Top-Selling Cigars in the USA
To the general public, the mere mention of cigars means Cuban cigars. While Cuban cigars possess an aurora of the “forbidden,” due to the decades-old trade embargo, cigars sold in the U.S. surpass sales of Cubans sold around the globe by leaps and bounds. That’s because America is home to the biggest number of premium cigar consumers in the world.
Following the Cuban trade embargo, the cigar industry in the U.S. went through a period of reinvention, mediocrity, and recovery as the families who made premium Cuban cigars fled the island and started over from scratch in other Caribbean and Central American nations. Many struggled at first as they discovered, by trial and error, new areas to plant and grow their premium Cuban-seed tobaccos and how to re-establish new brands in the U.S.
The persistence of cigar-makers like Carlos Fuente Sr. and José Orlando Padrón and their sons, Carlito Fuente and Jorge Padrón, led to the emergence of the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua as the most prominent tobacco-growing and cigar-producing countries today. Since the Cigar Boom of the 1990s, the U.S. has blossomed into a robust market for the finest cigars in the world. Here are the 10 top-selling cigars in the USA today.
1. Ashton Classic
There are a handful of brands that are practically a requirement for all premium cigar retailers to carry. If you don’t have them, customers will go elsewhere for their cigars. Ashton Classic is in that group. A golden-blond Connecticut Shade wrapper leaf embraces a premium aged interior of the finest Dominican tobaccos blended by cigar-making legend Carlito Fuente. Silky notes of cashews, cedar, and coffee with cream bless the palate with a touch of signature Dominican spices in a collection of traditional shapes. Taste why Ashton is one of the top cigar brands today.
2. Arturo Fuente Hemingway
A cigar that has contributed much to the Fuente family’s immense success is Arturo Fuente Hemingway. The blend has been on store shelves since the 1970s and it is still considered an innovative cigar today, thanks to its glistening Cameroon wrapper leaf and the artful, bulbous Figurados the cigars are rolled in. Sizes like the Short Story and Signature are icons on store shelves. Tasting notes of coffee beans, cedar, nuts, and baking spices mesmerize the senses of both new and seasoned cigar lovers every day. Hemingway is a major cornerstone in today’s portfolio of Arturo Fuente cigars.
3. La Aroma de Cuba
Master cigar-maker José Pepin Garcia and his family departed Cuba beginning in the late 1990s to embark upon a new chapter as makers of premium cigars in Nicaragua. Their journey has led to great success as the blenders behind top-rated Cuban-legacy cigars like La Aroma de Cuba. A Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper cradles a vintage blend of premium Nicaraguan long-fillers in several classic shapes. Sweet and spicy notes of cocoa, wood, black pepper, and molasses layer the palate with dense but balanced taste and aroma.
4. Oliva Serie V
Oliva’s surge in popularity has enjoyed a steady course since the early 2000s, but the cigar that really captivated cigar lovers first is Oliva Serie V. The meaty and intense profile of wood, cayenne pepper, leather, and spices became a hit before the brand scored its first ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ ranking for Oliva Serie V Melanio in 2014. The 95-rated Serie V deserves as much attention for its complex, zesty flavor in a collection of traditional and bigger ring gauge shapes. An oily Cuban-seed wrapper grown in Ecuador conceals a brawny blend of Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos.
5. Padrón 1964 Anniversary
The prestigious reputation of Padrón as a premium brand embodies the American dream and the legacy of José Orlando Padrón who built his company from scratch in Nicaragua after Castro’s regime confiscated his family’s tobacco farms in Cuba. Demand for Padrón cigars excelled dramatically when the company released its top-rated Padrón 1964 Anniversary blend in 1994 to commemorate their 30th anniversary. The all-Nicaraguan blend was extremely limited at first but is a benchmark in the company’s portfolio today. A celebrated collection of sharp box-pressed shapes delivers rich-tasting notes of cocoa, cedar, cayenne, and baking spices with a zesty and sweet finish. It’s available in both Natural and Maduro wrappers.
6. My Father Le Bijou 1922
In 2015, talented father-and-son cigar-makers José ‘Pepin’ Garcia and Jaime Garcia scored their second ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ title from Cigar Aficionado with a strong, 97-rated box-pressed Torpedo, in the My Father Le Bijou 1922 line. A shimmering Cuban-seed wrapper leaf marries a bold blend of earthy Nicaraguan long-fillers aged to perfection. Sharp notes of black pepper, leather, and espresso beans command the palate in a handful of flawless shapes. While Le Bijou isn’t for the faint of the heart, it’s intoxicating taste is a bestselling profile worth trying – after dinner, of course.
7. San Cristobal Elegancia
Bask in mellow, nutty, and perfectly balanced taste from premium Nicaragua binder and fillers blended under a silky Ecuador Connecticut wrapper leaf created by Pepin Garcia. Tasting notes of almonds, white pepper, buttered toast, and cocoa precede a creamy finish with velvety spices in six popular shapes. San Cristobal Elegancia is an excellent introduction to Nicaraguan tobaccos for newer cigar lovers as well as a mainstay for aficionados with an advanced palate.
8. Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne
Brand founder Nick Perdomo has built a reputation for making high-quality cigars at an uncompromising value. Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne is the number one bestselling cigar in his collection. A glistening Ecuador Habano wrapper embraces well-aged Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos grown on select Perdomo estates. Nutty notes of pepper, toast, and cocoa cloak the palate with creamy, easygoing flavor and aroma. Because the blend possesses a versatile profile you can pair with a light beer or a bourbon, it appeals to cigar lovers everywhere.
9. Macanudo Cafe
It’s tough to ignore Macanudo Cafe in any discussion of the most popular cigars in America. The iconic blend is handmade in the Dominican Republic from a Connecticut Shade wrapper and a mild and pleasant interior of premium Dominican long-fillers. Tasting notes of almonds, coffee with cream, and cedar reveal mellow spices in every puff. Because Macanudo can be found in almost every premium retailer from coast to coast, as well convenience stores and gas stations, it’s been the official first cigar of countless aficionados for decades.
10. Nub Connecticut
Nub Connecticut combines the insane popularity of short fat cigar shapes with an approachable blend of premium Nicaraguan tobaccos beneath a silky Ecuador Connecticut wrapper leaf. Notes of cedar, cashews, macadamia nuts, and white pepper provide a creamy and cool foundation in chunky, compact sizes that have proven to be far more than a passing fad over the past decade. An entire contingent of serious cigar connoisseurs swears their allegiance to the curious and striking shape of Nub cigars. The brand is handmade at the Oliva factory in Esteli, Nicaragua to the company’s award-winning standards for quality and consistency.
