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In the US tobacco market, very few are surprised by the quality of Nicaraguan premium cigars.

The responsible for the creation of these excellent cigars is the Oettinger Davidoff Group, a well-known Swiss company of luxury products, whose main activity is tobacco. In 2003 they launched the Zino Platinun brand worldwide, as a tribute to Zino Davidoff, one of the best-known names in the history of cigars.

Villiger Söhne AG, the renowned Swiss cigar maker, opened a factory in Nicaragua just over a month ago.

Flavoring a cigar is nothing new. Almost all the mixtures that are used to make machine-made cigars have some type of ingredient to enhance their flavor, since the tobacco that is usually used is of low quality and therefore has little natural flavor.

Learning about the world of cigars is a task that excites all those who enjoy the experience of smoking good tobacco. They are interested in learning about the flavors and quality of the product and, of course, knowing in which countries the best are produced.

In the artisanal cigar industry it is not easy to find a person as authoritative as Ernesto Perez-Carrillo.

Oliva is the best-selling premium cigar brand in Nicaragua, and to a large extent, the growing recognition of that country as a great producer of excellent quality tobacco is due to it.

García y Vega is one of the favorite brands of machine-made cigar smokers.

Scarce and highly valued, Cameroon is one of the rarest, most prestigious and expensive wrappers in the world, to the point that some believe that it is the most exclusive on the planet. Its flavor is unique and incomparable, with spicy-sweet, chocolatey and coffee-like tones, which add a toasted and crunchy aroma and a silky sensation to the experience.

In the 1920s, Tampa was the cigar capital of the world, with an annual production of up to 500 million cigars in some 200 factories. 

The Dominican Republic and Nicaragua shared, in equal parts, the privilege of appearing among the first five awarded cigars of the year 2020, according to the annual ranking of the prestigious digital publication Cigar Aficionado. The Dominican Republic obtained the first two places, and Nicaragua the third and fourth place, being the fifth place in the power of a cigar made in Cuba.

We have all heard about Montecristo cigars, one of the most famous and valued brands in the world, an obligatory reference for every smoker for many decades. But there are some other cool things around this brand that you probably don't know about. Here we will tell you.

The US premium cigar import market was led for more than three decades by the Dominican Republic, but, according to figures from the Cigar Association of America (CAA), that situation changed five years ago.

The ring is the piece of paper that surrounds one of the ends of the cigar, where the format of the cigar (the vitola) is indicated and the brand name of the factory that made it is identified. Some call it a vitola, although it seems that the correct name is ring.

As we know, the passage of time affects the taste and aroma of a cigar. Especially the flavors and aromas of the premium ones, because to make the long filler, characteristic of these cigars, whole tobacco leaves are used that are rolled while it is still wet. 

The issue of cigar aging is complex and seems to have no end. However, it is worth remembering that, before the hands of the craftsman (torcedor/twister) make the cigar, each of the leaves that will be put together to form it, has gone through an aging process of at least two years.

Tobacco aging process

The third and last process to which tobacco is subjected after harvest is aging. In this stage, a complex ecological transformation takes place which, under certain conditions of temperature and humidity, changes the physical and chemical characteristics and significantly improves the aroma and flavor of the tobacco leaves.

Tobacco fermentation process.   

Tobacco Curing Process 

Shapes and sizes of the cigar. How do they affect its taste? 

 

Most popular formats

Continuing with the ABC of cigars, we will dedicate this article to comment on the main formats for their elaboration, a topic of special importance for all those who are starting in this fascinating world. 

Continuing with the ABC of tobacco, today we would like to share  some information of great interest for those who are just starting to learn about this complex but exciting world. 

The world of tobacco is huge. For this reason, anyone who is interested in the subject should start by learning some aspects that are like the ABCs of that practically endless universe. 

Not much is known about the origin of tobacco use, however it is known that it is indigenous to the New World and it is believed that it may have been used and domesticated in the Andean highlands between 8,000 and 6,000 years ago.