Winston Churchill : A Life Well- Smoked

Winston Churchill: A Life Well-Smoked The Man, the Myth, the Cigar

Winston Churchill, the name itself conjures images of a formidable leader, a brilliant orator, and a man never seen without his trusty cigar. His love for cigars was as much a part of his persona as his iconic bowler hat and his unwavering resolve. Churchill was leader who led Britain to victory in the Second World War. He served as Conservative Prime Minister twice- from 1940 to 1945 ( before being defeated in 1945 general election by Labour leader Clement Attlee) and from 1951 to 1955.

A Lifelong Affair

Churchill’s romance with cigars began while he was serving in Cuba. Although Churchill spent just a few moths in Cuba, he almost immediately became hooked on one of its most famous products. While he would sometimes smoke other brands, it was two Cuban ones, Romeo y Julieta and La Aroma de Cuba, which became his preferred cigars. For the rest of his life, friends, associates and series of Havana dealers would send him regular shipments, ensuring he had access to his prized Cubans even in times of crisis and war. It was a love affair that would last a lifetime, with Churchill reportedly smoke between 8 and 10 cigars a day, which is about 4,000 cigars per year. This adds up to around 250,000 cigars overs his 90-year life.

Churchill was known for his love of cigars, and was often seen smoking them. He would often let his cigars burn out so he could chew on them, which would cause them to become frayed. To prevent this, he would wrap a strip of paper with glue on one end around the end of the cigar. This was called a “bellybando”.

Churchill had a special storage room at his Kent home, Chartwell, where he kept thousands of cigars. He would buy many brands at once and the cigars were carefully organized, categorized and labeled.

Churchill’s cigar habit was one of the reasons he suffered financial crises throughout his life. One of his valets noted that Churchill smoked the equivalent of the valet’s weekly salary in two days.

For him, cigars were more than just tobacco; they were a symbol of relaxation, contemplation, and camaraderie.

The Davidoff Connection:

In December 2007 Swiss Brand Davidoff created the Winston Churchill cigar line in conjunction with Winston Spencer- Churchill grandson of the famous, cigar-smoking ptime minister and to honor the UK’s wartime leader, Sir Winston Churchill, who was known for smoking cigars and rarely being seen without one.

It was the first none Davidoff cigar to be rolled in Davidoff factory proper- Zino and Avo brand cigars, while produced under the same watchful eye of Hendrik Kelner, are rolled at Ok Cigars. Spencer-Churchill himself (who died in 2010) even made an appearance at the IPCRP (which is now PCA) trade show in 2008 as part of Davidoff’s promotional push for the new brand.

The reason why Davidoff chose to make:

• Tribute to ChurchillThe Winston Churchill line is a tribute to Churchill’s love of cigars and the variety he enjoyed. 
• CollaborationThe line was created in collaboration with Churchill’s grandson, Winston S. Churchill, and Davidoff cigarmaker Hendrick “Henke” Kelner. 
• Diverse flavorsThe cigars are designed to embody Churchill’s varied life with complex flavors. 
• Named after Churchill’s lifeThe cigar formats are named after places and planes that were important to Churchill, such as Marrakesh, No 10, and the Spitfire. 
• Tobacco blendThe cigars are made from a blend of tobaccos from Nicaragua, Peru, Dominican Republic, and Ecuador. 
• Original Series and Late Hour SeriesThe Winston Churchill line is divided into two categories: the Original Series for everyday smoking and the Late Hour Series for evening smokes. 
• SizesThe cigars come in a range of sizes, including the large Aristocrat and the shorter Petit Pantelas. 

A Legacy in Smoke

Churchill’s cigar smoking was not without controversy. Some criticized it as an unhealthy indulgence, while others saw it as an affectation. Yet, for Churchill, it was simply a part of who he was. His cigars were a constant companion, a source of comfort in times of stress, and a symbol of his indomitable spirit.

Today, Winston Churchill remains an icon, his image forever intertwined with the fragrant smoke of his beloved cigars. Whether you’re a cigar aficionado or simply a history buff, there’s no denying the captivating allure of Winston Churchill, the man who led a nation and loved a good smoke.

Biograhical Flims About Winston Churchill :

Even after Winston Churchill death there are films been made about the man. One is The Darkest Hour filmed 2017 which stars Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill in his early days as Prime Minister of England during the Second World War and May 1940 war cabinet crisis. On the recording of the film it was reported that Gary Oldmen smoked at least 400 cigars which where Romeo y Julieta Cubans which costed around $30,000 (£24,148) he smoked around 12 cigars a day.

Oldmen when to say that while filming The Darkest Hour he developed nicotine poisoning from smoking so many cigars. He said, “I got serious nicotine poisoning.

After filming of the movie Gray Oldmen give up smoking cigars and the only reason he smoked the Cuban cigars on set was because fake cigars don’t burn the same way as real ones.

On the set of the film to change Gray Oldmen into Winston Churchill they uses:

• Wearing a fat suit
• Using prosthetics
• Spending more than 200 hours in the makeup chair
• In the film they would use many locations for the smoking scene’s in many places, including the car, on the toilet, and in the London Underground

Written by Gaz @rocky_cigar_n_piper_review