THE ORIGIN OF THE CIGAR BOX by DCPR

THE CIGAR BOX

www.don-collins.com

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By Don Collins

 

THE ALL IMPORTANT DCPR LAQUERED CEDAR BOX

DCPR cigars are made by Puerto Rico Tobacco Corporation. PRTC is the oldest company in the world that makes a cigar. Early on after the amalgamation of caribbean cigar companies under the flag of the Puerto Rico Tobacco Products Corporation the first Cedar Boxes were made for cigars. Cedar Boxes had the reliable advantage of perfect humidification. All cigars, in the beginning, were shipped by sea and like all agricultural products were marked with a large stamp that said SHIT (Ship High In Transit). Remember the sides of the ships in those days were swamped all day with ocean spray and waves.

 

Most of the cigars were packed in paper bundles and saved inside burlap bags and then put into wood crates. The crates were loosely jointed and allowed insects (mainly the tobacco mite) and fungus and viruses to flourish during the two to three month journey to the warehouses in America and from six to ten months on journeys to Europe.

 

The Puerto Rico Tobacco Products Corporation determined that more product would be viable upon arrival at its destination if individually boxed for transpoprtation in Wooden Boxes. These early cedar boxes were made from the trees in Cidra, Puerto Rico. And, wouldn't you know that these trees are the original forest that gave birth to Spanish Cedar in Spain!

 

The almost airtight, insect proof, naturally humidifying cedar was the first wood used and prevails today as the base for the best cigar boxes in the world. Finishes vary, but PRTC has found that the most attractive is the natural cedar wood with a coat of laquer to ensure moisture proof storage over long periods of time. The boxes have changed little since the beginning.