Americans still love their fine cigars.

Cigar Aficionado reported today that Nicaraguan imported cigars climbed to 317.6 million units in 2013, up from 305.1 million in 2012. The cigar industry has not seen these types of sales figures since the Cigar Boom of the 1990’s .

The sales lull (from 1998 till 2013) is most likely partially attributed to economical hardships over the last decade that impacted the disposable income for many American aficionados.  And of course governmental parties (both State and Local) haven’t helped matters by imposing massive tax increases on tobacco products.

However, the trend for premium cigar sales is still showing a dramatic increase.

Despite the odds and the very powerful forces behind it, Cigar imports clearly continue to increase, most notably in the category of Nicaraguan cigars which have seen a 15% increase between  2012 and 2013. With figures like these now emerging, could this be the start of a new “boom” era?