Man O' War Valkyrie Churchill

Man O' War is carefully blended and hand crafted by Abdel “AJ” Fernandez in Esteli, Nicaragua. If you haven’t heard of him then you may have heard of his list of clients which includes Ernie Padilla, Rocky Patel, and Kaizad Hansotia, among others. Born in Cuba, AJ began working with tobacco at a very young age under the watchful eye of cigar legend Alejandro Robaina, considered the Godfather of Cuban cigars. Over 40 years ago, in the country's famed Pinar del Rio region, Don Alejandro cultivated what is still considered Cuba's finest wrapper leaf. After decades spent absorbing the master's knowledge, AJ moved to Nicaragua and began building what is now considered one of the finest boutique makers in the Central American country. Of all the cigars expertly made in his own factory – ITC (Indian Tabac) 10th Anniversary and Rocky Patel's Fusion, among them – AJ considers the Man O' War his best creation.

The Valkyrie in your shipment today is truly one of kind. Handmade in Nicaragua, this stellar stick has a Nicaraguan binder and fillers and is finished with a very special Connecticut wrapper leaf known as a “Desflorado”. According to Cigar Aficionado, Desflorado is: Tobacco that has been topped, or removed of its flower, seeds, and sometimes the entire upper portion of a tobacco plant. This causes the tobacco plant to redirect its energies from creation of the flower (which contains tobacco seeds) to the tobacco leaves. This process is very rare and creates a very unique flavor. The Valkyrie is a mild to medium smoke offering notes of coffee, cedar, light pepper, and cream. This cigar is jam-packed with flavor yet mild enough for any time of day; try pairing it with a session IPA on a lazy afternoon.

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.