Today, smoking cigars is associated with a whole constellation of attributes: toughness, virility, gentlemanliness, affluence, sophistication, stolidity. It could be argued that there is something in the nature of cigars that lends itself to such characterization. Their smell, for example, is not for the overly sensitive, and the amount of nicotine involved is hefty. Then of course there is the danger inherent in any kind of smoking. In large part, though, the public perception of cigar-smoking as a distinguished, manly habit comes from Winston Churchill.

Churchill, who many consider to be one of the greatest statesmen and orators of the twentieth century (if not in all of history), was rarely seen, either in public or in private, without a cigar in his mouth. He was known to smoke between eight and ten cigars a day, and usually smoked them down to the last two inches. This is probably why Davidoff released a Winston Churchill Cigar. Sometimes he would let the cigar go out and then simply go on chewing on it. Although a consummate gentleman, he was notoriously careless with his cigar ash, often making piles of it on the carpet and frequently burning holes in his clothing - Perhaps a cigar ashtray would've helped?

In some ways Churchill was a highly idiosyncratic man, and his cigar smoking was less of a habit than a ritual. He had a silver ashtray, the gift of a friend, that he took with him everywhere, even packing it into his luggage. He would use the end of a match, rather than a cigar cutter, to pierce the end of his cigars. He is sometimes credited with the idea of dipping the end of a cigar in brandy or in port. He is also said to have invented the 'bellybando', a small strip of paper wrapped around the base of a cigar to keep the end from getting too soggy and frayed.

A few particularly characteristic stories will illustrate both Churchill's unconventional personality and his devotion to the practice of cigar-smoking. During World War II, he was to take his first high-altitude flight in an unpressurized aircraft. He had a special oxygen mask constructed for the purpose, with a hole in so that he could smoke cigars while flying.

In 1945, he held a special luncheon for the then-king of Saudi Arabia, Ib'n Saud. On finding that his post-mealtime habits of smoking and drinking were disallowed in the king's presence, he argued that, while the absence of alcohol and cigars were prescribed by the king's religion, their presence was an "absolutely sacred rite" in Churchill's way of life. The king acceded to his unusual request.

A public figure with a high enough profile will always influence those in his society, and Churchill was certainly no exception. His habits, virtues, and even his personal style certainly affected those living in Britain at the time, and continue to have an influence on men everywhere today.