Nicaraguan Cigars
- Posted on
- By Sheila Habano
- Posted in Cigars From Nicaragua, Nicaraguan Cigar Brands, Nicaraguan Cigars, Nicaraguan Tobacco
- 0
Discover the history of Nicaraguan cigars and, in so doing, enjoy some of the best Nicaraguan cigar brands from the cigar companies that you should be smoking now!
Many enthusiasts consider Nicaraguan cigars to be the closest to the classic Habanos in style, strength, and flavor. More and more people are choosing Nicaraguan cigars as they feel that these are the best competitors to Cuban cigars.
The” Big Three” tobacco growers in Central America are the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Nicaragua. For many years, Nicaragua was third in line in terms of United States consumption, behind the Dominican Republic and Honduras.
Recently, Nicaragua has surpassed Honduras to become the second most popular supplier of premium cigars. The annual exports of tobacco leaf and cigars for Nicaragua are approximately $200 million per year.
Due to the rich, fertile volcanic soil which is comparable to that of Cuba’s, Nicaraguan tobacco has become extremely popular. The largest republic in Central America, Nicaragua is known as the land of lakes and volcanoes and the rich volcanic soil supplies the tobacco its character.
The Nicaraguan soil’s texture and chemical makeup offer a cigar with a subtle, earthy flavor. Much of the leaf comes from the three main regions of Estelí, Jalapa, and Condega. The region around Estelí in the northern highlands has a temperate climate and well-settled fertile soil that is perfect for growing tobacco.
After the Cuban Revolution in 1959, Estelí became a refuge for Cuban tobacco growers. The Jalapa Valley’s soil is red and clay-like. The tobacco grown in the valley is subtle and the tobacco grown here commonly becomes Nicaraguan wrapper.
Condega is a quiet town near the Cantagallo Mountains north of Estelí. Condega produces tobacco that tends to be more medium bodied than that grown in Estelí and stronger than the tobacco grown in Jalapa.
Relatively new to tobacco, the inland island of Ometepe, “Two Peaks”, is landscaped with twin volcanoes and set in the middle of Lake Nicaragua and has been providing sweet, earthy tobacco.
Many world famous brands have been exporting their quality Nicaragua cigars such as My Father, Drew Estate, Oliva, Padrón, and Perdomo. Their premium cigars are prime examples of the definitive Nicaraguan flavor profile.
Here are 5 Nicaraguan cigars from these companies that you should be smoking now. Be aware that elcigarshop.com carries all of these smokes and many more Nicaraguan cigars that will surely please your palate.
- My Father Flor de Las Antillas Toro: This award-winning cigar is expertly constructed with filler and binder tobaccos from the rich volcanic soils of Estelí, Nicaragua and is completed with a silky Sun Grown wrapper. The seasoned smoker will simply love the sweet, aromatic smoke and tasty notes of nutmeg, sugary coffee, cedar, sweet spice, and a hint of white pepper. Flor de Las Antillas is a classic Nicaraguan cigar.
- Drew Estate: Herrera Estelí Robusto Extra joins the ranks of Drew Estate’s huge portfolio. Blended by Willy Herrera in the likes of old-style Cuban cigars, the smoke is dense with lush flavors of sweet cream, almonds, spice, and leather. Medium to full body in flavor, Herrera Estelí Robusto Extra is a must try for any fan of top-quality Nicaraguan tobacco.
- Oliva Master Blend 3 Robusto: The dark brown Robusto features a blend of Nicaraguan Ligero box pressed in a Nicaraguan Habano binder then packed in a broadleaf sun grown wrapper. Master Blend 3 is rich and subtly sweet with notes coffee, caramel, and cream. These can be hard to find, but well worth it.
- Padrón 1926 Series No. 9 Maduro: Padrón 1926 Series No. 9 Maduro is comprised of tobaccos aged for five full years blanketed with a black Maduro wrapper creating a flavorful cigar with big notes of licorice and leather with hints of cocoa, earth, and coffee. The 1926 Series cigar line commemorates the birth year of the founder of Padrón cigars, José Padrón.
- Perdomo Sun Grown Habano Bourbon Barrel Aged: The cigar features a Sun Grown wrapper that has been aged for a minimum of 6 years and then gets another 6 additional months inside bourbon barrels to give it a distinct flavor. The blend is rounded out with high-priming Cuban seed binders and fillers from Jalapa, Condega, and Estelí, Nicaragua which are aged for 4 to 6 years. The result is a medium bodied cigar with rich and billowy smoke. There are notes of cedar, espresso, and spice with a buttery smooth finish with hints of bourbon.
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Thanks for the following comment, Joe. I am glad you are taking an interest in our blogs. I especially like the articles that deal with pairing cigars and libations. There are also many great cocktail recipes littered throughout the website in the cigar descriptions themselves. Some are classic, some nouveau. Cheers!
I absolutely LOVE the Oliva Master Blends 3 and the Perdomo offerings are always great. I will have to try the rest of these sticks.