Tobacco’s popularity flourished after European explorers visited the New World and learned of its use and prevalence there. They began cultivating it themselves and before long established a lucrative trade between the colonies and the rest of Europe. Tobacco production then became one of the largest sources of commerce in the world for a time, supplanted only by the sugar cane industry that followed. As the industry developed, the earlier “rough” native tobacco’s flavor was refined and developed into distinctive varieties that are still enjoyed today the world over.

From aromatic fire-cured tobaccos grown in Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia, to the bolder Latakia blends prepared in Syria and Cyprus; or the famous Criollo tobaccos that comprise the best of Cuban cigars, the palette of flavors and aromas that are available are too numerous to count. Turkish tobaccos once used during the Ottoman Empire exclusively for cigarettes now find their place in assorted pipe tobaccos and various blends of domestic cigarettes.

From cigarettes and cigars to pipes and smokeless blends, tobacco today is enjoyed worldwide in several forms. With a variety of flavors and styles available, the tobacco aficionado has innumerable options to sample its many tastes, aromas and subtle moods, from mild domestic fare to the exotic, bold European selections. While everyone acknowledges that tobacco, like any product, should be used with responsibility and moderation, it is and always has been a source of pleasure and appreciation among its proponents for centuries; connoisseur’s of tobacco continue to appreciate the subtlety, flavors and characteristics of this marvel of nature in its many forms and varieties.

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