cigarillo

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 24, 2026

Quick Summary

A cigarillo is a very small cigar. It can also refer to a cigarette that is wrapped in tobacco instead of paper. The word "cigarillo" comes from the Spanish word for "little cigar". Cigars themselves are cylindrical rolls of tobacco, typically with a filler, binder leaf, and a wrapper leaf. Historically, cigars were introduced to Europe from the Americas, where indigenous peoples smoked rolled tobacco leaves. Cigarettes, on the other hand, evolved from discarded cigar butts rolled in paper by the poor in Seville, Spain, and were initially called "little cigars" (cigarrillos).123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

cigarette
…man’s smokes were known as cigarrillos (Spanish: “little cigars”). Late in the 18th century they acquired respectability and their use spread to Italy and Portugal; they were carried by Portuguese traders to the Levant and Russia. French and British troops in the Napoleonic Wars became familiar with them; the French…
Read More
…man’s smokes were known as cigarrillos (Spanish: “little cigars”). Late in the 18th century they acquired respectability and their use spread to Italy and Portugal; they were carried by Portuguese traders to the Levant and Russia. French and British troops in the Napoleonic Wars became familiar with them; the French…
Read More