Latest Import Figures Show A Flat Market
The latest imports of handmade, premium cigars to the United States show a largely flat market. Imports through May were down 2 percent over the same period in 2025, according to data just released by the Cigar Association of America.
While cigars are rolled in many countries around the world, only three really play a role in the American market: Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Honduras. Shipments from the first two countries on that list were down through May, while shipments from Honduras were up.
Nicaragua, the No. 1 producer of cigars in the world, shipped 97.6 million premium cigars to the United States for the first five months of 2026, four percent fewer than the 102.2 million shipped in the same period last year.
The Dominican Republic’s shipments were down 11 percent, to 28.4 million cigars.
Honduras had shipments of 30.7 million cigars through May, up 16 percent from the same period last year.
The United States has imported 158.4 million premium cigars through May, compared to 162.2 million last year.
For all of 2025, the United States imported 429.8 million premium cigars, a number that was essentially equal to the amount imported in 2024. It was the fifth year in a row that imports reached or exceeded 400 million units, an impressive number.
With more than half a year’s worth of data left unrecorded, it’s far too early to draw conclusions about the overall performance of 2026.
