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 , 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 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 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 Cigar of the Year over the last two decades.
Known for its elegant white bands—and black bands later on—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 2021’s Cigar of the Year.
Tying for the No. 7 spot were 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 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 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 stories for more of our Insider survey results.
