Handmade Cigar Imports Gain In Latest Report
Once again, handmade cigar shipments are on the rise. The latest data, released this morning by the Cigar Association of America, showed a 4.6 percent gain for , handmade cigar imports to the United States through October, to 362.8 million cigars, compared to 346.8 million for the same period in 2023.
The gain was even larger than the 3.8 percent increase reported for September.
Market leader Nicaragua had a 3.5 percent increase in its shipments, to 210.9 million cigars, but the big news is the 13.6 percent gain by the Dominican Republic. Dominican cigar shipments rose to 94.2 million cigars, compared to 82.9 million for the first 10 months of 2023.
Where The Top Scorers Are Made
In Millions Of Cigars
| Country | Oct. 2023 | Oct. 2024 | Change |
| Nicaragua | 203.8 | 210.9 | 3.50% |
| Dom. Rep. | 82.9 | 94.2 | 13.60% |
| Honduras | 58.6 | 54.7 | -6.70% |
| Costa Rica | 1.1 | 2.3 | 109.30% |
| Other | 0.4 | 0.7 | 75.00% |
| Total | 346.8 | 362.8 | 4.60% |
Honduras, the third of the so-called “Big Three” cigar producers for the American cigar market, had a drop in shipments, slipping to 54.7 million, down 6.7 percent from 2023.
Normally, we don’t look at the smallest cigar-producing countries, which for a tiny portion of shipments, but it’s notable that Costa Rican shipments of cigars more than doubled, to 2.3 million cigars. Still, Costa Rica is a marginal producer, ing for less than one percent of the cigars shipped to the United States.
With only two months of 2024 data left to report, the big question is whether the year will end with a gain. In 2023, there was a marginal increase in shipments, 0.7 percent, the fourth consecutive year with a gain and the third year in a row where cigar imports exceeded 400 million cigars.
