Home› Cigar 101

Weird question: What brand of cigar did pirates smoke?

usmc03gruntusmc03grunt Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 1
in Cigar 101
I'm a huge fan of the pirate era. Especially the "Golden Age of Piracy" so I really want to know the answer so I can find one! I'm also new to the cigar world!
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
«1

Comments

  • New BootsNew Boots Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,634
    Well, welcome to the boards!

    I'm not real keen on pirate smokes, but stick around this place...I think you'll find it to your liking.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Amos UmwhatAmos Umwhat Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,523
    Well, they had access to all the islands in the Caribbean, but I would guess they mostly smoked whatever the former Captain of their current vessel smoked. Likely more pipes than cigars, I'd think, but cigars have been around a long time. Interesting question.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • edelrionycedelrionyc Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 312
    I'm sure we won't be able to find the exact cigar blend or line that pirates smokes. We can most likely figure out what islands they might have visited and smoke tobacco from that island. I don't think a cigar blend or line of tobacco is the exact same as those days.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • New BootsNew Boots Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,634
    OR! We could all pool our money, buy a boat...and BECOME pirates!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • webmostwebmost Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,131
    usmc03grunt:
    I'm a huge fan of the pirate era. Especially the "Golden Age of Piracy" so I really want to know the answer so I can find one! I'm also new to the cigar world!
    Read your Esquemeling. IIRC, in the early part of his account, where he describes how the original boucaniers lived, he tells how they not only smoked meat, but planted tobacco, cured it, then hired torcedors to roll it. I'm not as familiar with Basil Ringrose, but I believe he mentions cigars as well. Of course, a lot of the cargoes they captured were tobacco leaf in bales or barrels.

    In short, they rolled their own.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • webmostwebmost Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,131
    New Boots:
    OR! We could all pool our money, buy a boat...and BECOME pirates!
    Of course, a true pirate would not buy a boat; he'd steal it. I read once about a tanker takes Guinness to a bottling plant in Britain. Good place to start.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • New BootsNew Boots Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,634
    webmost:
    New Boots:
    OR! We could all pool our money, buy a boat...and BECOME pirates!
    Of course, a true pirate would not buy a boat; he'd steal it. I read once about a tanker takes Guinness to a bottling plant in Britain. Good place to start.

    That does sound like a solid start!

    ***end thread-jack***
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Lee.mcglynnLee.mcglynn Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 5,228
    CgaRRRRRRRRs
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Bob LukenBob Luken Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,664
    Wow. That makes me wonder,...... I would have thought that pipes were more common/popular at that time but then again, when did cigars, as a finished product, become widely available as a commodity?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • MartelMartel Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,423
    Man, all the cool comments are taken. Guinness piracy? Good start. Cigarrrrrrrrs! Dang it!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Bob LukenBob Luken Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,664
    Lee.mcglynn:
    CgaRRRRRRRRs
    LMAO. Yes!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Gray4linesGray4lines Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,439
    Amos Umwhat:
    Well, they had access to all the islands in the Caribbean, but I would guess they mostly smoked whatever the former Captain of their current vessel smoked. Likely more pipes than cigars, I'd think, but cigars have been around a long time. Interesting question.
    Definitely more pipes. That's how rope tobacco came around I think. Tobacco is spun into a rope and it holds moisture very well. Can be cut off in chunks and smoked or chewed.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • webmostwebmost Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,131
    Lee.mcglynn:
    CgaRRRRRRRRgs
    fixed it for ya
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • raisindotraisindot Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 936
    usmc03grunt:
    I'm a huge fan of the pirate era. Especially the "Golden Age of Piracy" so I really want to know the answer so I can find one! I'm also new to the cigar world!
    That's a great question! When the first Europeans came to the new world, tobacco was either chewed or wrapped in corn husks to create rudimentary cigars. North Americans natives used primitive pipes.

