Cubans: The Ultimate Cigars [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

by William P. Mara (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Full of information."--Publishers Weekly

Product Description
Here is all you need to know about the world's best-loved cigars. First is a complete history: Columbus's 1492 landing on Cuba's shores - and the discovery of the Indians' odd habit of inhaling smoke from bundles of rolled plant leaves; the evolution of the cigar industry from small-time farming through Castro's collectivization; the fascinating saga of a tumultuous past - and an exciting future. Also examined are the painstaking labor and professional craftsmanship of the agriculture and manufacturing, with special emphasis on what makes Cuban cigars extraordinary.

Perhaps the most useful chapter for the aficionado is a thorough but concise discussion of each brand, with lore and background as well as frank assessments of the current products - and including the most up-to-date information on the latest new releases. And of particular interest to the American cigar-lover are practical chapters on the embargo and its meaning for the consumer, smuggling and counterfeiting and how to avoid being harmed by both, and a personal and eye-opening travelogue.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 196 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558216448
• ISBN-13: 978-1558216440
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,016,527 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ultimate?, March 16, 2000

By	Ryan Hong (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This is an interesting book about Cuban cigars. There are good bits concerning how cigars are made, the processes involved and some historical references. It may interest the US reader as the book has a very readable section on the embargo.

The section on the cigar brands is a bit confusing and it really refers to the history of that brand as opposed to what the cigars are like and what signature pieces are produced by that brand. If it were to be a historical reference then the omission of names like Davidoff and Dunhill would be a bit remiss.

To summarise, it is more of a story book which is very interesting. This is NOT a reference book, nor does it pretend to be! It is very well written and I enjoyed it even if I didn't really learn from it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A compact, lively account of the history of the Cuban cigar., September 10, 1998

By A Customer

For the most part, my own past cigar-smoking experience was limited to the venerable but pedestrian White Owls and those formidible, "separate the men from the boys" little Italian smokes that looked vaguely like blackish cat scats and rather tasted like them, too. But on a couple of occasions over the years I was presented with a genuine Cuban cigar and found the experience of drawing on it a unique and rewarding one, somewhat like driving a Porsche rather than a Chevy. It is easy to understand why the true Havana cigar possesses an enduring mystique all its own and why cigar afficionados - in spite of all the dire health warnings on smoking of any form - continue to revere, and to smoke them. I've since given up cigars for the pipe, but when I came across this compact little tome on the Cuban cigar I couldn't resist picking it up, if for no other reason than to learn the how's, why's and wherefore's of those fragrant Cuban cigars that I had tasted and enjoyed all too briefly in the past. I was not disappointed by my purchase. Author William P.Mara has clearly done his homework where it comes to the history and allure of the Cuban cigar, its many current incarntions, and the methods by which they are cultured, nurtured and manufactured. The book, although of small format (4 1/2" x 7 1/4"), packs a great deal of fascinating information within its pages, not the least of which is the author's "travelogue" chapter, in which he relates with flair his adventures in journeying to Cuba, today off-limits to Americans by federal decree, in search of cigar fact and fancy and the people who grow and make them. "Cubans" offers a wide variety of topics, including the history of the Cuban cigar industry, the complex process of the manufacture of the smokes, current popular Cuban brands, the effect of the continuing United States embargo against Cuba on the availability of the Cuban cigar, and the ongoing problems of smuggling and counterfeiting. The photographs, all taken by the author, are of excellent quality, and there is a very useful bibliography. In sum, I highly recommend this informative little book to both serious students of world-class cigars and to those readers simply seeking a lively account of just why Cuban cigars have long occupied such an exalted position in the annals of smoking lore. I give "Cubans" - both the Rolls Royce of smokes and the book - five stars - I know you'll enjoy them both.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Stricly for beginners and Americans traveling to Cuba, February 12, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Karmiel, Israel) - See all my reviews

This is a book to be avoided by aficionados, since it is very basic and general in its approach and adds absolutely no new information to that which can be found in previously published books and magazine articles.

The author would have done better by presenting this book as a personal diary rather than a book which is supposed to supply information as to why Cubans are "The Ultimate Cigars."