Top 10 Countries That Grow Cigar Tobacco

August 26, 2015

  1. Cuba– Cuba is probably the most famous cigar producing country in the world. Its tobacco is renowned for its flavor and high quality.  Although it has been banned in the United States for more than half a century, it still has the reputation for making the best cigars in the world.  Some famous brands crafted here include the original versions of Montecristo, Partagas, H. Upmann, and Cohiba
  2. Dominican Republic- Although Cuba has the reputation has the original premium cigar maker, it was the Dominican Republic that first cultivated tobacco for cigars. It is known for its light and smooth flavor, but recently different strands have been grown that have been incredibly powerful.  The Dominican has produced some amazing brands such as Arturo Fuente, the Dominican Montecristo, and La Flor Dominicana.
  3. Nicaragua- After the Cuban revolution, many of the finest cigar rollers left Cuba and many of them settled in the lush, humid nation of Nicaragua. Its tobacco is know for its power and great spicy flavor profile.  If you look at some of the great Nicaraguan cigars, you will see that they had their roots in Cuba.   These brands include Padron, My Father, and Perdomo.
  4. Honduras- Honduras is home to some very rich and powerful tobacco. Cigars here are known to be strong and dark, with a great earthy flavor to them.  The famed Cuban seed Corojo tobacco was first grown here after leaving the island of Cuba.  Camacho has laid its claim as one of the finest Honduran cigars, with newer companies Room 101 and CLE quickly rising up the charts.
  5. Ecuador- Ecuador is relatively new to the cigar scene, and by new I mean about 10-15 years. That doesn’t seem new to us, but with the Cuban Partagas recently celebrating its 170th birthday, Ecuador is still a baby.  Yet, in that time, it has produced some great cigars.  Its humidity and usual cloud cover is perfect for making delicious and spicy cigar wrapper.  The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper has been used on Tatuaje, Montecristo, My Father and Rocky Patel.
  6. Mexico- Mexican tobacco has been used in premium cigars for years.  If anyone remembers the old fashioned Te-Amo, well there you go.  However, recently, Mexico has been producing some great dark Maduro wrappers.  Known as the Mexican San Andres, it is right up there with Connecticut broadleaf in terms of high quality maduro.   It as been used on such cigars as the San Lotano Maduro, the Crowned Heads Jericho Hill, the Drew Estate Norteno, and even our own private label, the Black Abyss.
  7. Brazil- When describing Brazilian tobacco, only one word comes to mind: power.  It is an insanely strong and dark tobacco and has a rich dark flavor profile.  It has been made famous by its use on the CAO Brazlia, but recently has found its way into other great smokes such as the Liga Privada No. 9 and the brand new Davidoff Escurio.
  8. USA- Yes, the United States is famous for the mild and creamy Connecticut wrapper. This is the wrapper used on every mild cigar, with a variation grown in Ecuador gaining popularity.  However, The U.S. has recently been producing some richer and more flavorful cigar tobaccos.  First you have the Kentucky Fire Cured by Drew Estate, which uses homegrown Fire Cured tobaccos, giving it a very smoky flavor.  More current was the release of the Camacho American Barrel Aged, which uses American broadleaf tobacco, and a dash of Pennsylvanian long filler.
  9. Jamaica- After the Cuban embargo, the market became filled with various countries trying to fill the void. A major player at that time was the island of Jamaica.  Jamaica was the original producer of the Macanudo line and made the first Partagas cigars outside of Cuba.   It was known for its very mild and sweet tobacco.  The Royal Jamaican became one of its signature products.  However, after the devastating Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, the nation’s tobacco industry was nearly destroyed.  It has taken them a long time to recover, but recently, we are starting to see more and more brands using Jamaican tobacco.  Macanudo just came out with a limited release that was crafted with Jamaican long filler, and it was outstanding.
  10. Cameroon- Even the African Continent has put its mark on the cigar world.  If you have ever smoked a Fuente, a Rocky Patel, or a Partagas, chances are you have tried the tobacco grown in the small nation of Cameroon.  The Cameroon wrapper has become world famous not only for its toothy appearance and great flavor, but also the difficulty in actually getting it.  The Meerapfel family are usually the go to in order to acquire Cameroon wrapper.  The nation is quite dangerous and the journey to the fields is fraught with peril.. Yet when you smoke a Fuente 8-5-8, you can tell that it is absolutely worth it.

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