Top Countries Producing Cigars

Now that you’ve had a look at everything from the brand to sizes, shapes and packing styles, let’s talk about the countries of origin for cigars. While this was briefly mentioned in passing, it is now time to elaborate a little further; the top cigar producing countries and some of the brands they are known for.

This will help you associate distinct flavors, specific and best brands with their countries of origin.

Cuba – Cuba is, hands down, the most renowned cigar producing country in the entire world, so much so that for a lot of people (mostly those who do not know about cigar in much detail) cigars are synonymous with Cuba and vice versa.

Even after all the tough competition and the new and strong players in the cigar market originating from other countries, Cuba still maintains its reputation for producing the best cigars in the entire world. Although there is still a ban on buying or selling Cuban cigars in the U.S., it is, however, legal to consume them or gift them as long as the cigars have been sourced from overseas.

Some of the most famed brands that are crafted in Cuban also include original versions of Partagas, Montecristo, Cohiba, and H. Upmann.

Nicaragua – Following the Cuban revolution, a lot of the finest rollers of the cigar left Cuba and some of them settled in the humid but lush land of Nicaragua. The tobacco from Nicaragua is mostly known for its flavor profile that has power and a great spiciness to it. If you dig around some of the great cigars of Nicaraguan origin, you'll find that their roots stem from Cuba. Some of these brands are Perdomo, Padron, and My Father.

Dominican Republic - Even though Cuba holds the reputation of original premium maker of cigars, it is interesting to note that the Dominican Republic were the first to cultivate tobacco to produce cigars. The tobacco produced here is known for its distinct smooth and light flavor; however, over the recent times they have been growing different strands that pack flavors that are extraordinarily powerful. The Dominican Republic has some truly amazing brands like – La Flor Dominicana, the Dominican Montecristo, and Arturo Fuente.

Ecuador – This country is relatively new to the scene of cigar production. And this ‘newness' is hardly new, but when it is compared with Cuban Partagas celebrating their 170th and 180th type of birthdays, many consider Ecuador new. However, even without a long history in this field, Ecuador has successfully produced cigars of great value in the market. The country's cloud cover paired with its humidity creates the perfect growing conditions to produce spicy and delicious cigar wrappers. The Habano wrapper from Ecuador has been used on Montecristo, Rocky Patel, My Father, and Tatuaje.

Honduras – Some of the really powerful and rich tobacco comes from Honduras. The cigars produced here are famed for being dark and strong, with amazing earthy tones to the favor. Corojo tobacco, the famous Cuban seed, was grown here first after departing from its origin – Cuba. The claim to be one of the finest cigars from Honduras has been rightfully laid by Camacho; there are also newer manufacturers that are rapidly climbing up the charts, some of them are – CLE, and Room 101.

Mexico – For years the tobacco produced in Mexico has been used in the manufacturing of premium cigars. If anyone is familiar with the old style Te-Amo – there you go. But yes, over the recent years some great and dark Maduro wrappers are being produced in Mexico. When it comes to Maduro of high quality, the Mexican San Andres is up there next to the Connecticut broadleaf. It’s been used in the making of cigars like Jericho Hill by the Crowned Heads, Norteno by Drew Estate, and San Lotano Maduro, to name a few.

United States of America – Yes, the U.S. is renowned for the creamy and mild Connecticut wrapper. And this is the wrapper that is used on nearly every cigar that is mild, along with a variation that is produced in Ecuador is also garnering fame. However, over the recent past, the U.S. has also been growing some more flavorful and richer cigar tobaccos. You have the Drew Estate’s Kentucky Fire that is made from using Fire Cured tobaccos that have been homegrown, and this method of curing lends its flavor some real smokiness. Then there’s also Camacho American Barrel Aged, and it used the American broadleaf along with a hint of the Pennsylvanian long filler.

Brazil – One term that is bound to strike someone’s mind the moment Brazilian tobacco is mentioned is – power. Not only is it extremely dark and strong, but even its flavor profile has a rich darkness to it. Its use in the making of the CAO Brazila shot it to fame, but over recent times, Brazilian tobacco has successfully paved its path to other smokes of great stature like the Davidoff Escurio, and the Liga Privada No. 9.

Cameroon - Yes, the African Continent has also etched its mark on the world of cigars. Anyone who has ever smoked a Rocky Patel, Partagas, or Fuente – it is possible they ended up trying the tobacco that is grown in the small country of Cameroon. The wrapper grown in Cameroon has become famous all over the world and there are two reasons behind it – its great flavor and toothy appearance, and the difficulty in acquiring it. There is a family called the Meerapfel that generally go in to get the Cameroon wrapper. The country is rather dangerous and just one journey to the fields is laced with peril. But when someone smokes a Fuente 8-5-8, they can tell that all of those efforts are totally worth it.

Jamaica – Following the Cuban embargo, the cigar market started flowing with various nations attempting to fill this void. At that time, Jamaica emerged as a major player. In fact, the Macanudo line's original producer was the island of Jamaica; they were also the first to make Partagas outside the island of Cuba. It was generally known for its sweet and very mild tobacco and the Royal Jamaican turned into one of their signature products. Unfortunately, following 1988, after the devastating tragedy of Hurricane Gilbert, the country's tobacco industry was almost obliterated. Ever since it has taken Jamaica's tobacco industry a long time to get back on its feet, but over recent times, there have been more and more manufacturers and brands that have been using Jamaican tobacco. In fact, Macanudo made a limited release that was primarily crafted using Jamaican long filler, which was excellent.