Cigars didn’t become a European staple overnight. They earned their place one ship, one port, and one smoky room at a time. By the 17th century, tobacco had spread across Europe, and cigars were emerging as a more refined alternative to pipes and powdered snuff.
This chapter explores how Europe first encountered cigars, gradually embraced them, and helped turn the 1600s into a defining period in the history of cigars, one that shaped the cigar culture we know today.
By the early 1600s, tobacco was no longer just a curiosity brought back by sailors. Smoking had woven itself into daily routines across the continent, but the 17th century is when cigars truly began to stand apart. Demand climbed, trade routes stabilized, and smoking shifted from novelty to lifestyle.
This was the era when cigars in 17th century Europe transformed from exotic imports into symbols of refinement, status, and cultural identity.
Before cigars entered the scene, pipe smoking was the dominant form of tobacco use. Pipes were inexpensive and familiar, especially among working-class communities. But once Spanish territories began sending processed tobacco and early rolled-leaf forms, Europeans found something new to enjoy.
These early cigars gained traction because they were portable, quick to light, and didn’t require pipe equipment. Travelers, soldiers, merchants, and urban smokers gradually adopted them, and pipes, while still popular, started sharing the stage.
The shift wasn’t sudden, but it was unmistakable: Europe was learning to prefer cigars.
Spain maintained tight control over early tobacco imports, but no monopoly lasts forever. As shipping routes expanded and demand increased, cigars and other smoking products began flowing into other countries across Europe.
Portugal received steady shipments through the Atlantic trade. France embraced cigars as fashionable accessories tied to sophistication and culture. England’s interest grew as explorers and merchants returned from the New World. And in the Low Countries, powerful maritime networks made them natural distribution hubs.
Each region adapted cigars in its own way. Some favored them for convenience, others for flavor or status, but every new port that welcomed tobacco helped solidify cigars as a European trend rather than a Spanish novelty.
In the New World, tobacco held deep ceremonial meaning and was used in religious rituals. Europeans, however, adopted cigars in an entirely different context. By the 17th century, cigars had become woven into Europe’s emerging social customs, shared during university debates, carried by soldiers for moments of comfort, and enjoyed in elite salons where diplomats and thinkers lingered over long conversations.
Rather than symbolizing spirituality, cigars came to represent camaraderie, intellectual exchange, and leisure. This shift from ritual to social tradition is one of the key reasons cigars in 17th century Europe took hold so quickly.
Spain played the defining role in making cigars accessible to the rest of Europe. Seville became home to some of the earliest cigar production facilities, where workers crafted rolled cigars that were more consistent and affordable than earlier imports of loose tobacco leaves.
As production increased, cigars became easier for everyday Europeans to purchase, and their quality became more predictable. This transformation paved the way for the cigar-making traditions that would later flourish in Cuba and the broader Caribbean, but during the 17th century, Spain remained the heart of cigar manufacturing.
While cigars made their way into taverns and markets, they also gained traction among Europe’s elite. Wealthier smokers viewed cigars as more refined than pipes, partly because they were:
imported from the New World
visually elegant
associated with global exploration
linked with tasteful, measured smoking rather than heavy inhalation
By mid-century, paintings, journals, and travel accounts described cigars appearing in royal courts, salons, and intellectual gatherings. Cigars weren’t just smoked; they were displayed.
Despite their popularity among the upper class, cigars quickly became part of everyday life across Europe. In taverns, merchants smoked while negotiating shipments and trade agreements.
Soldiers in military camps favored cigars because they were easier to carry and use than pipes, especially during long campaigns. In bustling urban markets, cigars were sold alongside food crops, cloth, and spices, making them a familiar sight for ordinary people.
This widespread adoption marked the first time cigars were embraced across both elite and working-class communities, a cultural pattern that remains true today.
By the late 1600s, Europe had fully embraced cigars, weaving them into social customs, daily rituals, and emerging commercial networks. Early cigar factories were operating at scale, tobacco leaves were in high demand, and smoking had become an integral part of European identity.
These developments set the stage for what came next: the rise of Caribbean cigar production, the refinement of curing and rolling techniques, and the emergence of premium cigars that would define centuries of tobacco history.
The 17th century wasn’t just a turning point. It was the moment Europe laid the foundation for the cigar world we know today.
If you’re following the full history series, the next chapter explores how Europe shifted from consumer to producer, and how Spain and Cuba became the birthplace of the cigar traditions we know today.
To revisit earlier chapters or continue the timeline, return to The History of Cigars.
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