It is not often that a new line of cigars comes along that is truly exceptional. It was a pleasure, therefore, to learn of the new Lot 23 cigar line from Perdomo that is exceptional in several ways.

Lot 23 Cigars from Tabacalera Perdomo

The newest cigar line from Tabacalera Perdomo S.A., Perdomo Lot 23, was released last month at the 2006 RTDA show in Las Vegas. It is a very special line, named after one of the company’s prestige tobacco farms near its factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. One of the things that makes the Perdomo Lot 23 special is that both the filler and binder for the new cigar are made exclusively from Cuban-seed tobacco grown on that one highly fertile farm.

“Perdomo Lot 23 is very special for our company because it was a project that my father, Nicolas Perdomo, Sr., pioneered as we started to expand our growing operations in 2000,” said Nick Perdomo, Jr. “My father and I selected a plot of land near our factory that was untouched. We cleared the entire field, ran thorough soil analysis and carefully prepared the grounds. This land was so fertile that we knew it would provide some incredible tobacco, and it did. I believe that we have met my father’s strict expectations of quality throughout our growing operations and our manufacturing facility. The final product is a premium cigar that is extremely flavorful and is available at a very competitive price point.”

A very competitive price point indeed. In fact, a price so low for a cigar of this quality that I found it hard to believe when I first heard it.

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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.

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