2023 Cigar Retailer Survey: The Hottest Brands In America
We asked and they answered. Cigar Insider—the twice monthly newsletter from Cigar Aficionado—polled 81 tobacconists representing 291 stores across the United States, and according to their feedback, the hottest brand in America comes from Arturo Fuente Cigar Co.: the Fuente Fuente OpusX. But our survey didn’t stop there. We also asked cigar shop owners about their best-selling brands by volume.
Tobacconists around the country were asked to name three brands as their hottest—the cigar brands requested most often by consumers. Hot brands, however, are not necessarily best-sellers, as they aren’t always in stock, so this represents consumer demand, not sales volume. According to the survey, the best-selling brand by volume in these high-end, American cigar shops is, unsurprisingly, Padrón. The choice of Fuente Fuente OpusX as the hottest brand is equally unsurprising.
Surrounded by mystique since the day it was released, the perennially back-ordered OpusX took the No. 1 spot, named by 34.6 percent of retailers as their hottest brand. The top-scoring smoke has been in high demand since it was launched in 1995 as a more upscale (and more expensive) Fuente. Its Cuban-seed wrapper is grown at Chateau de la Fuente in the Dominican Republic, and this all-Dominican cigar was released with a full-bodied blend before strong cigars were in vogue. For many years, they were also exceedingly difficult to find and highly allocated. Some shops limited sales of OpusX to only two singles per customer. Brand owner Carlos Fuente Jr. has since expanded the OpusX series by introducing additional blends to the line, so they are more accessible than they were in the 90s, but they remain a very hot brand with unmistakable intrigue. They also are critically acclaimed, with high scores in Cigar Aficionado and Cigar Insider blind taste tastings.
Arturo Fuente as a whole was ranked as second hottest brand (29.6 percent) with many respondents naming cigars such as the Hemingway and Chateau Fuente series. With its Cameroon wrappers and distinctive perfecto size, the Hemingway series is largely credited with bringing back the double-tapered figurado and making it mainstream again. The Short Story is one of the most sought-after sizes in the line. It’s by no means an inexpensive cigar, unlike the Chateau Series, which is far less expensive and delivers great value.
In third place among hot brands was Padrón. This Nicaraguan brand exemplifies consistency as Padrón is the record holder for Cigar of the Year and has a highly impressive series of high scores in the magazine. The company offers everything from its reasonably priced core line (casually known as the “brown label’) to its pricier, more aged brands such as the Serie 1926 and Family Reserve, both of which have been named Cigar of the Year over the last two decades.
Known for its elegant white bands—and black bands later on—Davidoff ranked as the fourth hottest brand in America. Made in the Dominican Republic, Davidoff cigars tended to skew mild up until 10 years ago when the Swiss company introduced its Davidoff Nicaragua Series, which came adorned in a black label. Davidoff took hearty, Nicaraguan tobaccos and made a blend with its signature elegance. The results were a success and the Diadema size was named Cigar Aficionado’s No. 3 cigar of 2022.
Two cigars tied for fifth place, and both of them have been named Cigar of the Year. The La Flor Dominicana Andalusian Bull is made by Litto Gomez and the imposing figurado has been in strong demand since being named Cigar of the Year in 2016. It tied with the Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series as the fifth hottest brand. The Torpedo size from that line was 2021’s Cigar of the Year.
Tying for the No. 7 spot were Liga Privada and Romeo y Julieta, named by 11.1 percent of retailers as the seventh hottest cigar brand. Made in both Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, Romeos come in many different blends and continue to be the best-selling brand of Altadis U.S.A. Liga Privada is made in Nicaragua by Drew Estate, a company owned by Swisher International. The cigar is often back-ordered due to its loyal following and has always been a full-bodied smoke.
The My Father brand ranked No. 9 and the Rocky Patel brands came in tenth.
In our best-selling brands list, the No. 1 spot goes to Padrón, which was named by 48 percent of retailers as the brand they sell the most of by volume. One of the industry’s quintessential Nicaraguan cigars, Padróns consist of tobaccos grown out in the open sun, which results in thicker, stronger leaves. But there’s something for everyone in the Padrón portfolio. The Dámaso line is on the milder side; the core line is a bargain; and brands like the 1964 Anniversary Series and Family Reserve are made with some of the company’s oldest tobaccos.
Fuente took a close second at 44.4 percent. Two cigars tied for the No. 3 spot: Davidoff and Oliva, with 22 percent of retailers naming these as their best-selling brands. My Father ranked fifth. Perdomo ranked sixth; Ashton and La Flor Dominicana tied for No. 8, leaving Romeo y Julieta in the tenth spot.
Although the rankings for the best-selling cigars and hottest cigars differ, you’ll notice that they largely include the same players, and this is not surprising. Visits to many of these factories by Cigar Aficionado earlier this year showed that the operations were running at maximum capacity.
Cigar retailers had more to say. Be sure to see upcoming stories for more of our Insider survey results.
