Sam Leccia Luchador El Hombre

Sam Leccia is the mastermind behind Leccia Tobacco. You may not have heard of him, but he spent a number of years working for the Oliva cigar family, so you probably have had some of his cigars. The third installment from Leccia Tobacco, the Luchador (meaning ‘wrestler’ in Spanish), is an exotic five-country blend that has so much flavor that you will want to jump in the ring! Handcrafted in Nicaragua, this extremely unique cigar features a never-before-seen blend of tobacco long-fillers: viso from Esteli, Nicaragua, ligero from Pennsylvania and Jamastran, Honduras, along with distinct tobaccos from Ometepe, Nicaragua. On a quick side note: the name Ometepe derives from the Nahuatl words ome (two) and tepetl (mountain), meaning two mountains, and is the largest volcanic island within a fresh lake (Lake Nicaragua) in the world, containing rich soils requiring little to no fertilizers. Bound with a zesty Ecuadorian Habano binder, this smoke is finished with a nearly flawless wrapper from San Andrés Mexico. Chocked full of flavor from the foot to the distinctive nipple cap, once lit, you will notice medium to full bodied flavors of espresso, pepper and tobacco. Try it with a hard cider.

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.