Close, But No Cigar: 7 Cool Facts You Didn’t Know About Stogies

We love good trivia and mindless intel here at Skillset Magazine! We also indulge in a fine cigar from time to time. Here are 7 fun facts about stogies to help you win the next trivia night at the local pub!

1. In an effort to snuff out Fidel Castro back in the ’60s, the CIA laced a box of cigars with botulinum toxin and had them delivered straight to his office. “El Comandante” laughed off the assassination attempt, saying the cigars just gave him a bad case of diarrhea.

2. A highly skilled Dominican Torcedor (cigar roller) can produce up to 200 cigars a day.

3. Psychiatrists have been known to prescribe cigars to patients to help reduce stress.

4. The tobacco in one large cigar is equivalent to a full pack of cigarettes.

5. According to a recent survey by the University of Miami, Latin cigar smokers say that Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Honduras produce better cigars than Cuba.

6. Factory workers in Cuba roll cigars while listening to audio books on loudspeakers. This tradition dates back to 1865, when “lectores” used to read out loud to the rollers in an effort to keep their minds busy and to raise productivity.

7. To identify a real Cuban cigar, look for these three things on the packaging: the phrase “Totalmente a Mano,” “Habanos S.A., Hecho en Cuba” and a factory code.