Best Cigars: It’s Not Just Havanas

Staff Report

Where the best cigars come from is a long-debated topic amongst cigar connoisseurs. Many swear by Cuban cigars as the gold standard of all cigars. Others say that while they are of excellent quality, Cuban cigars are not necessarily the best and that rather it was the scarcity and mystique surrounding Cuban cigars because of the US embargo against Cuba. For these cigar aficionados, cigars from other countries can be just as good, or even better, Cuban cigars.

Cuba enjoyed a monopoly on premium cigar tobacco, largely due to the fact that premium tobacco was not cultivated elsewhere, up until 1960. It was only after that when the effects of the country’s political unrest caused many of Cuba’s most respected tobacco growers and cigar masters to flee Cuba that premium tobacco was cultivated in other countries, such as the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Dominican Cigars

One of the countries that has long enjoyed the reputation of being a top producer of excellent cigars is the Dominican Republic. The country is actually the world’s largest producer of cigars with its 210 million hand-rolled cigars and has over 600,000 acres of tobacco fields. Tobacco is native to this Caribbean country and has always been a major driving force of its economy. Dominican tobacco was traditionally more often used for cigarettes until after the 1950s, when political unrest in Cuba led to the tobacco industry there to be nationalized, thus driving many of the Cuban tobacco families to neighboring Dominican Republic.

The primary source for Dominican tobacco is the Cibao Valley, a rich and fertile area between the Cordillera Septontrional mountain range to the north and the Cordillera Central mountain range to the south which lies between two mountain ranges. The country’s richest and deepest topsoil is found here in this valley northwest of Santiago and as such most of the black tobacco for cigar production is grown here.

Many major Dominican cigar producers have factories in Santiago, including Davidoff, La Flor Dominicana, La Gloria Cubana, La Aurora, Leon Jimenes, Cojimar, Montecristo, and Arturo Fuente. Dominican cigars, usually much milder than Havanas, have become known internationally for the greater variety of flavors, aromas, and colors than Cuban cigars. Some of the best-known Dominican brands are Santa Damiana, La Aurora, and Macanudo.

Considered one of the most heralded Dominican cigar is the Arturo Fuente Opus X, launched in 1992.  The Opus X is the first Dominican cigar that is a puro, made from 100% Dominican tobacco.  Historically, Dominican tobacco did not work well as a wrapper leaf, but Arturo Fuente grew a successful crop, which led to the Opus X.

Dominican cigar manufacturers convened this February at the Procigar Festival 2017, now in its 10th year. Procigar, established in 1992, is an association of the most traditional and experienced cigar manufacturers in the Dominican Republic. During a press conference at the event, Quesada Cigars’ Manuel “Manolo” Quesada, Jr. said that this year’s crop will be of outstanding quality, the fields are looking excellent, and is forecasting a wonderful crop again at the end of the season with “some good things coming down the road.” 

At the same press event, Hamlet Espinal, general manager, Tabadom Holding, Inc., shared good news on international sales, claiming that although the total sales of premium cigars in 2016 were flat, a more than 5% decrease in European sales was offset by an increase in the US and global duty free sales.  Sales in Asia were also increased by approximately 5%.

Honduran Cigars

Another country that benefited hugely from Cuba’s political unrest was Honduras. While the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua are leading in cigar production, Honduras comes in third place and is considered to be the fast-growing sleeper of the cigar world as its production jumped 6% in 2015 to almost 68 million units.

Historically, Honduras has been a tobacco hub since at least 1765.  When Spanish conquistadors conquered and colonized the country in the 16th century, they found that the wild tobacco growing in the river valleys would yield great riches. Promises of great riches from tobacco were used by the Spanish crown to lure settlers.  The wild tobacco found in the northwestern and western regions of Honduras is called copaneco.

Areas famous for tobacco cultivation and cigar manufacturing include the Copan region, Danli, Jamastran, and the Talanga Valley.  The area around Danli in El Paraiso is the capital of the cigar business in the country.  Today much of the tobacco growth and Honduran cigar production takes place in the southern region in and around Danli and in the Jamastran Valley.

Cigar tobacco grown in Honduras today are mostly Cuban seed. Because of this it is often hard for most smokers to distinguish between a Honduran cigar and a Cuban one. Both Cuban criollo and shade grown corojo are cultivated for their strong heady flavor, and both require careful fermentation and curing to mellow the tobacco. Connecticut shade or Honduran shade is also grown for wrapper, sometimes called “Honduran Shade.”

Honduran cigars are widely popular and are known to be some of the strongest cigars in the world, usually stronger than Dominican or Nicaraguan cigars. However, there are a range of milder Honduran cigars.

One of the most famous Honduran cigars, the Camacho Corojo, was born out of the Cuban political unrest. The Eiroa family took their vast knowledge and experience in growing and producing world-class cigars, as well as seed tobacco from their family farm in Cuba, to Honduras and began producing Honduran cigars. 

Some other noteworthy Honduran cigars include Rocky Patel’s  RP 1990, RP 1992, RP Sun Grown, Olde World Reserve, the Edge, and the RP Gran Habano; Punch Honduran Cigars’ Gran Puro, Gran Cru, Punch Deluxe, and the Rare Gran Corojo;  Carlos Torano’s Casa Torano, Baccarat, Casa Magna Oscuro, CAO, Don Jose, Don Lino, Don Mateo, Don Tomas, Excalibur, Flor de Copan, Gispert, Hoyo de Monterrey, Indian Tabac, Puros Indios, Rafael Gonzalez, Saint Luis Rey, Sancho Panza, Santa Rosa, and Zino.