Cheroot
Encyclopedia
The cheroot or stogie is a cylindrical cigar
with both ends clipped during manufacture. Since cheroots do not taper, they are inexpensive to roll mechanically, and their low cost makes them particularly popular. Typically, stogies have a length of 3.5 to 6.5 inches, and a ring gauge of 34 to 37. (Ring gauge is a measure of diameter, scaled in 64ths of an inch. A stogie is slightly over 1/2" in diameter.)
The term stogie is often misused to refer to any cigar with a foul stench, or as slang, to a cigarette. Many stogies are made of flavored tobaccos, and given that a stogie may last a half hour, as opposed to the 2–8 minutes that a cigarette typically lasts, there can be quite a pungent and pervasive aroma produced.
The word stogie is short for Conestoga. The cigar was the smoke of choice for teamster
s driving Conestoga wagon
s in the cigar-making Conestoga valley
area around Lancaster, Pennsylvania
. The word cheroot comes from French
cheroute, from Tamil
curuttu/churuttu/shuruttu - roll of tobacco. This word could have been absorbed into the French language from Tamil during the 18th century, when the French were trying to stamp their presence in South India
. The word could have then been absorbed into English
from French.
(Samuel Clemens) is shown smoking a stogie in many of his photographs. His beloved did not approve of this habit, and he made many jokes about this preference for inexpensive cigars. At one lecture, he indicated that he paid $5 a barrel for his cigars because he was incurably extravagant.
In the March 26, 1911 New York Times , Mark Twain was quoted posthumously from a 1905 letter to L. M. Powers in which he wrote,
Modern day stogie fans include David Letterman
, and filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola
, who offers his own private-label stogies for sale at his winery.
Singer Roger Miller
, who was known for enjoying smoking in general, included this line in his song, "King of the Road
": "I smoke old stogies I have found / Short, but not too big around."
, Vice President under Woodrow Wilson
(1913–21), was performing his duty of presiding over the U.S. Senate when Kansas
Senator Joseph L. Bristow
gave a long speech entitled "What This Country Needs." As Bristow expounded on a litany of the country's needs, the impatient vice president leaned over to his aide, and in a whisper that could be heard throughout the chamber, said, "What this country needs is a good five cent cigar."
, consequently, popular among the British
during the days of the British Empire
. They are often associated with Burma in literature:
Apparently, Cheroot smoking was also associated with resistance against tropical disease in India. Verrier Elwin
wrote in a foreword (1957) to Leaves from the Jungle: Life in a Gond Village,
Most likely the cheroot's aroma, by sticking to the skin and hiding the scent of sweat, which draws mosquitoes, contributed to making the smoker less of a target for their bites.
Cigar
A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
with both ends clipped during manufacture. Since cheroots do not taper, they are inexpensive to roll mechanically, and their low cost makes them particularly popular. Typically, stogies have a length of 3.5 to 6.5 inches, and a ring gauge of 34 to 37. (Ring gauge is a measure of diameter, scaled in 64ths of an inch. A stogie is slightly over 1/2" in diameter.)
The term stogie is often misused to refer to any cigar with a foul stench, or as slang, to a cigarette. Many stogies are made of flavored tobaccos, and given that a stogie may last a half hour, as opposed to the 2–8 minutes that a cigarette typically lasts, there can be quite a pungent and pervasive aroma produced.
The word stogie is short for Conestoga. The cigar was the smoke of choice for teamster
Teamster
A teamster, in modern American English, is a truck driver. The trade union named after them is the International Brotherhood of Teamsters , one of the largest unions in the United States....
s driving Conestoga wagon
Conestoga wagon
The Conestoga wagon is a heavy, broad-wheeled covered wagon that was used extensively during the late 18th century and the 19th century in the United States and sometimes in Canada as well. It was large enough to transport loads up to 8 tons , and was drawn by horses, mules or oxen...
s in the cigar-making Conestoga valley
Conestoga River
The Conestoga River, also referred to as Conestoga Creek, is a tributary of the Susquehanna River flowing through the center of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.-Geography:...
area around Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
. The word cheroot comes from French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
cheroute, from Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
curuttu/churuttu/shuruttu - roll of tobacco. This word could have been absorbed into the French language from Tamil during the 18th century, when the French were trying to stamp their presence in South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. The word could have then been absorbed into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
from French.
Mark Twain
Mark TwainMark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
(Samuel Clemens) is shown smoking a stogie in many of his photographs. His beloved did not approve of this habit, and he made many jokes about this preference for inexpensive cigars. At one lecture, he indicated that he paid $5 a barrel for his cigars because he was incurably extravagant.
In the March 26, 1911 New York Times , Mark Twain was quoted posthumously from a 1905 letter to L. M. Powers in which he wrote,
Modern day stogie fans include David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
, and filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
, who offers his own private-label stogies for sale at his winery.
Singer Roger Miller
Roger Miller
Roger Dean Miller was an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known for his honky tonk-influenced novelty songs...
, who was known for enjoying smoking in general, included this line in his song, "King of the Road
King of the Road (song)
"King of the Road" is a 1964 song written and originally recorded by country singer Roger Miller.The lyrics tell of a hobo who despite being poor revels in his freedom, describing himself humorously as the "king of the road"...
": "I smoke old stogies I have found / Short, but not too big around."
Vice President Thomas Marshall
Thomas R. MarshallThomas R. Marshall
Thomas Riley Marshall was an American Democratic politician who served as the 28th Vice President of the United States under Woodrow Wilson...
, Vice President under Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
(1913–21), was performing his duty of presiding over the U.S. Senate when Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
Senator Joseph L. Bristow
Joseph L. Bristow
Joseph Little Bristow was an American Republican politician from Kansas.Born outside Hazel Green, Kentucky, he moved to Kansas when he was twelve. He graduated from Baker University when he was 25....
gave a long speech entitled "What This Country Needs." As Bristow expounded on a litany of the country's needs, the impatient vice president leaned over to his aide, and in a whisper that could be heard throughout the chamber, said, "What this country needs is a good five cent cigar."
The Asian connection
Cheroots are traditional in Burma and IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, consequently, popular among the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
during the days of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
. They are often associated with Burma in literature:
Apparently, Cheroot smoking was also associated with resistance against tropical disease in India. Verrier Elwin
Verrier Elwin
Verrier Elwin was a self-trained anthropologist, ethnologist and tribal activist, who began his career in India as a Christian missionary...
wrote in a foreword (1957) to Leaves from the Jungle: Life in a Gond Village,
Most likely the cheroot's aroma, by sticking to the skin and hiding the scent of sweat, which draws mosquitoes, contributed to making the smoker less of a target for their bites.