Cigarillo

A cigarillo (Spanish from "cigarro" + "illo" diminutive, pronounced [θiɣaˈɾiʎo]) is a short, narrow cigar. Unlike cigarettes, cigarillos are wrapped in tobacco leaves or brown tobacco-based paper. Cigarillos are smaller than regular cigars but larger than cigarettes. Cigarillos are made without filters, and are meant to be smoked like a cigar and not inhaled.

Burning cigarillo

Generally, a cigarillo contains about 3 grams of tobacco, the length varies from 3 to 4 in. and the diameter is about 5 to 8 mm. Comparatively, a cigarette contains less than 1 gram of tobacco^[1] and is less than 5" in length and 10 mm in diameter.

Most cigarillos are machine-made, which is cheaper than hand-rolling. It is unusual to store them in humidors, partly because they are smoked in large quantities and so have a short shelf-life.

Cigarillos are also known in Europe as a 'Seven Minute Cigar' because they can be smoked in seven minutes, and may gain popularity for the speed of their consumption.

Cheap cigarillos are typically marketed as a brand rather than with the term cigarillo. In the United Kingdom common consumer brands include Hamlets and Café Crème. In the United States they include: Al Capone, Black & Mild, Dutch Masters, Garcia Y Vega, Game, Good Times, Optimo, Phillies and Pom Pom.

Taxation

In the United States, cigarillos (and cigars) were taxed at a lower rate than cigarettes. The federal tax on cigarettes was 50 cents a pack whereas cigarillos were 5 cents per pack of 20. Large cigars had a federal tax of 5 cents maximum per cigar.^[2] The difference in tax rates was credited for a 240% increase in the popularity of cigarillos over ten years ^{[citation needed]}. In February 2009 an increase from 5 cents to 40 cents per pack as part of the SCHIP expansion bill set a tax rate similar to that for cigarettes.^[3]

Alternative usage

In Spanish-speaking countries, as well as in the Philippines, "cigarrillo" is a cigarette. In the Philippines, it is often spelt sigarílyo. Short, narrow cigars are referred to instead as little cigars. Cigarillos also can be used for smoking cannabis. The cannabis is hand wrapped into the whole leaf paper.

Health concerns

As with other tobacco products, cigarillos are a health risk to those who smoke them. In Brazil, Uruguay, Europe, Canada and Australia they are subject to the same laws which require manufacturers to place a health warning on a portion of each package.

Like cigars, cigarillos are not meant to be inhaled. As a result of this, it is often assumed that cigarillos are a healthier alternative to cigarettes ^{[citation needed]}, but health authorities around the world still warn smokers of the risk they pose due to smoke being in the mouth.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Health effects of tobacco
• Smoking culture

References

1. ↑ http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/cigars
2. ↑ http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_2X_Cigar_Smoking.asp?sitearea=PED&viewmode=print&
3. ↑ "Health Groups Hail Increase in Federal Tobacco Taxes". National Cancer Institute. 2009-02-10. 

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