Methodology

How we verify

This guide is built on a research baseline dated 2026-10-15. Every record carries a status, a last-checked date and its sources. This page explains what those labels mean, and what they do not mean yet.

What the status badges mean

Verified

Supported by at least two opened A/B-grade sources (research method, Oct 2026). Not yet independently rechecked by our editors.

Probable

Supported by one opened source or a business listing with a website.

Unverified

Map listing or name match only. Needs field verification.

Important: "Verified" describes the research method used to build the baseline. Our editors have not yet independently rechecked each record, and we have not interviewed anyone. Where we add our own observations, the page says so, with the date.

Firsthand reporting

Our editorial work combines published sources with original photography and firsthand observations. Our original field material includes a visit to Doña Elba Cigars in Granada, Nicaragua, where photographs and videos documented aspects of cigar-making activity. We distinguish firsthand observations from information obtained through published sources, and we do not present informal visits as independent verification of a manufacturer's broader claims.

When a record is published

• Ready: listed with full details and sources.
• Ready with caveats: listed, with a visible note on what is uncertain.
• Needs verification: shown only as an "Unverified listing" row, never as a profile.
• Held: hidden until its status is reconfirmed (for example a venue flagged as temporarily closed).
• Historical only: shown on history pages, never as an active business.

These rules are enforced in code. The site build fails if the data has broken references or would publish an unsupported record. Rules in force: ready, ready with caveats, ready with status caveat, needs verification, hold status check required, historical only do not list as active, context only.

What the research contains

Of 65 factory records, only 10 are pinned on the atlas: those whose coordinates come from a map listing tied to the factory's official website. We never estimate a location.

Sources

Sources are graded A to D for reliability and dated when checked. 6 sources were only seen in search results, not opened; we do not cite them until someone reopens and reads them. The full list is on the sources page.

What is not verified yet

• Source pages have not all been reopened to check for changes since the research date.
• Award counts, production figures, ownership, contact details and operating status are research findings until checked against their sources.
• Production figures (for example cigars per day or number of employees) are company claims, and we label them that way.
• Search-volume figures for cigar terms are not available from Google's keyword tools, so we do not quote demand for them.
• Photos are either licensed (credited on each image) or our own (labelled as original). No legal review or interviews have been done yet, and our only field visit so far is the one described above.

Ratings and awards

Ratings belong to the publications that issued them. We always name the publication, the year and the scale, and we never copy review text or present a rating as our own.

Maps

• Department and municipality boundaries: geoBoundaries (gbOpen NIC ADM1/ADM2), derived from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL 1.0.
• Lakes and Ometepe shoreline: Natural Earth 10m lakes v5.1.2, public domain.

Estelí, Condega and Jalapa are drawn as municipality boundaries; Ometepe is drawn as its island shoreline. Growing areas such as "the Jalapa valley" are geographic areas and do not follow administrative lines exactly.

Independence

We do not sell tobacco and have no sponsorships, partnerships or paid placements. If we ever accept hospitality or samples, we will disclose it on the page concerned.

Corrections

Found something wrong or out of date? Send a correction. Changes are logged with the date and the source.