Cigar Imports

From 2021-2023, cigar companies imported what previously amounted to four years worth of premium cigars in just three years.

It seems possible that 2023 might actually beat out the record-setting number of premium cigars imported to the U.S. in 2022.

There were 46.6 million premium cigars imported to the U.S. in August, a drop of 3.5 percent compared to last year.

The CAA’s latest report shows imports aren’t keeping pace with the record year of 2022, but they are still incredibly strong compared to pre-COVID-19 levels.

While imports were down 8.8 percent from the record-setting pace set last year, 2023 has been noticeably stronger compared to where the cigar market was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Total imports to the EU were up 29.97 percent compared to 2021. For the first time, Nicaragua exported more cigars and cigarillos to EU member countries than Cuba did.

There were 464.54 million premium cigars imported into the U.S. in 2022, a record-setting year. That increase is largely due to one country: Nicaragua.

Imports from the Dominican Republic and Honduras are more or less flat through the end of August 2022 but Nicaragua continues to grow.

While the import numbers remain strong overall, May 2022 failed to beat 2021, dropping 4.25 percent largely due to the Dominican Republic’s exports to the U.S.

A 10.3 percent increase in exports of Nicaraguan cigars to the U.S. is fueling an even stronger year of cigar imports.

Despite a more than 40 percent decline in imports of Dominican cigars, the import numbers for January 2022 are up compared to last year.