| Many people may think of Honduras and recall a | | | | Similar to the cigars made in the Dominican Republic, |
| memory from 7th grade that involves a map of | | | | some Honduras tobacco has Cuban roots, with many |
| Central America, a pop quiz, and a prayer. For the | | | | tobacco growers fleeing Castro's rule and planting |
| avid cigar smoker, however, Honduras is thought of | | | | themselves, and their seeds, in other countries. In |
| as much more. One of the biggest tobacco | | | | fact, the early 1960's saw expert cigar makers come |
| producers on our planet, cigar lovers think of | | | | over to Honduras from Havana, with approval from |
| Honduras as a virtual Mecca, a place where tobacco | | | | Castro's government, to help with tobacco growing |
| seeds go to make their parents proud. | | | | techniques. While initially intending to return to Cuba, |
| Honduras, located near Guatemala, El Salvador, and | | | | some of these experts remained in Honduras, |
| Nicaragua, is a country made up of an instable | | | | keeping with them their knowledge from Cuba's |
| history, one that involved fights for independence, | | | | tobacco past and the tools for Honduras' tobacco |
| hurricane devastation, human rights violations, and | | | | future. |
| political diversity. Together these have all caused | | | | The climate of Honduras is extremely appealing to |
| Honduras to be among the poorest countries in | | | | tobacco growers, with an environment that allows all |
| Central America. But, unlike some of its adjacent | | | | varieties of tobacco seeds to thrive, particularly |
| countries, Honduras is rich with cigar making | | | | Cuban seed tobaccos and Connecticut seed |
| ingredients: when Central American neighbors want to | | | | tobaccos. This growing environment ultimately allows |
| borrow a cup of tobacco, the door of Honduras is | | | | the tobacco grown in Honduras to be full-bodied, |
| one of the first places they knock. | | | | flavorful, strong, and in possession of a heavy aroma. |
| Honduras is a segment of Mesoamerica, the | | | | The cigars from Honduras have worked to make a |
| nickname given to the land that reaches from Mexico | | | | name for themselves, becoming a cigar that |
| to Costa Rica. Because Mesoamerica is located in an | | | | connoisseurs routinely seek to take out for a smoke. |
| area home to a wide range of animals and plants, it's | | | | With the fertility of the land, the natural resources, |
| known as a biodiversity hotspot, an area with diverse | | | | and the knowledge passed down from generation to |
| resources that are threatened by destruction. At last | | | | generation, tobacco makers in Honduras have been |
| count, Honduras was in possession of over 6,000 | | | | able to perfect the growing of home grown seeds, |
| species of plant, with one of these being tobacco. | | | | delivering some cigars that are 100 percent Honduran. |