Phillies (cigar)

Phillies is a brand of American-made cigars, originally made in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from which the brand takes its name. Phillies cigars, originally produced by Bayuk Cigars, Inc., are presently manufactured by Altadis U.S.A., Inc., the American subsidiary of Spanish-based Altadis S.A., which is in turn owned by Imperial Tobacco.^[1]

The original cigar, introduced by the Bayuk brothers ^[2] in 1910, was named the Philadelphia Hand Made and popularly shortened by the smoking public to "Phillies", a nickname that eventually became the brand name.^[3]

Phillies come in several sizes: Black Max, Blunt, Cheroot, Cigarillo, Mexicali Slim, Mini Blunt, Panatella, Perfecto, Sweet, Tip, and Titan.

Popular culture

The Phillies cigar is immortalized in Edward Hopper's painting, Nighthawks, in which a diner is topped by an advertisement for Phillies along with an illustration of a cigar above the words "Only 5¢."

Redman's song How To Roll A Blunt, from his 1992 debut album, instructs the listener to purchase a Phillie Blunt cigar after heading uptown to any local store.

M. K. Asante's memoir Buck, set in Philadelphia, opens with a reference to a Phillies blunt. Later on in the memoir, the author's brother places his most valuable photos in a Phillies Blunt cigar box.^[4]

Phillies Blunt

A Phillies Blunt, often Phillie Blunt or simply blunt, is a popular name for a particular size of Phillies cigars, marketed as "Blunts", which are commonly sold at convenience stores and gas stations, as well as specialized smoke shops. Since the 1980s, this name has come to refer to all "marijuana cigars". An inexpensive cigar with a tough wrapper, it is often emptied and re-rolled with other smoking mixtures, the most common being marijuana. With its variety of flavors, a new market for blunt wraps, a prepared tobacco leaf paper similar to rolling papers, were introduced.

Phillies Blunt cigars are available in several flavors, including banana, berry, chocolate aroma, coconut, coffee, cognac, greene de menthe, honey, mango, peach, piña colada, rum, sambuca, sour apple, strawberry, sweet vanilla, sugar, tequila, watermelon, grape, and cinnamon. Barrel O' Blunt cigars are Phillies Blunts packaged in 50-pack "barrels". Phillies cigars also produces Mini Blunts. Single cigars are nicknamed "loose-ees" or "Loosies" (referring to a cigar that is loose from the box or pack and sold individually).

References

1. "Altadis Buys Control of JR Cigars" by David Savona, October 10, 2003
2. Israelowitz, Oscar (2006). Jewish New Jersey in Vintage Photographs. Brooklyn, NY: Israelowitz Publishing. p. 113. ISBN 1-878741-59-4.
3. "Cigar History 1910-1960". National Cigar Museum. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
4. "Buck: A Memoir - Chapter 1". genius.com. 2014-11-07. Retrieved 2014-12-16.