A cigar is typically recognized by two primary attributes: it’s shape/size and it’s band. The cigar band, for those are unfamiliar, is the paper or foil which’s wrapped about a cigar to denote the brand or company responsible for it’s creation. In addition to signifying the brand of cigar, the band will also, often, tell the customer what specific kind of cigar it is (for instance, whether it’s a maduro or a habano) as well as what year it is, whether the cigar itself or the brand (for instance, whether the cigar is the 2001 Limited Edition Vegas Robaina Prominente or something such as the Padron 1926 line).
The history of cigar bands is quite a contentious one, with the exact creator and date of origin one which is hotly debated. Some cigar historians would argue that the first cigar bands were created by the imperious, chain smoking Catherine The Great, tsarista of Russia who came to power in 1762 during a violent coup d’etat which ended in the death of her husband, Peter the Third and her ascension to power. She was widely known for her high regard for fine cigars and the legend goes that she would always commission her cigars wrapped in fine silk so that they wouldn’t stain her delicate finger tips. The story then goes that her maids, servants and guests began to emulate her and that eventually the tradition of wrapping a cigar in cloth became commonplace.
This story, whether true or false, isn’t held as the true birth of the modern cigar band. Indeed to discover where that came from we must look at a little more recent piece of history associated with a brilliant marketer named Gustave Bock. Mr. Bock was a European immigrant who moved to Cuba and worked there as a factory owner. Bock was very familiar with the practices of the Old World traders and used this to his great advantage in the 1830’s when he decreed that all shipments of cigars would henceforth bear his name upon a band as a mark of pedigree. Bock’s trademark was immensely successful and are what has led today to those beautiful little bands we see all over our local smoke shops today.