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The US
premium cigar import market was led for more than three decades by the
Dominican Republic, but, according to figures from the Cigar Association of
America (CAA), that situation changed five years ago.
Indeed, in
2016 Nicaraguan cigars began to lead the ranking of purchases in the US,
displacing the Caribbean country from the first place. That year, almost 42% of
the 322.3 million cigars imported by the United States corresponded to
Nicaraguan cigars, leaving the Dominican Republic with less than 36% of the
market.
In 2017 the
proportion rose to 45% and the following two years continued to increase until,
in 2020, according to available figures, it reached almost 52% of the 360
??million premium cigars that the United States bought; the remaining 48% of
the market was divided between the Dominican Republic with 28% and Honduras
with 20%.
In summary,
from 2016 to the present, the US market went from buying 42% of Nicaraguan
premium cigars to 52%; clear evidence of how leadership changed hands.
How did
this change come about?
Obviously,
this new leadership is based on the very high quality of the premium cigars
that are being produced in Nicaragua, a country that by the year 2000 was not
among the three main producers of cigars in the world. Quality that is based,
without doubt, on the availability of a soil very rich in nutrients and
minerals, typical of its volcanic orography and full of lakes, and in its
condition of a tropical country, with a lot of sunlight and climatic stability
in terms of temperature and rainfall.
But beyond
these conditions, there has been the determination of Nicaraguan producers to
improve the infrastructure, technology and knowledge of the tobacco companies.
The main motivation for the large investments made over several years has been
to achieve a technological development that allows them to grow a leaf with a
flavor, aroma and complexity superior to that of any other leaf in the world.
A clear
example of the quality of Nicaraguan cigars is that for at least five years
they have been appearing in the Top 25 of some specialized publications such as
Cigar Aficionado and Cigar Journal, even reaching number one on some occasions.
An element
of vital importance in the growing popularity of Nicaraguan cigars has to do
with an extraordinary quality-price ratio, a product of the large number of
existing companies in that country and the strong competition between them.
Currently, about 40,000 Nicaraguan families live directly from tobacco, to
which are added some 200,000 who live from the complementary industry. They are
grouped into just over 60 companies that are dedicated to the production of
premium cigars, of which only 25 represent 95% of exports.
Beyond the
fact that the different areas where the leaves are grown give them different
flavors and aromas, the Nicaraguan cigar is highly valued by experts because
"it has character in flavor, strength and body", in addition to its
characteristic spicy notes that give it a special sweetness.
Although
for now, the US market is its major buyer, Nicaragua exports tobacco to 96
countries around the world and has proposed to continue growing in quantity and
quality in order to enter the European and Asian markets with greater impetus.
It seems to have the necessary quality to achieve it.
