Cigar Imports Continue To Grow, But At Slower Pace
Premium cigar shipments to the United States continue their upward trend, but the latest figures from the Cigar Association of America revealed far less robust growth than in previous months. Shipments for October 2021 were 42.8 million cigars, an increase of 3.7 percent over October 2020. This was the first month all year with an increase in the single digits, and was, by far, the smallest gain of 2021.
Regardless, 2021 has been a phenomenal year for cigar shipments. Through October, the United States imported 381 million handmade, premium cigars, an increase of nearly 37 percent over 2020 numbers through October. With two months of reporting left to come, exceeding 400 million cigars for 2021 is virtually guaranteed. The U.S. has not reached the 400 million mark for premium cigars since the boom days of the 1990s.
Premium cigar production for the U.S. market remains a story of three countries: Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Honduras. Nicaragua remains entrenched in first place, with 52.5 percent of the market, Dominican shipments rank second, with 28.9 percent, and Honduras ranks third with 18.2 percent. The top three producers account for roughly 99.6 percent of the premium, handmade cigars that are exported to the United States.
