Let’s be honest. When most people think of premium cigars, they do not think of “made in the USA.”

Everyone knows that the best cigars in the world come from Cuba.

…or from the Dominican Republic.

…or from Nicaragua, or from Honduras, or from the Bahamas, or…

Well, you get the idea. Best is always a matter of taste and opinion, and it varies from person to person even though we can usually agree on some general guidelines. What is best for one person may be last on the list for another. The best cigars in the world, however, are usually not thought of as being made in the United States.

In fact, a lot of people assume that the only cigars made in the USA are ones that you buy at gas stations and convenience stores.

If that is what you believe, then prepare to be enlightened. You might have been missing out on some world-class smokes.

Tomorrow, we celebrate Independence Day in the United States. I couldn’t think of a better time to highlight some of these special cigars made in America cigars than during this U.S. holiday season. So, I have come up with a list of ten top cigars that are home-made even if they are not completely home-grown and will focus on two each day over the next week.

Some of the cigars chosen for the top ten list will be familiar to you. Some of them you may not know about. All of them are worthy of your consideration for a place in your humidor.

The order in which they are presented is not a top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top list. These cigars are all quite good, all quite different, and each one is a #1 cigar in its own way.

Also, since this site is international in scope, with readers on every continent except Antarctica, some of you may find these American gems hard to get. Now you know how we in the States feel when we hear you wax eloquent about Cuban cigars.

And on that somewhat ironic note, let me share some U.S. treasures with you.

1. Tatuaje Cabinet Tainos

Tatoos.

An usual way to start a truly great cigar line, and yet that is where the story of the Tatuaje has to begin. Tatuaje is Spanish for tatoo, and it refers to the line of tatoos that grace the arms of the cigar’s creator, Pete Johnson.

Before the Tatuaje cigar line was born, Pete Johnson was working as the cigar buyer for the Grand Havana Room in Beverly Hills, California. He decided that he wanted his own unique cigar offering, and it was developed in conjunction with Tabacalera Tropical.

To roll the cigars, Johnson turned to Cuban expatriate Jose “Don Pepin” Garcia and his El Rey de los Habanos factory in the Little Havana district of Miami where Don Pepin employs twelve cuban master rollers. The craftsmanship and rolling heritage show in the product. The cigars look like they came from Havana, down to the three-seam caps in the style of Cuban cigars.

They also taste like they came from Cuba, which is much more important. That distinctive taste is exactly what Johnson wanted. To capture the character of a fine, classic Cuban cigar, he opted for all Nicaraguan tobacco.

“What they are doing in Nicaragua (with tobacco),” said Johnson, “is the closest right now to what they are doing in Cuba — the sweetness of the wrapper and the aroma coming off the foot.” He describes the Tatuaje Miami as medium to full bodied. It might be more accurate to say that it starts out at medium and builds as you smoke it. “The Corojo wrapper adds a sweetness, but it builds up strength toward the end, and that’s how Cuban cigars are to me.”

In addition to the Corojo 99 wrapper, the distinctive, rich flavor and power of the Tatuaje comes from its Nicaraguan binder and a filler blend made up of first-generation cuban-seed Nicaraguan tobaccos. Garcia has done a masterful job with this cigar. In blind tests, it consistently outranks cigars such as the Opus X, the Padron Anniversary and many top. Cuban cigars

The Tatuaje Cabinet Tainos came in as #4 in Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 Cigars of 2005. Impressive for any cigar in the world, but especially so for one this new and one you can brand with a “made in the U.S.A.” label.

The Tainos is a 7 5/8 inch by 49 ring Double Corona and got an impressive initial 92 rating from CA’s Cigar Insider — later upped to a 93 when it was chosen for the CA Top 25 list. Insider described it this way: “Nearly perfect in appearance, this cigar is loaded with complex flavor. It has an earthy spiciness, a nutty character, sweet coffee notes and a full body. It should age very well.”

That doesn’t begin to sum it up. This is a very good cigar. I taste walnuts and tones of vanilla…and I’m not sure if I’m going to find out if CA is right about them aging well because it takes will-power to lay these aside and not smoke them.

One warning here is that these cigars must be stored at a lower humiidity because of the Criollo/Corojo blend. Keep them in a humidor that is under 65% relative humidity range for at least a week to ten days before you smoke one — somewhere in the low 60% range I think is ideal for them.

If you don’t, and they have been kept at a higher humidity range of 70% before you bought them, you will have problems with them and won’t enjoy their full potential. Reports of burn issues and poor construction cropped up about these last year, and storage at improper humidity is responsible for that. That is true for any brand of cigar with this kind of tobacco in it.

These cigars are not cheap. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the Tatuaje Cabinet Tainos is U.S. $12.00 each. They are in such short supply and have gotten so much press and good word-of-mouth that it is going to be hard to find them at a discount.

In fact, it is going to be hard to find them at all.

Not many shops or online retailers carry them. Those that do carry them are often sold out and have them on backorder. You might have to wait until a new supply is available unless your tobacconist has some hidden away and is willing to part with them.