    However, the "commercialization" (i,e. "branding" of tobacco products) really didn't come about until the 19th century. By that time, the golden age of piracy was largely over. So it's unlikely that pirates ever used a particular tobacco brand; they just bought (or stole) whatever they found on the islands or on the ships they captured. Maybe some preferred Virginia tobacco over Cuban tobacco, but it's doubtful that English pirates boarding a Spanish vessel ever found boxes of banded "Columbus" cigars or tobacco pouches on board. The stuff was generally shipped out in bulk.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • flowbeeflowbee Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 1,100
    New Boots:
    OR! We could all pool our money, buy a boat...and BECOME pirates!
    Relocate to Somalia! they have pirates there
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • New BootsNew Boots Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,634
    flowbee:
    New Boots:
    OR! We could all pool our money, buy a boat...and BECOME pirates!
    Relocate to Somalia! they have pirates there
    On the job training! I LIKE IT!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • jd50aejd50ae Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 4,109
    "Tobacco was the usual 17th and 18th Century accompaniment to eating and drinking and could be taken by pirates in several forms : Snuff - ground and powdered tobacco flavoured with herbs or dried fruit and sniffed straight up the nose ; using tobacco leaves rolled into Spanish cigarillos - long thin cigars ; and of course shredded tobacco leaf smoked in clay pipes. Having tobacco but possessing no pipe saw seamen roll the shredded tobacco leaf in a scrap of paper in order to ‘draw the smoak’ through the paper tube - this emergency-practice later evolved into the first cigarettes. Tobacco was also chewed aboard ship to alleviate hunger-pangs and because many sailing ships had stern regulations about non-smoking on board when on duty. Pirates - though not in any way regulated by a captain as common seamen were - made themselves subject to some of these rules such as not smoking below decks ; any pirate found smoking an uncovered or un-lidded pipe below decks - or carrying an un-fastened candle-lantern there - would be subject to punishment as the danger of any uncontrolled fire aboard a ship at sea manned solely by habitual drunkards was an obvious hazard."

    http://www.sea-thieves.com/education_pages/seathieves_edu_diet-tobacco.htm
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • No_one21No_one21 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 1,962
    I've been sailing on ships like this one for about 14-15 years now so I could be the captain unless someone else is certified. Then I could be 1st mate hehe but my vote is we take this one:

    http://www.easternyachts.com/grandturk/
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • New BootsNew Boots Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,634
    No_one21:
    I've been sailing on ships like this one for about 14-15 years now so I could be the captain unless someone else is certified. Then I could be 1st mate hehe but my vote is we take this one:

    http://www.easternyachts.com/grandturk/
    No_One gets my vote as captain. It was my idea though, so I get to be Admiral. IE: Eat, drink, smoke, sleep. That is my job description.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • MartelMartel Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,423
    usmc03grunt:
    I'm a huge fan of the pirate era. Especially the "Golden Age of Piracy" so I really want to know the answer so I can find one! I'm also new to the cigar world!
    How about...

    Arrrrrrturo Fuente?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Lee.mcglynnLee.mcglynn Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 5,228
    All answers are good but sorry guys they smoked viaje skull and bones jeez!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ckrddsmkeckrddsmke Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 392
    Darn and I thought their fav was "Tramp Stamps" or was it "Skull Crusher". Wonder what herbs they used?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • honorknight7honorknight7 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 525
    image image image
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • No_one21No_one21 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 1,962
    New Boots:
    No_one21:
    I've been sailing on ships like this one for about 14-15 years now so I could be the captain unless someone else is certified. Then I could be 1st mate hehe but my vote is we take this one:

    http://www.easternyachts.com/grandturk/
    No_One gets my vote as captain. It was my idea though, so I get to be Admiral. IE: Eat, drink, smoke, sleep. That is my job description.
    This will be our theme song:

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Jetmech_63Jetmech_63 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,384
    So a pirate walks into a bar with a steering wheel shoved in his pants...
    Bartender says "hey buddy, what's with the steering wheel?"
    Pirate responds "Arrrrrrr it's driving me nuts!"

    BA dum tssss :)
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ckrddsmkeckrddsmke Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 392
    honorknight7:
    image image image
    Were those salvage from the Queen Anne's Revenge?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • New BootsNew Boots Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,634
    No_one21:
    New Boots:
    No_one21:
    I've been sailing on ships like this one for about 14-15 years now so I could be the captain unless someone else is certified. Then I could be 1st mate hehe but my vote is we take this one:

    http://www.easternyachts.com/grandturk/
    No_One gets my vote as captain. It was my idea though, so I get to be Admiral. IE: Eat, drink, smoke, sleep. That is my job description.
    This will be our theme song:

    I'm down with the theme song!

    Also, as Admiral, I assign Rain to be head wench.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • LiquidChaos66LiquidChaos66 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,603
    Martel:
    usmc03grunt:
    I'm a huge fan of the pirate era. Especially the "Golden Age of Piracy" so I really want to know the answer so I can find one! I'm also new to the cigar world!
    How about...

    Arrrrrrturo Fuente?


    I can't be the only one to acknowledge te fact that this answer is the best one so far?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Ken LightKen Light Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,524
    Really? No one suggested 5 Vegas Gold Nuggets yet? For shame!

    Or Viaje Skull and Bones?

    How about Berger and ARrrrrrgenti?

    Of course they'd light and cut them with a Xikarrrrrrr....
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • jlmartajlmarta Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,440
    Bob Luken:
    Wow. That makes me wonder,...... I would have thought that pipes were more common/popular at that time but then again, when did cigars, as a finished product, become widely available as a commodity?


    Your post just begs for a thread-jack, Bob, so here it is..... (Lol) what is the significance of the big ol' plane photo in your signature line??
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Sign In or Register to comment.