Arganese Nicaraguan

Arganese cigars may not be a household name yet, but Gene Arganese didn’t intend it to be. After a long and successful career as a real estate developer, his passion for cigars turned into a hobby as he started making cigars for his own enjoyment and later for friends and family. After his friends, family, and clients began calling him begging him for more, he found some people that would make his cigars in Santiago, Dominican Republic part time and have 500 cigars made for his personal use in 2005. After a short time, he was making more that 500 and his part-workers told him that he either needed to stick to the 500 cigars or make this a full time career. He did his research and found some of the best people in the business including Simon Bolivar who has 30 years experience as a master blender, Cristobol Vasquez who is the factory manager and has been in the cigar business for years, and to round out the team, Gustavo Peña who is known as one of the best growers in the area. Together, the four of them purchased a new factory and Arganese Cigars was born in 2007. Arganese Nicaraguan delivers a super flavorful cigar with a little oomph. A dark brown Nicaraguan Habano wrapper with Nicaraguan binder is filled with Cuban-seed Nicaraguan long-fillers from only 100% first generation Cuban-seeds with only traditional Cuban growing and aging methods. This beautifully constructed cigar will deliver a dense tobacco core with notes of leather, cocoa, and cinnamon ending with a semi-sweet long peppery finish. A perfect everyday cigar, we found that a witbier is a perfect companion.

The Nicaraguan cigar industry originated when Cuban cigar makers escaped the revolution and re-established their livelihood in Nicaragua with Cuban-seed tobacco. Blessed with dark, rich soil, their new home was ideal for tobacco cultivation and Nicaragua quickly became known for cigars that rivaled Cuban quality. Unfortunately, revolution and war came to Nicaragua in the 1980s and devastated the industry, but it’s rebounded dramatically and is once again producing tobacco considered by many to be the finest in the world. The Esteli Valley is in many ways the heart of Nicaraguan production and is known for its very powerful and spicy tobacco. The Jalapa Valley produces arguably the finest tobacco in the country: somewhat sweeter and less intense than Esteli, but extremely complex. The tobacco of the Condega Valley is often described as a blend of the other two regions.