The Word Puro w/Poll

[RevSmoke]

A puro is a cigar with all the constituent tobaccos coming from the same country.

Although, there are some people who call all cigars puros.

I remember an incident from the boom days. There was an individual of some monetary wealth who thought way more of himself than anybody else did. He was the expert (in his own mind) on things regarding cigars - because he could buy the more expensive cigars. He had just started smoking when it got popular, but it was amazing the faux wisdom he'd spew. Anyway, he informed everybody that all hand-made cigars were puros because they were made pure, all tobacco, no false fillers like cigar paper, etc...

Funny how he always seemed to be alienating people.

[stearns]

i know it to be all from one country, but i believe in spain they often referred to any cigar as a "puro."

[shilala]

Originally Posted by ktblunden

Yep, I love Drew Estate and the LP series, but I have to disagree with Johnathan's usage of the word. Puro should mean that all the tobaccos are from the same country of origin.

I think Johnathan is just grabbing a couple Spanish words to set himself apart. Like Liga Privada. It means "Skid Marks" in Spanish. I thought it was an odd choice.

[Zanaspus]

Originally Posted by markem

[puro] adj. pure, uncontaminated, untainted; clean, free of dirt; absolute, utter

It is an adjective, "part of speech used to modify a noun". Ergo, it is meaningless without an explicit or implicit noun upon which to act.

A simple test would be, for example, to replace "puro" in a sentence with your chosen definition. For example, let's say we want "puro" to mean "cigar".

I smoked a rockin Nicaraguan cigar today (not bad, but not what you really intended).

Now, let's use one of the words from the definition above.

I smoked a rockin Nicaraguan pure today. Not so good. However, I think that if we made it a real adjective, we get something like this: I smoked a rockin pure Nicaraguan cigar today.

Much better, me thinks.

I tend to slant towards the rules of the Blue Book (http://www.grammarbook.com/) but can go with the flow for anyone who wants to head in the direction of Strunk and White (original is online here: http://www.crockford.com/wrrrld/style.html).

My God! Someone else on the internet who actually cares about not butchering his mother tongue!

I salute you sir!

[MurphysLaw]

When I hear "puro" I think of a cigar where all components are from one country.

Every description I can recall seeing of Drew Estates cigars has a breakdown of where the leaf comes from. Heres a quote from Jons intro thread where he makes the distinction between puros and blends:

Originally Posted by Jonathan Drew

My answer is this: I believe in Nicaraguan "Heavy Leaf" tobaccos more than any other tobaccos in the world. I place Nicaraguan fillers, binder, and capa on par with that of the most select leaf of Cuban origin. While DE is the largest importer of leaf INTO Nicaragua, and our strength is in "Blended Tobaccos" (Meaning NON PUROS), my suggestion is to purchase a good, healthy handful of beautiful Nicaraguan cigars, such as Padron, Joya de Nicaragua, Oliva, Perdomo, Pepin, Tat, Agonorsa, Placensia etc ... and include with that variety Liga Privada No.9 and T52, as well as our newly released Liga UNDERCROWN. Than start to understand Nicaragua and how Drew Estate fits in that circle. Nicaragua won't let you down ... I promise.

I like cake.

[68TriShield]

Originally Posted by shilala

My question would be, "Has anyone ever heard the word puro used to mean cigar, rather than a cigar which all it's parts are from one country?"

Yes.

[cigarmonkel]

I believe it means an old old wooden ship used during the civil war era.

[jledou]

I like cookies better than I like cake.

[CRIMPS]

Honestly, I have never had a great understanding of why the term was using in the industry. I think that probably has more to do with me not really putting much thought into it. After reading this, it definitely makes sense.

Thanks.

[shilala]

Originally Posted by MurphysLaw

Every description I can recall seeing of Drew Estates cigars has a breakdown of where the leaf comes from. Heres a quote from Jons intro thread where he makes the distinction between puros and blends:
...and our strength is in "Blended Tobaccos" (Meaning NON PUROS)...


