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36 pages
- StoryInside Doña Elba Cigars: A Firsthand Look at Cigar Making in Granada, NicaraguaPhotographs and video from an afternoon at a cigar workshop in colonial Granada.
- SectionFrom Seed to Legend
- SectionHall of Legends
- SectionThe Makers
- SectionCigar Culture
- SectionRegions
- SectionCigar 101
- SectionWatch
- SectionThe Story
- SectionAwards
- SectionStories
- SectionWho makes your cigar
- SectionThe quiz
- SectionAbout
- SectionHow we research
- SectionContact
- SectionPhoto credits
- RegionEstelíWhere the world's great cigars are rolled Estelí is the heart of it all. Most of Nicaragua's great factories sit within a few miles of each other in this mountain valley, and its dark soil grows the strong, spicy leaf that powers many of the country's blends.
- RegionCondegaRocky ground, balanced leaf A short drive north of Estelí, Condega's fields supply some of the most respected names in the business. Growers prize its leaf for a middle-range flavour that sits between Estelí's power and Jalapa's finesse.
- RegionJalapaRed clay and silky wrappers Up against the Honduran border, the Jalapa valley grows leaf Cigar Aficionado describes as more balanced and elegant than Estelí's. Its red clay is famous for smooth wrapper leaf.
- RegionOmetepeTobacco grown in volcanic soil Rising out of Lake Nicaragua, Ometepe is two volcanoes joined by a strip of land. Growers like Plasencia and A.J. Fernández farm its rich volcanic soil, where the lake's humidity shapes a sweeter leaf.
- MakerPadrónJosé Orlando Padrón left Cuba, rebuilt in Estelí and created the most decorated house in Cigar of the Year history.
- MakerMy FatherMaster roller Don Pepín García and his family brought Cuban-style blending to their own farm and factory in Estelí.
- MakerJoya de NicaraguaNicaragua's first premium cigar factory: it survived revolution and nationalisation and still rolls in Estelí.
- MakerA.J. FernándezOne of the busiest houses in the country, making its own brands and cigars for some of the biggest names in the business.
- MakerDrew EstateFrom Brooklyn to La Gran Fabrica in Estelí: home of Liga Privada, Undercrown and the famous Cigar Safari.
- MakerOlivaThe Serie V Melanio, Cigar of the Year in 2014, comes out of the Tabolisa factory in Estelí.
- MakerPerdomoNick Perdomo's farm-to-box operation, famous for its bourbon-barrel-aged tobacco.
- MakerPlasenciaA tobacco family going back to 1865, farming seven terroirs including the volcanic island of Ometepe.
- GuideAnatomy of a cigarfiller binder wrapper cap foot
- GuideCigar glossarywords terms pilon ligero seco viso
- GuideCigar etiquettecut toast light ash lounge manners
- MakersClosed factories
- AboutEditorial policy
- AboutCorrections
- AboutSources