Who can possibly ignore the presence of Cuban Cigars in popular films like Scarface and The Godfather? We certainly cannot. However, after considering the representation of cigars in pop culture, we can’t help but notice the appearance of a very interesting pattern. The ritual of smoking cigars is many times linked to criminal behaviour, unethical intentions, and violent attitude. What is it that connects fine Cuban sticks, like Ramon Allones and Montecristo Cigars, with corruption and lawlessness you might wonder? That’s what we'll be looking at today as we discuss the reasons why cigars are, many times, interpreted as a sign of lawlessness and degradation, linked with violence or even degeneration.
“NICKNAMES INSPIRED FROM THEIR PASSION FOR CIGARS”
MAFIA AND CIGARS – The interpretation of cigars as an item of criminal luxury has its origins in real life. In particular, plenty of gangsters in the Italian-American and Sicilian Cosa Nostra were or still are avid cigar aficionados. From Salvatore “Sam the Cigar” Giancana and Carmine “Cigar” Galante to Michael “Mikey Cigars” Coppola and Robert “Bobby the Cigar" DeLuca, many mobsters were and are famous after nicknames acquired because of their passion for Cuban Cigars Online.
Possibly the most famous gangster, Al Capone is the most standout example, responsible for creating the link between cigars and the world of crime. Starting his criminal career in New York, Capone became a king of the American underworld soon after moving to Chicago, where he run his notorious ‘syndicate’. During his life both outside and inside Alcatraz, Capone was a big fan of cigars. There’s not much information regarding his smoke preferences other than the fact that he enjoyed a fat smoke more than anything else. The Vegas Robaina Unicos Cigar is a great example of the sticks that Capone preferred to puff. Coming in a Campanas vitola that measures at 140 mm by a thick ring gauge of 52, Unicos fits the profile of Capone’s favourite Cuban sticks.
Left: Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel smoking a cigar, Centre: Al Capone while puffing a stick, Left: Infamous gangster Carmine "Cigar" Galante
“CIGARS AS A PRODUCT OF CRIMINAL LUXURY”
THE DEGENERATE WOMAN – Smoking was not a famous sport amongst women back in the day. The Best Cuban Cigars were considered as a product of masculine qualities, depriving women of the opportunity to enjoy the relaxing qualities as much as enticing flavours of Cuban sticks. Overall, puffing cigars was an act widely considered inappropriate for the female sex. Of course, like any rule, there were exceptions which ultimately came with a price. That is to say, during the 17th century smoking was interpreted as an act of foolishness, while two centuries later, smoking was socially perceived as props for fallen, degenerate women, and prostitutes.
Female smokers started to multiply in numbers and treated as rightful to the art of smoking as any man after the publication of cigarette adverts in the late 1920s, which were addressed exclusively towards female smokers. Today, this imbalance seems to have been completely restored, with both ordinary and popular female smokers having the freedom to enjoy the aromas of great cigars, like these of the Montecristo No. 4 Cigar, without receiving any negative social critique. Nevertheless, women who smoked cigars in the past decades were treated as second class citizens, feeding the myth according to which cigar smokers are related to lawlessness.
HOLLYWOOD’S IMPACT – As to make this inaccurate consumption even more widely known, Hollywood, inspired by the social beliefs surrounding cigar smokers, produced films that linked the peaceful ritual of smoking cigars to violence and criminal luxury. We can go on citing hundreds of characters and films which portray Cuban sticks as an instrument of corruption, however, it is better if we talk about the classics, avoiding any unnecessary drama.
In The Godfather trilogy as much as in Scarface, cigars are clearly connected to the mob, as the films strive to define smokes as a product of underworld luxury. Additionally, in 1995’s GoldenEye, we see Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond fight against the deadly Xenia Onatopp, mostly known as “Femme Fatale”. The film illustrates Onatopp as a former Soviet fighter pilot who loves killing, fast cars, and, of course, lighting up a good cigar, like a Cohiba Robusto or a Romeo y Julieta No. 2 Cigar. The list goes on and on as many more Hollywood blockbusters have introduced cigars to the wide audience as a product closely related to violence and criminal intentions.
Left: Al Pacino as Tony Montana in 1983's Scarface, Right: Famke Janssen as Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye.
The connection between Cuban Cigars for Sale Online and lawlessness is simply a myth, relying completely upon misinterpreted pop culture beliefs. Each and every cigar smoker comes from a different background and certainly has a very distinct voice, whether prefer smoking Vintage Cigars, Limited Edition, or regular production ones. Despite any past contradictions regarding the cigar world, find the perfect cigar to your taste buds from our Cuban Cigar Shop. Did you enjoy this story? Read more about the cigar industry from the latest posts available on our Cuban Cigar Blog now.