Every informed cigar smoker knows that there is high-quality tobacco hailing from Africa, particularly the highly regarded Cameroon wrappers used by many manufacturers and almost exclusively grown by the Meerapfel family.

Without the Meerapfel family, especially the late Richard Meerapfel, Cameroon tobacco would have probably been lost forever. Oddly enough, even with that fantastic tobacco available, there are no cigars made in Cameroon, at least not commercially. Other sub-Saharan countries, such as Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, and Mozambique, also have tobacco plantations, although they focus more on Burley and Virginia tobacco, used for pipe tobaccos. However, there is something brewing on the continent of Africa, and that something is the production of handmade cigars. There are now at least four brands produced in Africa.

Bongani Cigars

Probably the best-known and definitely the best-marketed African-made cigars are the ones from Bongani. Bongani started in 2016, as CEO Kamal Moukheiber explained. “We spent the best part of 2016 preparing for business, working out all aspects of it, such as assembling the team, developing the blend, the packaging, the branding, and everything else that was needed until, in December 2016, we were ready to sell our first cigar,” he told Cigarinspector.

Bongani is a company from Mozambique, where a lot of tobacco for cigarettes is grown, although the amount of tobacco for premium cigars is growing. However, there is not enough premium tobacco available for the production of Bongani cigars, so the company imports tobacco from other African countries and the Caribbean.

Premium Namibian Cigars

The Namibian entrepreneur Brian Padwick is a long-time cigar aficionado who opened a cigar shop in the city of Lüderitz. Although this city might have a very German-sounding name, it’s located in the southern part of Namibia, named after the German settlers who founded the city. Padwick felt there was a need for cigars that would fit the outdoor lifestyle of the Namibians and could stand up to the dry climate. Many imported cigars just couldn’t deal with the lack of humidity in the air.

For a few years, Padwick and his wife Paulina tested blends and tobaccos. The cigars were rolled by Paulina, who learned the trade from a family friend. After many tries and several failures, the company now has a range of eight cigars, all made with imported tobacco as there is no tobacco grown in Namibia. To make the cigars more African, Premium Namibian Cigars is looking into importing tobacco from Zimbabwe and Zambia instead of Nicaragua, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic.

Mosi Oa Tunya

Zimbabwe is home to ‘The Smoke That Thunders,’ referring to the thick clouds of water spray rising into the skies from one of the world’s grandest natural wonders, Victoria Falls, which straddles the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. The indigenous name for Victoria Falls is Mosi Oa Tunya, and it is also the name of the only cigar brand from the country.

The company was founded in 2019 by local entrepreneur Shepherd Mafundikwa. He was inspired during trips to Cuba and the Dominican Republic. “The venture is grounded in my desire to contribute something very novel to the country of my birth. I’m not a smoker, but I recognized a global demand for quality cigars. And with [Zimbabwe’s] world-renowned tobacco basically at my doorstep, the rest was organic,” explained Mafundikwa.

Most of the tobacco used for the production of Mosi Oa Tunya is sourced locally, although the company relies on imports for wrappers from Indonesia, Ecuador, or the Dominican Republic. The company is also experimenting with Cameroon wrappers to make an African puro.

Santa Bras

Santa Bras is the only cigar manufacturer in South Africa. Their story unfolds in the 1990s when the founder embarked on tobacco experiments using locally grown crops as a personal hobby. Fueled by a persistent passion for cigars and despite initial setbacks with Lowveld tobacco, the founder uncovered a hidden gem—a valley along the southern coast of Africa with a terroir reminiscent of the mineral-rich soils found in Cuba and the Dominican Republic. The wrapper and binder leaves for their cigars are meticulously sourced from this valley, while the filler leaves hail from the tobacco farms in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

In the tradition of the region, known for large, veiny leaves and high nicotine content due to the dry and sunny climate, most local tobacco is earmarked for cigarette production. Yet, Santa Bras Cigars stands as the sole South African cigar manufacturer, deliberately selecting specially grown tobacco for their cigars. Despite the prevailing perception, they uncovered that properly cured and fermented local tobacco could be integrated into blends for robust, full-bodied cigars. The revelation extended to the local volado leaves, found at the plant’s base, possessing high oil content and delicacy suitable for deployment as binder and wrapper leaves, provided they undergo correct processing.

Understanding the anatomy of a cigar—composed of filler, binder, and wrapper leaves—Santa Bras emphasizes the wrapper’s crucial role, contributing a significant 80% of the overall flavor. Thicker cigars, with proportionally more filler and binder, align seamlessly with the characteristics of the local leaves, resulting in cigars boasting a natural appearance and a flavor profile indicative of potent tobaccos. From robust black coffee to dark chocolate, caramel, cinnamon, and spicy black pepper with undertones of almonds, the local tobacco imparts a distinctive and rich taste.

Their journey revealed that when expertly combined with high-quality imported cigar tobacco and shaped into various vitolas (cigar sizes and shapes), the local tobacco achieves its full potential. Thick cigars, enjoyed at lower temperatures, allow the unique qualities of the local tobacco to shine, delivering a memorable smoking experience that reflects the dedication to blending expertise and the use of supportive vitolas.