If you want to sample a Tatuaje, this link will take you to Pete’s site and a map showing where dealers can be found. He’ll be talking to potential new dealers at the RTDA show in Las Vegas, but this is a limited production stick with only 7,400 having been rolled in 2005.

To buy them online, check Two Guys Smoke Shop, Cigars International, Abner’s and Holts. When in stock, CI has three packs at $36.00 and Holts sells singles at $11.99 each. The others sell them in boxes of 25, discounted down to around $10.50 per cigar at the box price.

Tatuaje’s also come up from time to time on Cigarbid, which is owned by Cigars International. If you are very lucky and people don’t start overbidding, you can sometimes get them for around $5.00 a stick. Because of the buzz they often go for more.

If you would like to try a Tatuaje, but would prefer a different size, the Tatuaje Cabinet Especiales is a 7 inch by 38 ring Panetela that is modeled after the Cuban Cohiba Lancero and Trinidad Fundadore and retails at $9.75. It placed in Cigar Aficionado’s Best of 2004 list and was rated a 90. Also coming in at a 90 rating, and a bit easier to find, is the Tatuaje Cabinet Regios, a 5 1/2 inch by 50 ring Robusto that is also an exceptional smoke. You can find them at $9.50 each, down to under $8.00 in boxes of 25.

Quality.

This is a cigar that is really worth its price tag.

2. Sabor Cubano Grand Torpedo

If you are a cigar lover, one of the most enjoyable hours you are ever likely to spend will be with a Sabor Cubano cigar made by Luis Sanchez.

Luis is not only a master, he is also an artist.

Quite literally.

He designed the original concept and box art for his La Tradicion Cubana cigar line, based on traditional Cuban designs with paper labels over cedar boxes. (These are not the Perdomo La Tradicion cigars, by the way, and should not be confused with them.) Luis’ La Tradicion Cubana cigars are also quite good, as is their third line, Las Memorias Cubana, and I recommend them as well. I have chosen to include his Sabor Cubano (”Cuban Taste”) line in this top ten list simply because I am a sucker for maduros — and these are very good maduros.

The Sabor Cubano cigar line features a five-year-old San Andreas Mexican oscuro maduro wrapper. You will not end up with blackened lips when smoking one of these, because the wrapper is 100% natural. It has not been “cooked” or colored in any way to darken it.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me back up and fill in a little about Luis Sanchez and “the tradition.” That is really where is starts, because the name of his cigar factory in Miami and the name of his company comes from something he feels very strongly about: tradition.

The Sanchez family has roots in the cigar industry going back to 1928 when they lived in San Juan y Martinez in the Pinar del Rio tobacco province of Cuba. When he started his cigar factory in Miami’s history “Little Havana” district on Calle Ocho (Eighth Street), he started with a dedication to producing cigars with that same Cuban quality and spirit.

His cigars are rolled by Cuban expatriate “Tabaqueros” with an impressive work history before coming to this country: one with 16 years experience at the “H. Uppman” facility in Havana, another with 18 years experience at Havana’s “Romeo & Juliet,” factory, and the grand old man, Leo Peraza, with 46 years experience rolling cigars in Cuba.

The experience shows. Construction on these cigars is flawless. The appearance is beautiful. The wrapper is dark, oily, flavorful and, as I mentioned above, completely natural.

In addition to the San Andreas maduro wrapper, the Sabor Cubano cigars have an Ecuadorean binder and a filler of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobacco. They burn evenly, with a light gray ash that looks good against the dark cigar. The aroma, both pre-light and while smoking, is earthy and full.

And the flavor?

For a cigar named “Cuban Taste,” this stick does not disapoint. It is strong, full-flavored and medium to full in body, yet extremely smooth and rich at the same time. This is an extremely good cigar. You will enjoy smoking it.

You will also enjoy the price.

Most online retailers do not carry Luis’ lines, but one place that does offer them is Fuller’s Pullers. Their price for a box of 20 of the Grand Torpedos is U.S. $79.00, which works out to $3.95 per stick. They also sell them by the five-pack for $23.00 ($4.60 each) and even at that price they are a bargain.

Other online retailers I’ve seen who have the Sabor Cubano line sell them for more than Fuller’s — usually a little over $100.00 per box of 20. A Google search should turn some of them up if you are looking for alternate suppliers.

You will also want to check with your local tobacconist and see if they have them, or can order them for you. The cigars are not available on the La Tradicion Cubana website. They are sold only through retailers. However, there is a contact form on their site and you could check with them to find out if there is a retailer near you who carries them.

If maduros are not your preferred smoke, then by all means try the regular La Tradicion Cubana line or the stronger, fuller-bodied La Memorias Cubana cigars that Luiz Sanchez also produces in his Little Havana factory in Miami. All of them are very good. All of them are amazingly economical. All of them are made in the U.S.A.

Tomorrow: Do you think Miami is the only place to find premium Made-in-the-USA cigars? You might be very surprised.