A luxury item for some, a work of art for others, the cigar occupies a very special place in Lebanon. The country even ranks among the most important cigar importers in the world. Why? Here is our report about a unknown market in the Cedar country.
Some say that a cigar tells a story. And the one told about its relationship with Lebanon is of an enigmatic type. Some date its arrival to the Cedar country at the beginning of the last century. Others consider the cigar as a new luxury product.
The cigar is a bright mixture, just like Lebanon. Its manufacture stretches over a long period (count many days from the dryness of the leaves to the final roll). Never say that a cigar is similar to a cigarette. First and foremost, the cigar is entirely and serenely savoured. It’s a relationship created between the item and its smoker.
Cigar’s return to Lebanon dates back to the beginning of the nineties, more specifically in 1994.
In 1990, Taif Agreement ended 15 years of civil war in Lebanon. The country aims at being rebuilt and finding its erstwhile prosperity. At that time, the cigar is an item especially used by specialists. It gradually enters the habits and becomes a coveted object. A symbol of the found prosperity, it rapidly becomes part of the Lebanese “preppy” panoply.
Lebanon is nowadays the sixth international cigar importer. It’s a curiosity for a country that only counts four million people. Antoine Rizk, manager of the Gray Hotel Cigar Lounge in Beirut, explains that “if a certain number of Lebanese are cigar smokers, foreigners coming from the Golfe represent quite important customers as well.”
Like a suit or a jewel, cigar has become a luxury item.
Manufacture or importation?
Over the years, Lebanon has shown its passion for cigars. The Duty Free at Beirut’s airport contains a chive “ Casa del Habano”, a world-famous cigar shop, also in Achrafieh near Sassine Place. Other signs are present in the Lebanese territory such as “Akiki’s cigars” in Downtown Beirut as well as many “Cigar lounge” present in the Lebanese capital. Unfortunately, there aren’t any official rates of the exact number of signs in Lebanon. One of the signs’ representatives who wished to remain anonymous said that Lebanon could become a cigar platform in the Near East, nothing less. Rivalry among the different signs could be provoked.
According to an official source, cigars of Cuban origin could represent over 90% of the Lebanese importation. The reputation of the Cuban cigars explains this overwhelming majority. From the famous Cohiba of Fidel Castro to Romeo y Julieta and other Monte Cristo and Partagas, these Cuban products are the most appreciated in Lebanon. Proof of quality but also wealth. Like an Yves Saint-Laurent suit or a Chanel n°5 suit, the Cuban cigar is first and foremost a ceremonial sign. But not only for Antoine Rizk. “Lebanese appreciate quality, the same way French people appreciate vintage wine such as a good Bordeaux or a Burgundy, ” he explains with gusto. The 10% remaining come from Central American countries such as Nicaragua and Santo Domingo. Some are of a Venezuelan origin but either official information can confirm this rumor.
There will be a cigar manufacture in South Lebanon. This does not mean a one-hundred-Lebanese cigar manufacture on the market; on the contrary, a local Cuban cigar manufacture managed by some passionate. The different traders from Beirut who we interrogated agree on the fact that cigars are deformed and have nothing to do with the imported cigars. “ We call them here fake cigars”, says a salesman amusingly, “ however that may be, the competition is very rough in order for them to be taken seriously.”
Do you know how to smoke a cigar?
For a cigar passionate, the real smoker is the one who appreciates the item and shows a form of respect to it. “Smoking a cigar is first and foremost an intimate moment spent alone or with friends”, connoisseurs say. In Lebanon, it is often accompanied with a cognac or a Lebanese wine such as Château Khoury. It can also be smoked with mint tea, a local custom still surprising for a European.
Then comes the art of smoking the cigar. First of all, it is gently cut. We also talk of a “punch” (kind of a pierced hole at the stern of a cigar). We lit it not with a lighter but with a wooden cedar match in order not to change the fragrance of the tobacco. Then, it is necessary to let the item burn out slowly. “Smoking a cigar is a pure relaxation moment”, explains Antoine Rizk, a great connoisseur.
Actually, women are also smokers. Even if their number is less than men, but they also appreciate the cigar. Some cigars are even destined to more feminine customers such as “Mille-fleur”, a short and rather thin cigar, Antoine Rizk explains. Contrary to appearances, female customers prefer big cigars, often reserved for men (Cohiba, Patargas, etc). “ There aren’t cigars destined to a particular sex. Maybe some are more destined to men rather than women and inversely, but this remains a simple value judgement”, according to a salesman interrogated in a cigar box in Beirut. The cigar remains a product very appreciated by the Lebanese whichever its use. Showing off or simply enjoying a nice moment:everyone can choose. Others may also say that smoking a cigar is just listening to a story.
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