The world’s most famous cigars come from Cuba, Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. But to the surprise of many cigar aficionados, there are also good cigar brands that are manufactured in the U.S. Some states, such as Connecticut, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Florida, grow some of the most sought-after leaves in the world.
The most well-known U.S. brands are machine-made, such as Backwoods, Swisher Sweets, and Black & Mild, but there are also handmade cigars rolled right in Miami, Florida. Great cigar makers like Don Pepin, George Rico, and Ernesto Padilla produce small-batch handmade cigars on American soil. For Valley of the Sun residents, these brands are available at our Phoenix cigar shop.
This July, celebrate Independence Day by lighting up some “made in the U.S.A.” cigars while bonding with friends at our Phoenix cigar lounge. Here are some of the best cigars produced in the U.S.:
- Casa Fernandez Miami – This cigar starts with the highest grade of leaves from the Jalapa and Condega Valleys in Nicaragua. It sports a medium to full-bodied flavor profile, with bold notes of pepper, cedar, and sweet spice that offer a long and lingering finish to make you come back for more. The master blender Eduardo Fernandez produces this cigar.
- George Rico Miami S.T.K. American Puro – This American puro is the first release of George Rico from his George Rico S.T.K. Miami line. The handmade cigars burn red, white, and blue—perfect for Independence Day. The cigar is made using wrapper leafs from Connecticut and binder and fillers from Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Connecticut. The cigar boasts a bouquet that features notes of vanilla and molasses with a slight hint of spice.
- El Primer Mundo Red Label – A brainchild of Sean Williams, El Primer Mundo is produced by Titan de Bronze factory in Miami, Florida. It uses Cuban-seed Criollo Maduro wrapper leaf that is ultra-fermented and gives notes of dark chocolate, black coffee, and pepper. The fillers come from the Jalapa Valley of Nicaragua and the Jamastran Valley of Honduras.
Due to these cigars’ foreign-sounding names, many people fail to notice that they are made right here in the U.S.A. But don’t be fooled into thinking that these cigars are any less exotic or tantalizing than their counterparts from abroad.