What Cigars Did Al Capone Smoke?
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Alphonse Gabriel Capone, also known by the nickname “Scarface,” was born on the 17th of January, 1899. Al Capone was a businessman and an American gangster who became notorious during the Prohibition era as one of the Chicago Outfit founders. However, his reign for seven years as a crime boss was halted when he went to prison at 33.
Capone was born to Italian immigrant parents in New York City. As a teenager, he joined the Five Points Gang and became a bouncer in some structured crime environments like brothels and Casinos.
He moved to Chicago in his early 20s and became Johnny Torrio’s bodyguard. Johnny Torrio, the leader of an illegal alcohol-supplying criminal syndicate, was politically guarded through the Unione Siciliana. All these experiences introduced Al Capone to smoking, and some of the things that aided his prominence were the cigars he smoked.
A conflict with the North Side Gang was responsible for the rise and fall of Capone. After some North Side shooters nearly killed him, Torrio retired and handed over the reins to Capone. Through very violent means, Capone expanded the business.
However, the mutually beneficial relationship he had with Mayor William Hale Thompson and the city’s police indicated that he was free from law enforcement.
What Cigars Did Al Capone Smoke
How Long Did Al Capone Smoke?
Being exposed to the world of smoking quite early in his life, Al Capone started off smoking at a young age. His occupation as a gangster who worked for some New York aspiring mobsters made him one of Chicago’s most notorious gangsters.
Al Capone grew popular for his violence and how he ruthlessly eliminated his rivals. He did not stop smoking cigars until he died in 1947 from cardiac arrest. Before then, however, he had been suffering deteriorating health.
The Cigars Al Capone Smoked
Cornelius Vanderbilt once interviewed Al Capone and claimed that Capone repeatedly lighted a Hav-A-Tampa cigar. The Al Capone cigar brand was manufactured in Florida, and the tobacco, usually imported from Havana, was sometimes combined with other tobacco types.
Florida became a cigar manufacturing spot and began a market competition with Havana in producing cigars. Most Cubans that exiled to Florida have adequate knowledge on rolling cigars, and after importing the Havana leaf and getting it rolled properly, it could be enjoyed.
The embargoes placed on Cuban cigars did not begin with John F. Kennedy. This is because there was always the issue of having Cuban cigars legally and illegally flood the market.
Even at that, people still wanted the best and authentic cigars that were hand-rolled from Havana. Capone was not excluded, and he could quickly get access to them.
Al Capone had gone to prison by 1932, and the La Corona brand, which had then become one of the American interests, refused to pay the import fees of cigars that came from Cuba. This is because It was cheaper for them to import the tobacco leaves from Cuba and roll them up. So, it became difficult for Capone to get access to cigars in prison.
Bottom Line
Being a notorious gangster, Al Capone had been nailed for tax evasion. He had also controlled illegal businesses like prostitution, gambling, as well as bootlegging rackets.
Even though he had violent tendencies, the Chicago crime boss perceived himself to be a generous benefactor. In 1932, when he was led to the train after losing his appeal, Capone bade farewell to his family and freedom by lighting a cigar.
I have been smoking cigars for 30 years and counting, I started at 18 years old with mild Cubans and worked my way up to medium and now bold. I own 4 humidors, that I try to keep stocked at all times.
