Besides Cuban and Nicaraguan cigars, Honduras makes some of the most highly sought-after smokes. It’s the third largest cigar exporter in Latin America, Nicaragua being number one and the Dominican Republic being second. Honduras saw a boon in premium cigar production in the 1960s during the Cuban revolution, just like other regions. Two of the most popular types of tobacco grown in the area are Cuban seed and Connecticut seed, but they also offer a wide range of blends beyond those. Popular brands that grow and make Honduran cigars include Punch, Alec Bradley, Romeo y Julieta, and Hoyo de Monterrey. Staying in line with my traditions, I set out to try a wide range of cigars from the region, so I’ve come up with a list of the best Honduran cigars I’ve tried and tested. Let’s light up.
Alec Bradley Prensado
- Strength: Full-bodied
- Wrapper: Honduran Corojo
- Best sizes: Robusto, Churchill
Choosing a single Alec Bradley label was tough because they have a few good options, like Magic Toast and Black Market . I settled on the Prensado because of its dark and oily Trojes Corojo wrapper. The buttery smooth and spicy profile is fantastic, but I also tasted loads of chocolate, coffee, and leather. It is full-bodied, so smoke it later in the evening or later in your lineup.
Camacho Corojo
- Strength: Full-bodied
- Wrapper: Honduran Corojo
- Best sizes: Robusto, Toro, Gordo
Camacho’s Corojo is grown in conditions that emulate Cuba’s Vuelta Abajo region and is a great example of how Honduras has kept up the cigar traditions of old. It includes tobacco grown from first-generation Cuban seed with a Corojo wrapper, as the name suggests, Corojo binder and Corojo long-fillers. It’s full-bodied, exuding flavors like chocolate, wood, cream, fruit, coffee, and spice. I have a few of these in my humidor, and I’m always satisfied after lighting one up.
CLE Corojo
- Strength: Medium to Full
- Wrapper: Honduran Corojo
- Best sizes: Rothschild, Robusto, Toro
Handmade in Honduras using only Honduras-grown tobacco, the CLE Corojo is the brainchild of Christian Eiroa, the blender for Camacho and Baccarat. It’s a delightful medium to full-bodied smoke with complex flavors, and I found myself savoring the oak, woodsy, dark coffee, and earthy notes. There’s also plenty of pepper, sweetness, and a subtle vanilla throughout. It’s a great smoke indicative of the region’s most unique tobaccos.
Cohiba Royale
- Strength: Medium
- Wrapper: Nicaraguan Jalapa
- Best sizes: Rothschild, Robusto, Toro
One of Cohiba’s more premium lines, the Royale, is just brimming with flavor and personality. It features a Jalapa-grown Broadleaf wrapper and a solid mixture of Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Dominican tobaccos inside. Luxurious and smooth fruit, leather, earth, coffee and spice notes will roll across your taste buds. Did I mention the blend was aged for about five or six years before hitting store shelves? Trust me when I say this one is quite the experience.
Gran Habano 20th Aniversario
- Strength: Full-bodied
- Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
- Best sizes: Robusto, Toro, Gordo
The Gran Habano 20th Anniversario is rolled in a Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper, yes, but it’s also handmade in Honduras. It features a relatively unique blend of Columbian, Nicaraguan and Peruvian filler tobaccos. Flavors such as toasted bread, roasted coffee, leather, molasses, cinnamon, and plenty of cream are the standouts here. But this is a complex cigar; there is much more to taste if you decide to light one up. I don’t want to spoil too much, but it was great.
Flor de Selva by Maya Selva
- Strength: Mild to Medium
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
- Best sizes: Belicoso
Maya Selva is a brand I don’t see mentioned often, most likely because it doesn’t have Cuban roots. It originated in France. Yes, I know that should technically push them off this list, but listen to what’s inside before making rash decisions. Handcrafted in Honduras, the Flor de Selva features an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper — grown in Honduras — a Jamastran binder, and Viso Jamastran and Ligero Azacualpa filler tobacco. Lots of earth, leather, cream and dried fruit permeate the cedar and woodsy flavors, making for an excellent mild to medium-bodied smoke.
Oscar Valladares Raw Dog
- Strength: Medium
- Wrapper: Honduran Binder
- Best sizes: Double Robusto
Master blender Oscar Valladares is known for his unique, ingenious blends like the various Leaf by Oscar . The McFly is another odd but good one named after, big surprise, Marty McFly. But anyway, back to the Raw Dog, which features a proprietary Honduran binder in place of the wrapper. Yes, you read that correctly; there is no wrapper. It’s still a flavor bomb, though, with bountiful dark chocolate, espresso, and spice notes.
Plasencia Cosecha 149
- Strength: Medium
- Wrapper: Honduran Olancho San Agustin
- Best sizes: Robusto, Toro, Gordo
Okay, I admit it. Outside of Aganorsa Leaf , Plasencia is one of my favorite brands — another is EP Carrillo . They have many great Honduran-made cigars, but the Cosecha 149 deserves a callout. It features a Honduran Olancho San Agustin wrapper that’s dark, oily and divine. It’s a medium to full-bodied smoke overloaded with cream, earth, wood, and chocolate. It’s probably one of the most well-balanced cigars on this list.
Punch Gran Puro
- Strength: Full-bodied
- Wrapper: Honduran Habano
- Best sizes: Robusto, Toro, Gordo
Billed as one of the brand’s “punchiest” labels, the Gran Puro is also super accessible. It’s not expensive, and it’s popular, so you can find it pretty much anywhere. It’s not a bad smoke either, with Honduran-grown tobacco through and through. It features a sun-grown Honduran seed wrapper, sun-grown binder, and Honduran fillers. Flavors you’ll pick up right away are earth, cedar, spice and a hint of cinnamon. It’s a toasty little experience that would be great for a late afternoon or evening smoke, especially if you’re grilling up some meat. I mean, that’s precisely what I was doing while I smoked one.
Sancho Panza
- Strength: Medium
- Wrapper: Honduran Connecticut
- Best sizes: Robusto, Toro, Gigante (Gordo)
Imagine taking classic Cuban blends and injecting more modern tobaccos and flavors into the mix, and you’ll understand Sancho Panza’s cigars well. Inside a Connecticut shade wrapper are Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Dominican-Piloto fillers. The result is a mellow yet medium-bodied smoke with flavors like nuttiness, coffee, and cream. Even though it’s medium, it’s great with some coffee or espresso for a mid-morning smoke or your first of the day.
If you like these Honduran cigars, also try:
- FLVR Fist Bump or Space Ranger
- Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur No IV
- H Upmann 1844 Anejo
- Punch Knuckle Buster
- Romeo y Julieta Reserve
Get to know our expert
Why should you listen to me? It’s a valid question. I smoke cigars all the time, and I have many recommendations and plenty of advice to share with others. But none of those things qualify me as an expert. Instead, it’s the years of experience, the time I’ve invested in the world of cigars, the excellent connections I’ve made with cigar makers and sellers, and the vast wealth of knowledge I’ve gained during that time. I’m always curious about the cigar industry and general production, and I’ve spent dozens of hours researching how they’re made in my own time. I know what goes into an excellent cigar, and I’ve certainly earned the right to recommend some to others, whether you’re a beginner and this is your first time smoking or have your own cabinet humidor stocked and maintained. Instead of waxing poetic, I’d rather let my recommendations speak for me.
