigars have bands on them) to overtly display our wealth and to appear to suggest that a banded-cigar smoker is 'better' than his non-banded-cigarsmoking brother. It seemed only natural that this was one of the great differences between us and our cousins in the USA, whose very culture is dictated by a need to show off wealth. Why, if my theory was correct, has it now become 'fashionable' to leave the bands on our cigars? Is this yet another example of the destruction of society? Is this yet another example of the wiles of New Labour? Or can I sleep easily again in my bed knowing that there is a more innocent reason?
LA., Northamptonshire A. For the answer to this query I submit to the superior knowledge of my guest respondent Simon Chase, England's premier expert on cigars. Mr Chase of Hunters 8z Frankau writes:
The social nicety of removing cigar bands appears to originate from the 1920s or 1930s, when it was considered important that an English gentleman should avoid embarrassing his fellow guests at a dinner by displaying that he could afford a cigar that they could not. From my experience, the demise of such sensitivity predates New Labour and can be attributed instead to the midto late-1980s when the rise of yuppyism as a by-product of Thatcherism led to the first reports of cigars, particularly the most expensive Cuban brands like Cohiba and Montecristo, being smoked with their bands on in the Royal Enclosure at Ascot. It coincided with the advent of the monogrammed tie and the indiscreet display of Porsche keys. At the same time there is a more practical aspect to the issue. Bands are often so tightly affixed to cigars that the act of picking them off risks irreparable damage to the delicate outside leaves, known as wiappers. Smokers are always best advised not to attempt their removal until cigars have been lit and reached their cruising temperature after about five minutes, when they become more malleable and less prone to damage. It is just possible that a greater knowledge of this fact can explain your correspondent's concern, and may permit him to sleep easily again; however, I fear that the former explanation is nearer the mark. In any event, there is an option available to those who are determined to preserve the anonymity of their cigars. Most of the longest established Havana brands offer their cigars in what are termed 'Cabinet Selection' bundles of 50. Such boxes demand a considerable investment, but tradition dictates that the cigars they contain are unbanded.
Previous page
