In this blog, Felix Wallenhorst will give you a tour of Nicaragua, a country brimming with passion for tobacco and craftsmanship. Our brand ambassador got to experience nine action-packed days in the country, getting up close and personal with the production process and gaining valuable insights. Join us on a trip to the Central American country for a glimpse into the world of tobacco, fermentation, and the art of rolling cigars.
Day 1: In search of the perfect tobacco
I started my adventure in Nicaragua with a visit to a small tobacco farmer in the Condega region, a well-known tobacco-growing area in the northwest of the country. My colleague Yasserth Reyes (Production Manager at VILLIGER de Nicaragua) and I were immediately struck by the quality of the tobacco. We carefully examined the different types of leaves, paying attention to their appearance and feel to ensure they meet our high standards. This inspection is crucial, as some of the producers’ quality criteria differ from VILLIGER de Nicaragua’s. Another way to check the quality of the tobacco is to do a quick smell test. You pick up about 20 leaves, open them up like a book, and take a whiff. Then, spread out a few leaves individually by hand and light them from below. The way they burn gives you a good idea of the quality and maturity of the leaf. The resulting smoke allows you to assess the aroma. Depending on the way and speed the leaf burns, you can tell how mature it was when it was harvested. All this information tells us how much work we still have to do before we can process the tobacco.
Day 2: From the box factory to fermentation
Today, we visited a large cigar box factory, the Cigar Box Factory (Humidif). It produces an impressive 20,000 cigar boxes a month, which are made entirely by hand. This factory also makes the boxes for our VILLIGER 1888 NICARAGUA and VILLIGER DE NICARAGUA EDICIÓN LIMITADAS. Following that, we got first-hand insight into our own factory, “VILLIGER de Nicaragua,” which made for an exciting contrast.
A fermentation stack of wrappers had been built in our tobacco warehouse the week before. Temperatures inside the stack can reach up to 55 degrees Celsius during fermentation. A drop in temperature indicates that the fermentation process is almost complete. However, if the quality of the tobacco is not yet right, another fermentation process is started.
This involved disassembling the pile and taking the leaves to a humidification room (Moja de Tabaco). Here, the leaves were moistened with specially filtered water. The bundled leaves were stored overnight in a climate-controlled room to fully absorb the water through the leaf veins.
Day 3: Starting the fermentation process
I returned to our factory the following day to see the next step in the process. After the leaves had been left to absorb the moisture overnight, the next step was to rebuild the fermentation stack. Stacking the leaves creates high pressure in the middle of the stack. Combined with the increased moisture in the leaves, this generates heat, which in turn restarts the fermentation process.
Day 4: Puro Sabor Festival and factory tour
The big day had arrived. The guests of the Puro Sabor Festival were on their way to our VILLIGER de Nicaragua factory for a tour. The festival also had a few surprises in store for them. In addition to the one planned factory tour, the program suddenly included three factory tours, two of which took place that same day. I quickly learned that plans in Nicaragua can change spontaneously.
We welcomed the first guests with coffee and cigars and settled in our conference room. Before entering the inner sanctum, I introduced our company and factories to the guests, providing some fascinating insights.
Afterward, Mario Perez (Quality Management) gave them a tour of the facility – which provided an in-depth insight into the production process and lasted about an hour and a half. The tour started in the tobacco warehouse before moving on to quality control, cigar rolling, and finishing in packaging and shipping. Each part of the tour was followed by a port and cigar-tasting session, an idea inspired by similar events I had previously hosted in Germany. The pairing of chilled port and selected cigars was a big hit with our guests. Many of them complimented not only the tasting but also the factory’s impeccable organization and cleanliness – a standard that, while taken for granted in countries like Switzerland or Germany, is still considered something of an exception in Nicaragua. Our commitment made a strong impression on our guests. In the evening, guests were invited to the White Party. This stylish event gave producers and guests the opportunity to exchange ideas in a casual get-together.
Day 5: Tour, fermentation, and gala
The fifth day kicked off with the third and final tour. After that, I turned my attention back to the tobacco since it was time to precondition it. What does that involve? The tobacco is usually stored in our warehouse at a higher humidity than we need for cigar rolling. This means we have to reduce the water content before we can hand the tobacco over to the rollers. To do this, the filler is placed in stacks of about 25 leaves on metal grilles that allow air to flow through. The tobacco is left like this over the weekend until it reaches the desired moisture level of about 15 to 18 percent – perfect for rolling cigars.
That evening, there was a big gala event to celebrate the end of the festival, which some employees also attended. This year’s festival ended on a high note complete with live music, delicious food, and cold drinks.
Day 6: Preparing for production
Today it was time to prepare our cigars for rolling. We processed the tobacco that had already been dried on Friday for the rollers. This involved weighing out and packing bags (each containing 340 grams) of filler, providing enough for 100 cigars. The rollers collect these bags from the tobacco counter whenever they have finished their previous tobacco creation.
To round off the day, I got to take part in a factory tour at another factory and gain further insights.
Day 7: Visiting the Jalapa growing region
Yasserth and I traveled to Jalapa, a city in the north near the border with Honduras. The region is known for producing excellent, mild, and aromatic wrappers. The farmer gave us a tour of his greenhouses, where he grows tobacco seedlings – where it all begins. We visited his fields, talked about this year’s harvest, and then went to see his curing barns. The farmer told us that, judging by the harvest, it had not been the best year so far. The days were too warm and the nights too cold – not ideal conditions for growing tobacco.
Even so, there was a lot for us to discover. We were particularly impressed seeing how many people were working with and for tobacco at the various sites. Tobacco is still almost exclusively grown by hand, without the use of machines.
After it has dried, the tobacco is fermented and sorted. During the sorting process, the tobacco is divided into more than 15 different grades based on color, size, and quality. Experienced employees are invaluable to the success of this process.
We concluded this informative day with a visit to another farmer.
Day 8: Rolling cigars
Today, I had the privilege of learning how to roll the VILLIGER 1888 NICARAGUA Perfecto – all under the watchful eye of our best roller. Even with such excellent instruction, rolling a cigar, especially one of this format, proved to be quite a challenge. During the subsequent Puros Grados tasting, we rolled and sampled test cigars made from individual leaves. The aim today was to find the right tobaccos for a new cigar. It took about 15 samples to come up with a new blend.
After a long and exciting day, Yasserth and I got to enjoy dinner with the office team.
Day 9: Farewell and awards
On my last day, I visited the cigar warehouse, where we store our premium long-filler cigars for at least six weeks before they receive their bands, cellophane wrappers, and packaging. This room is every cigar aficionado’s dream.
My trip concluded with a group photo of the entire production team. Everyone was holding the fantastic reviews our Nicaraguan cigars received from Cigar Journal. This team is responsible for the creation of all our Nicaraguan cigars, and they have earned my utmost respect.
Spending nine days in Nicaragua was an intense, eye-opening, and rewarding experience. To see the passion and craftsmanship that goes into every cigar is awe-inspiring. I feel very fortunate that I get to share this with you. Muchas gracias y hasta la próxima.