I like cake.

I saw that when Jon came aboard, and it's pretty much in direct contradiction with the quote from the new Drew Estate iPhone app ""When you light a Liga Privada No. 9 you are smoking a puro that was intended..."
I had read or listened to him say they were working with Nic tobacco to create a puro and that's what I went looking for. Obviously I didn't find anything in the Liga line.
It made my head hurt and kind of disappointed me.
But I got ya on the cake.

[Blak Smyth]

I am soo confused now, not even sure if I like cake at this point!

[shilala]

I commend thee. I'd like you to follow me around and slap me in the back of the head every time I talk like a hillbilly.

Originally Posted by markem

[puro] adj. pure, uncontaminated, untainted; clean, free of dirt; absolute, utter

It is an adjective, "part of speech used to modify a noun". Ergo, it is meaningless without an explicit or implicit noun upon which to act.

A simple test would be, for example, to replace "puro" in a sentence with your chosen definition. For example, let's say we want "puro" to mean "cigar".

I smoked a rockin Nicaraguan cigar today (not bad, but not what you really intended).

Now, let's use one of the words from the definition above.

I smoked a rockin Nicaraguan pure today. Not so good. However, I think that if we made it a real adjective, we get something like this: I smoked a rockin pure Nicaraguan cigar today.

Much better, me thinks.

I tend to slant towards the rules of the Blue Book (http://www.grammarbook.com/) but can go with the flow for anyone who wants to head in the direction of Strunk and White (original is online here: http://www.crockford.com/wrrrld/style.html).

[shilala]

Originally Posted by Blak Smyth

I am soo confused now, not even sure if I like cake at this point!

Oh yeah, you like cake. It's the universal constant. That's why I added it.

[Blak Smyth]

Originally Posted by shilala

Oh yeah, you like cake. It's the universal constant. That's why I added it.

No on cake, but...

...I am 73% sure I want a donkey. So when people say "Hey jackass", I will think they are referring to my sluggish stead I would be using for transportation and therefore saving myself some hurt feelings.

[shilala]

Originally Posted by Blak Smyth

No on cake, but...

...I am 73% sure I want a donkey. So when people say "Hey jackass", I will think they are referring to my sluggish stead I would be using for transportation and therefore saving myself some hurt feelings.

Now you're thinkin', stud.

[Blak Smyth]

Originally Posted by shilala

Now you're thinkin', stud.

Sorry, it's the coffee thinking. I clearly don't know what I am typing anymore. Oh and I like cake again!

[longknocker]

I Believe What You Believe, Scott!

The problem I see with the interpretations of how the word "puro" is used in this thread, as pertaining to cigars, is that you guys are trying to use a literal translation from Spanish to English. Anyone here who speaks Spanish can attest to this not always being possible. Being of Mexican AND Cuban ancestry, I have heard the word "puro" used in Spanish by Mexicans AND Cubans AND other Latino-Americanos to pertain to a cigar. If BOTL are going to say "marca" (which literally translated means mark) rather than "brand" to refer to a brand, then why try to change the word "puro?"

Since I have been into this hobby I have seen it widely accepted to use "Nic Puro," "Dominican Puro," etc. to refer to a cigar with all components being from a single country. This is a colloquialism and makes sense.

Elements of Style (which is on my shelf as I type this) is a wonderful little book and is, IMO, the be all-style-guide of the American English language, but not of the Spanish language. Native English speakers tend to hold the meaning and use of language by another people to their own. This is not purely linguistics, it is ethnocentrism.

I am in no way putting down my native language, American-English, in this thread. That is not my intent. I am simply attempting to demonstrate to you all that you are attempting to translate something incorrectly.

One last comment. "Anillo" means "ring" in Spanish. The root word, "ano" means "anus," but one would not literally translate this as "little anus" when placing an anillo on their wife's finger.

[Bill86]

I voted twice, on that note...not many people here like cake. I find that strange.

[chand]

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, but sometimes it is a puro.