I can't believe I'm saying this - not being a cigar aficionado - but never-the-less, our tour of Mombacho Cigars was a trip highlight in Nicaragua last January. My husband always picks up a box of cigars for his boss in Central America. In Panama, we were only able to complete our transaction at tiny Don Juan cigars near our remote beach stay in Corona, thanks to some English speaking customers. Luckily, our tour guide at Mombacho cigars in the bustling city of Granada, spoke fluent English.
First, we sipped some Flor de Cana # 7 and waited in the smokey sweet lounge.
Mombacho Cigars is located in a beautiful city mansion designed by the popular 20th century Italian architect, Mario Favilli. The photos that follow document the whole painstaking process from start to finish. Every cigar is hand rolled and made from tobacco grown in Nicaragua. The tour was fun and informative.
The selection process...
The drying...
Happy guy! In fact, all the employees seemed happy.
Here I am, rolling a big stogie. I guess the key is to not roll them too tight - just right - using the finest tobacco leaves of course.
"Hmmm, where do I slice and dice it? Right here perhaps?"
The perfect shape...
The box of loosey-goosey cigars are packed tight with relaxed background supervision. Ha!
The storage room is just the right temp.
This lady cleans the cigars with vinegar - cleaning up all those dirty hand rolled fingerprints - and adheres a spiffy label.
I was sad that I didn't get to keep the box. (the boss man got it)
But wait...back to the cigars we rolled, they actually have to figure out if the cigar is rolled correctly using air pressure. Geez.
Lastly, the cigar is sealed with a perfect circle cut from a tobacco leaf.
Several floors up, we exited the factory to see the panoramic city views.
If you look in the distance, in the upper left hand corner, you'll see Volcan Concepcion on the island of Ometepe.
But more importantly, there's the company namesake front and center, Volcan Mombacho, looming over the city of Granada.
Mombacho means "mother of our land" in the local indigenous tongue.
P.S. Several months later we smoked my husband's cigar by the campfire. (mine is still in the boss man's humidor) It had a good taste, but definitely one I haven't quite acquired a palette for. Unfortunately, I didn't smoke enough to get any kind of buzz and I didn't appreciate the after taste. Yuck.
The boss, however, said that they were the absolute best!
Score!
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17 comments:
How interesting! I smoked a couple of cigars many moons ago, in college. I even have a picture. They do have a dreadful aftertaste.
This was fascinating! I would never have thought about doing a cigar tour, but it was so interesting. Glad your hubby's boss loved his cigars!
In many places in the world, cigars are considered symbol of corruption and decadence. Our Prime Minister, for instance, is in trouble as he's being accused, among other things ,with having received cuban cigars on a regular basis from some influential friend.
Your pictures depicting the cigar production process are very interesting and informative. Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful post and photos about cigar making ~ ^_^
(A SHUTTERBUG EXPLORES)
I always thought there was an art to rolling a cigar but didn't realise how technical it was. Really interesting post.
What an incredible experience. My husband would enjoy this visit. He always make it a point to get a cigar for our neighbor when we travel.
Worth a Thousand Words
Wow! Yet another talent for our intrepid blogger. I'm not much of a cigar fan, either, but I sure would have liked the chance to roll one! :-)
Dean could always ask the boss man for the box once it is emptied.
I am not a fan of cigar (not at all) but I imagine the experience in learning about these is great. I know great care and expertise is needed to produce quality. In general, I enjoy vising factories and learning how things are made. #OurWorldTuesday
What an interesting post!
I enjoy the smell of cigars as they are being smoked, but I know I would get sick if I tried to smoke one myself. Fascinating the amount of quality control on the product - thanks for sharing!
Funny, I would never smoke a cigar, but it would be fun to see how they are made. I also find their smell lovely. They are just so warm and inviting.
Interesting tour and a lovely city.
That does look like a cool tour to go on! I've never been a cigar lover, but for whatever reason, I love the smell of a good cigar. Thanks for the tour!!
I don't smoke cigars either, but this looks like a fun tour.
Everything I know about cigars, you just taught me!
The employees really did seem to enjoying what they do.
Great (and educational) post Sharon...
Im glad the boss liked them -- we like factory tours (and watching experts work) but am afraid I couldn't stomach this one. There are still a few cigar places in Tampa (Ybor City) where supposedly they still make them. I've seen the store fronts, but that's all.
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