5 Honduran Cigars You Should Be Smoking Right Now

To the west of the cigar-producing countries of Cuba and the Dominican Republic, on the other side of the Caribbean Sea, lies Honduras, which was at one time the second-largest producer of non-Havana premium cigars in the world. In fact, when cigar makers fled Cuba in the 1960s after Fidel Castro nationalized their industry, many migrated to Honduras—a rugged country of jagged, jungle-covered mountains—where the soil is very similar to Cuba’s. Only about 15 percent of its land is cultivated, but Honduras is where some of the world’s richest tobacco is grown, primarily in Jamastran and the Copán and La Entrada valleys.

Recently, Honduran cigar makers have been allowed to grow and import non-native tobaccos. As a result, many Honduran cigars of this new breed are richer in flavor, with wrappers, binders, and fillers from other countries. Many Honduran cigars actually do not feature Honduran tobaccos; they just have to be rolled in Honduras to be considered Honduran cigars. And while in the recent years Honduran cigars, which are generally known for their heavier characteristics, have been losing ground in terms popularity to those from Nicaragua, Honduras still exports some of the finest premium cigars in the world. Here are five Honduran cigars that you should be smoking right now.