George Burns cigar brand

[bigjoe]

I found this interesting piece from a Cigar interview from 1994 ( two years before he died at 100 years old ) with the late great George Burns. What kind of Cigar did George Burns smoke ? Read below.

"I understand you want to know about my cigar smoking," he says, blowing more smoke past my nose.


"Yes I do," I say. "What kind of cigars do you smoke?"
He looks at the half-finished stogie smoldering between his fingers and says, "I smoke a domestic cigar. It's a good cigar. It's called an El Producto. Now the reason I smoke a domestic cigar is because the more expensive Havana cigars are tightly packed. They go out on the stage while I'm doing my act. The El Producto stays lit. Now if you're onstage and your cigar keeps going out, you have to keep lighting it. If you have to stop your act to keep lighting your cigar, the audience goes out. That's why I smoke El Productos. They stay lit."


"How much does an El Producto cost?" I ask.
"I don't know how much they cost today. I get them for nothing from the Tobacco Institute [in Washington, D.C.] ," replies Burns. "But about 10 years ago they sold for 33 cents apiece. Figure inflation in, and they're probably 50 cents apiece today."


"What kind of cigar did you smoke when you first started?"

"Any five-cent cigar. I was 14 years old. But I liked a nickel cigar called Hermosa Joses the best."

"Why did you start smoking cigars?" I ask.

"I smoked them because I wanted people to think I was doing well. When they saw me walking down the street smoking a cigar, they'd say, 'hey, that 14-year-old kid must be going places.' Of course, it's also a good prop on the stage. That's why so many performers, including your father, use them. When you can't think of what you are supposed to say next, you take a puff on your cigar until you do think of your next line."

"How many cigars did you smoke when you first started?"

"I'd say two cigars a week would last me. Hermosa Joses were long cigars, and I'd let them go out when I wasn't on the stage or trying to impress someone."

"Do you inhale cigar smoke?"

"No. I've never smoked a cigarette." He pauses while he puffs on his cigar and blows some smoke into the room. "Just cigars. They're better for you. Today I smoke about 10 cigars when I'm not working and 15 when I am working." Over the years that would be a lot of cigars, more than 300,000, if you consider that Burns has been smoking for more than 70 years. That many cigars could run into big money. Of course, he explains, he wasn't doing well enough in show business to afford 10 cigars a day when he started.

"If I'd taken my doctor's advice and quit smoking when he advised me to, I wouldn't have lived to go to his funeral," I'm living proof that smoking between 10 and 15 cigars a day for 70 years contributes to one's longevity.

[LkyLindy]

Now thats funny stuff--Good old George

[Snake Hips]

Oh my Lord...and I thought I smoked too much at two a day!

[KickU2Sleep]

George was the best...When I first started smoking cigars, he was the one I researched to find out what he smoked...I was amazed that a man with his money would smoke the El Producto, of course they were hand made for most of the time he was smoking them....

[runningonmt64]

Great story, thanks for sharing

[ProBe]

Thanks for sharing.

[Andy]

thanks for sharing interisting and I thought 4 a week was to much

[bigjoe]

A trivia piece from the interview said
George was one of the first to survive a triple bypass at his age of 70. His doctor told him to quit. He never did and outlived his doctor smoking 10+ sticks a day right up until he died.

Hey, I am 50lbs overweight and my colestrol was 176 and the doc did a full physical. He said I am in top health, just overweight, not bad at 43. My family, most live to almost 100 many over 90 years old.

My boss, busts his ass working out, running, his colestrol, 260, eats well. Hair falling out, glasses, etc... and only 48.

I believe no matter what you do, half the equation is in the genes.