Answer: The Gurkha Royal Courtesan is the most expensive cigar in the world coming in at a whopping $1 million each.
Hey folks! I'm Jack Cullum, a name synonymous with expertise and passion when it comes to the world of cigars and cigar subscription boxes.
So, buckle up and get ready to join me on an extraordinary journey into the realm of the most expensive cigars ever crafted.
Read on as we reveal the complete list of bank busting smokes!
The Most Expensive Cigars
Here is our list of the big names in pricey cigars!
#1. Gurkha Royal Courtesan Cigar
Price: $1 million each
The way that these record-breaking lavish cigars are made is absolutely wild.
Royal Courtesan cigar rollers are actually blindfolded during the process of creating these cigars to ensure that their senses are perfectly tuned into fine details without any hint of distraction.
The Gurkha Royal Courtesan ultra-elite cigars brand are made by hand in Honduras and the Dominican Republic.
The magic recipe includes rare Himalayan tobacco fed exclusively with Fiji water.
Each cigar is carefully wrapped with a gold leaf that is encrusted with a five-carat, diamond-studded band.
The cigar is finished off with some exclusive Remy Martin’s Black Pearl Louis XIII.
Founded more than a century ago, the Gurkha brand was reborn in 1992 to become noted for its ultra-premium hand-wrapped cigars in the world.
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#2. Mayan Cigars
Price: $507,000
While second place on the list only costs half of a Gurkha Royal Courtesan Cigar, enjoying these rarities in your favorite leather recliner will still cost you about the same as a five-bedroom house in a nice suburb.
What's so special about these Mayan cigars?
There isn't a person alive today who can make one.
That's because these high-cost cigars are from a 600-year-old stash that was discovered by archeologists in Guatemala back in 2012.
These pre-Columbian treasures were sold at auction for $507,000 shortly after being unearthed.
Don't assume that this Cuban cigar belong in a museum just because they're more than double the age of the United States.
Yes, the Mayan cigars can be smoked.
The reason why is that they were actually sealed in clay pots before being buried in the ground six centuries ago.
That's some serious Mayan magic!
#3. Double Corona Regius Cigars Ltd
Price: $54,000 per cigar
There's a little bit of cheating involved regarding why this particular cigar ranks so high on the list.
Let me explain.
In 2013, Regius Cigars Ltd created a Double Corona cigar that was sold to a posh guy in a suit named Callum Jones for that eye-watering price of $54,000 for a single cigar.
However, the dapper Mr. Jones wasn't just getting a cigar.
Built into the price was a private guided tour of the Regius factory in Nicaragua.
The buyer's goodie bag also included 1,000 custom-rolled smokes with some naming rights.
All of this means that the price of the Double Corona is slightly inflated simply because there was an "experiential" aspect baked into the cost.
Based in the United Kingdom, Regius Premium Cigars has been in the cigar business since 2010.
#4. El Gigante
Price: $185,000
This one definitely wins the prize as the best novelty pick on the list.
Living up to its name, El Gigante "The Giant" is 19 feet long, 3 feet wide and massively expensive.
It was actually created to be a display item.
Its proportions are almost comical.
First, this single jumbo-sized cigar is packed with 1,600 pounds of tobacco leaves.
You already know that that's roughly 25,000 normal-sized pricey cigars if you're quick with math.
Even the platform used to hold the display is massive.
This cigar that's worthy of Goliath rests on a wooden crate weighing just under 1,000 pounds.
Was this giant cigar ever actually smoked?
The answer shall remain a mystery.
El Gigante was sold to a private buyer back in 2013.
Launched in 2003, Gran Habano is a family company owned by a family with tobacco-harvesting roots dating back to 1920.
#5. Gurkha Black Dragon
Cost: $115,000 per box
Rolled in Honduras, the Gurkha Black Dragon comes in a special-edition camel-bone box holding 100 pieces with Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper.
The breakdown on the cost per cigar is $1,150.
While the presentation is impressive, this cigar's value is all about the flavor.
These fancy cigars are made from fine tobacco leaves.
Being one of the finest cigars in the world, they are aged five years with cured Dominican long filler and Cameroonian binder.
It's all wrapped to perfection inside highly prized Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro.
#6. Arturo Fuente Opus X Ltd
Price: $30,000 per box
This pricey cigar is a throwback to 2003.
That's when the Arturo Fuente Tobacco Company whipped up a 10-year-anniversary line of cigars commemorating the old-school Arturo Fuente Opus X.
As part of the celebration, 100 Forbidden X humidors were created to hold 100 Arturo Fuente Opus X cigars.
Buyers were shelling out $10,000 for these rare boxes of Arturo Fuente Opus X back in 2003.
Things have gotten even crazier nearly 20 years later.
These limited-edition boxes featuring different configurations of colors and finishes are still floating around today.
Collectors are now paying up to $30,000 per box when they become available Arturo Fuente was founded in 1912.
Arturo Fuente Opus X is one of the premium cigars in the world.
#7. Cohiba Behike
Price: $18,000 per box
This next five-figure cuban cigars box comes from a Cuban manufacturer called Cohiba.
