Patterns in US Cigar Sales and Prices from 2021 to 2025: An Examination of Pack Size, Flavor, “Natural” Descriptors, and Brand

Introduction: Cigars remain among the most affordable tobacco products in the U.S., with package features designed to increase appeal, including pack size, flavor, price, and potentially misleading descriptors, like “natural.” Building upon prior work showing frequent changes in the cigar market, we examined trends in US cigar unit sales and prices by package feature from 2021 to 2025. Methods: Nielsen Convenience Track national cigar sales data from 2021 to 2025 were used for analyses. Results: Total cigar unit sales decreased from $2.22 billion in 2021 to $1.79 billion in 2025, while average price per stick increased from $2.86 to $3.91. In 2025, the pack sizes with the greatest market share were two cigars/pack (46.8% of market) and single sticks (30.3%). In 2025, over one-quarter of cigar sales featured a “natural” descriptor; unflavored cigars had the greatest market share (43.3%), followed by flavored cigars (34.0%), and cigars with concept (i.e., ambiguous) descriptors (22.7%). From 2021 to 2025, market share decreased for flavored and unflavored cigars but increased for concept cigars. For average price per cigar, in 2025, two-packs, three-packs, and 20-packs were the cheapest per cigar compared with other pack sizes ($0.76, $0.75, and $0.66, respectively), with price per cigar for two- and three-packs decreasing from 2021 to 2025. Flavored cigars ($1.03) were cheaper than unflavored ($6.84) and concept cigars ($2.23) per cigar. Cigars with a “natural” descriptor were cheaper ($1.42) than those without ($4.60). Conclusions: Findings reflect a diverse cigar market with respect to pack size, flavor, and marketing descriptors.