Nicaraguan Cigars

Years ago, the number of cigar factories in Nicaragua could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Now, Nicaragua is the new place to be for most manufacturers. From the boutique producers to the best-known brands, Nicaragua is now acknowledged for producing some of the top tobaccos in the world. The rich volcanic soils paired with ideal climate conditions and decades of hard work and experience make Nicaragua the country everybody is currently looking at.

Estelí is the capital of cigar production and houses a few major cigar factories, the largest being Joya de Nicaragua, Padrón’s Cubanica, and Plasencia’s Segovia. Estelí produces corpulent and tasty tobacco leaves with spicy, strong, and rustic notes. North of Estelí, Condega’s tasting specificities are quite similar to those of the former but with a slightly different leaf texture partly due to the difference of altitude.

Far north, on the Honduran border, lies Jalapa. Often compared with Vuelto Abajo in Cuba and Jamastrán in Honduras, Jalapa is world-renowned for its production of high quality wrappers. Further south, Ometepe is an island formed on the Lake Nicaragua by volcanoes. A unique place in the world for tobacco, it produces leaves expressing sweet and chocolate scents and a typically Nicaraguan aromatic strength.