"The colors or strengths are _Amarillo Claro_, bright yellow; _Amarillo Obscuro_, dark yellow; _Claro_, bright; _Colorado Claro_, bright red; _Colorado_, red; _Colorado Obscuro_, dark red; _Colorado Maduro_, red-ripe or mellow; _Maduro_, ripe or mellow; _Maduro Obscuro_, dark ripe or mellow; _Pajizo Claro_, bright straw-colored; _Pajizo_, straw-colored; _Pajizo Obscuro_, dark straw-colored; _Fuerte_, strong or heavy; _Entre Fuerte_, rather strong or heavy; _Flajo_, light. Then there are the indications of the qualities:--Superfine; _Firo_, not quite so fine; _Flor_, finest or firsts; _Superior_, next, or seconds; _Buenos_, next, or thirds. The cigar has a notable history. First has to be determined the part of the plant from which it is taken; then the part of the leaf from which it is taken, the tobacco being best which is furthest away from the root or middle of the leaf. One elaborate process follows another for the perfection of a work of art--for as such we must regard a cigar." Hazard, in his admirable work on Cuba, devotes considerable space to cigars, their manufacture, varieties, and use, in which he speaks of the various brands as follows:-- "The brands known as '_Yara Mayau_,' and the '_Guisa_,' are perhaps the most celebrated made upon the Island. Of the '_Yara_,' which has some considerable reputation, particularly in the London market, I confess I cannot speak favorably. Cigars that I smoked made from this leaf, and which are much smoked in the vicinity of Santiago de Cuba, I found had a peculiar saline taste which was very unpleasant, as also a slight degree of bitterness; many smokers, however, become very fond of this flavor. When I state that in Havana alone there are over one hundred and twenty-five manufacturers of cigars, it will readily be understood there must be a great many inferior cigars made even in Cuba. Havana may be called the 'City of cigars,' from its reputation and the immense number of factories there are in it for the manufacture of cigars, from the smallest shop opening on the street, employing three or four hands to the immense _fabricos_ erected expressly for this purpose, and employing five or six hundred. [Illustration: Cuban cigar shop.]