El Galan Campechano Maduro Churchill

Being well-versed in the old world cigar traditions, Felix Mesa draws from three ancestral generations of tobacco cultivation in Cuba’s famed central region. Now hailing from Nicaragua where it is handmade at Mesa’s own factory, the El Galan Campechano Maduro begins with a beautiful Ecuadorian Maduro wrapper which enrobes a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan picadura filler (short fillers) from Jalapa, Condega, and Esteli. With excellent construction and razor sharp burn, this medium-bodied smoke will lend flavors of espresso, spice, dark chocolate, pepper, and earth. Our panel recommended lighting this stogie up and pairing it with a pinot grigio on a patio.

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.