There's some fun cigar-industry history packed into why this collectable cigar box is so highly prized.
Cohiba wanted to honor the Taino chieftain when putting this box together to celebrate the brand's 40-year anniversary back in 2006.
That's where the name Behike comes from.
The box itself was produced in France using skate skin, bone and ebony.
Each cigar in the batch is made with elite tobacco from the El Laguito Cohiba factory.
Cohiba ensured exclusivity by only producing 100 humidors in total.
The final touch that makes the high price of this cuban cigar box justifiable is that every single cigar was rolled by hand by Norma Fernandez Sastre.
A true piece of world history, Cohiba became the exclusive supplier to Fidel Castro and high-level officials in the Cuban government after being started in 1966.
It is one of the best cigars in the world.
#8. Gurkha His Majesty’s Reserve
Price: $15,000 per box
This highly prized cigar box actually begins to look like a bargain when you do the math compared to the other premium cigars on the list.
With the full box of 20 pieces costing $15,000, you're looking at $750 for the privilege of smoking each single cigar.
What makes these swanky cigars phenomenal is that they're made using tobacco that's been aged 18 years before being enhanced with Louis XIII Cognac.
These cigars also boast some chocolatey hints that hit just right.
A big part of why this box is so collectable is that only 100 boxes are made per year with Louis XIII Cognac enhancement.
What's more, the company's president actually personally chooses who will receive a box.
Yes, that means you basically have to be royalty to get your hands on Gurkha His Majesty’s Reserve.
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#9. Fuente Don Arturo AnniverXario
Price: $7,500 per box
Unveiled back in 2001 to celebrate 100 years of business for the Fuente Don Arturo Anniverxario, this decadent box houses 96 rolled cigars with 46 placed in assorted wrappers.
The expensive flavor of Fuente Don Arturo Anniverxario is a noticeable luxurious cigar and comes from the use of fine tobacco aged seven years.
These cigars are often described as having a "punch" by members of the elite crowd lucky enough to try them.
Each cigar is rolled using either natural or sun-grown wrappers coming from Chateau de la Fuente in the Dominican Republic.
#10. Arturo Fuente Opus X BBMF
Price: $55 per cigar
I guess we can call this the "budget option" on the list.
While the BBMF comes in last among firsts, it's definitely not anybody's consolation prize.
This beloved cigar is actually not too bad in price if you can manage to find one.
Let's start with a little history.
The BBMF was released back in 1996.
These popular, highly loved expensive cigars in the world are notoriously impossible to find.
Just make sure you know how to identify the hallmarks of a genuine BBMF if you're out there searching for one in the wild.
Each 7-inch BBMF has "BBMF" on it.
Time for a Little Cigar Chat
You may have a hankering for a great cigar after reading all about the 10 most extravagance in the world.
One of the best ways to satisfy your appetite for all things cigar is to puff on some fun cigar facts while waiting for your latest shipment to come.
Do people still smoke the cigars? It's the question that many people have after seeing the logic-bending prices on the list of the world's priciest cigars.
First, ultra-expensive cigars in the world are often purchased by collectors.
Think of them like paintings, antique cars or Fabergé eggs.
Owning these cigars is about the experience, the ostentation and the prestige.
However, plenty of people love purchasing costly cigars out of a pure love for cigars.
Yes, the Cigar Market Is Growing
The global market for premium cigars and cigarillos is actually growing in 2021.
What's more, niche growth in the cigar industry is projected to keep climbing and climbing like a curly plume rising from a cigar for the next several years.
Here are some fast stats from a company called Persistence Market Research that's been tracking trends in the cigar market:
- Demand for cuban cigars is growing fastest in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
- Tobacco manufacturers are actually reducing cigar sizes to make them more appealing to crossover customers who enjoy cigarettes.
- Cigar companies are really upping the ante when it comes to offering a wide variety of flavors. Flavors like fruit, mint and chocolate are on the rise.
- Cigar lounges are back! Many luxury hotels and resorts are adding cigar lounges to create luxurious, high-end experiences for guests with distinguished tastes.
- Young adults are latching on to cigar smoking more than ever.
- Tax rates for cigars and cigarillos are driving growth in some areas.
Conclusion
Just how many cigars are people scooping up each year?
In 2020, roughly 361 million handmade cigars were shipped to the United States.
Americans are spending roughly $4 billion on cigars annually.
The majority of those sales are happening at convenience stores.
However, people who are into elite smoking experiences often source their cigars from online cigar clubs, specialty cigar shops and auctions.
While smoking cigars may seem like an antiquated hobby, the fact remains that a passion for fine cigars will always burn brightly for ladies and gentlemen with timeless taste.
In fact, many people are falling in love with the "slowness" and "savoring" that go along with smoking cigars in this fast-paced world.
Cigars in the world allow people to put a special spin on holidays, life milestones, great achievements, birthdays, births and other special occasions.
What's more, there's always that beautiful carrot stick of knowing that you may be able to afford one of the cigars featured on the list of the 10 most expensive cigars in the world one day!
- Jack