Earlier this year, the headlines on U.S. cigar imports sounded gloomy. Then the rest of the summer’s numbers came in, and the story changed. The total market has leveled off, but one trend has held all year: Honduras keeps gaining ground, while Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic hold steady or slip. Here’s what the import data actually says, where the early “cooling” reading came from, and what it means for your humidor and your local shop.
The spring dip: down 5 percent through April
In June, Cigar Aficionado reported that the U.S. imported 119.4 million premium handmade cigars in the first four months of 2026, 5 percent fewer than in the same stretch of 2025. That followed a first-quarter report showing a 3 percent drop from Q1 2025. The numbers come from the Cigar Association of America (CAA).
Inside that total, Nicaragua, the clear No. 1, shipped 74.6 million cigars, down 10 percent. The surprise was Honduras: it was up 14 percent to 22.9 million cigars, which put it at No. 2 in volume. The Dominican Republic slipped 4 percent to 20.2 million and fell to No. 3. One important footnote from Cigar Aficionado: the Dominican figure was a CAA estimate, unlike the other countries’ numbers.
The update: the market flattened out
If you stopped reading in June, you missed the next chapter. Each monthly report since then has looked steadier:
- Through May: 158.4 million cigars, down 2 percent from 162.2 million. Honduras was up 16 percent to 30.7 million, and the Dominican Republic was back ahead of it at 28.4 million (down 11 percent). (Cigar Aficionado)
- Through June: 199.5 million, essentially even with 200.5 million in the first half of 2025. Honduras was up 10 percent to 37.5 million, just behind the Dominican Republic at 38 million. (Cigar Aficionado)
- Through July: 242.8 million, up 0.5 percent. Honduras was up more than 11 percent, the only major producer showing a gain. (Cigar Aficionado)
- Through August (the latest data, reported Nov. 3): 282.2 million, up 0.6 percent from 280.6 million. (Cigar Aficionado)
Here’s the August picture by country. Nicaragua was flat at 168.7 million cigars, just under 60 percent of the total. The Dominican Republic was No. 2 at 57.3 million, down 6.3 percent. Honduras was No. 3 at 53.3 million, up 11.4 percent from 47.9 million. Every other country combined, led by Costa Rica, came to 2.9 million cigars, about 1 percent of imports.
So the honest headline isn’t “imports keep cooling.” It’s this: the spring dip faded, the market is about flat for the year, and Honduras is the one big producer growing. Honduras held the No. 2 spot through April. Since May, the Dominican Republic has been back on top, though only by about 4 million cigars through August.
A quick reality check on import numbers
Imports are not sales. Cigar Aficionado points out that a cigar brought into the country isn’t necessarily a cigar sold. But more than 99 percent of premium handmade cigars are made outside the U.S., so imports are still the best gauge of how the market is doing. The CAA’s figures are also estimates of which “large cigars” count as premium, not an exact count, and as we noted above, the early Dominican numbers were explicitly estimated. One reading of a single month is a snapshot. The trend over several months is what matters.
It also helps to keep the big picture in mind. The U.S. imported 429.8 million premium cigars in 2025, about the same as in 2024. That was the fifth straight year at or above 400 million, compared with 338 million in 2019. A flat year at that level is still a very large market.
The Cigar Guys take: what this means for smokers and shops
Honduras is having a moment, and you can see it in the humidor. Double-digit growth in a flat market means more Honduran cigars are reaching U.S. shelves. Producers keep putting projects there, too. Plasencia made its 2027 zodiac cigar the first in that series rolled in Honduras (our coverage of El Año de la Cabra), and the country is launching its first cigar festival, La Gran Cata, in January. If you’ve been sticking with Nicaraguan cigars, a Honduran puro or a cigar with Jamastrán Valley tobacco in the blend is an easy way to try something different on your next tasting night.
Nicaragua isn’t going anywhere. Nearly six of every ten premium cigars brought into the U.S. still come from Nicaragua. The steep 10 percent drop through April turned into a flat year by August. The spring numbers looked like a soft patch, not a collapse, and Estelí-made cigars remain the backbone of most walk-in humidors.
The Dominican Republic is worth watching. Through August, it was the only one of the Big Three still down by a meaningful amount, at 6.3 percent. Because some of its early-year numbers were estimates, we’d hold off on big conclusions. Still, if Honduras keeps growing at this pace and Dominican shipments stay soft, the race for No. 2 for the full year could be close.
For shops, it’s about balance, not panic. Cigar Aficionado’s reporting doesn’t quote retailers on this. But with Honduras growing, Nicaragua flat and the Dominican Republic down, it’s reasonable to expect shops to rethink how much shelf space each country gets. A humidor that’s 80 percent Nicaraguan may start to look a bit different. For customers, that should mean more variety, not less.
We’ll keep watching the monthly CAA numbers as they come in and update you when the full-year 2026 picture is clear. Are you smoking more Honduran cigars this year? Tell us in the comments or on the podcast.
Sources: Cigar Aficionado import reports from June 29, July 28, Sept. 14, Oct. 2 and Nov. 3, 2026, based on Cigar Association of America data. Chart built by The Cigar Guys from those published figures.
