Part 1 – Nicaragua

What is terroir? Terroir is a French word without an exact English translation – it refers to the full environment where a product is grown. It encompasses the climate (rainfall, temperature, cloud cover), the soil conditions (what minerals and nutrients are present) and the terrain (altitude, slopes, and nearby physical features like water sources or tree cover.) It’s best known from the wine world but tobacco is very much like grapes, all of those conditions combine to give the tobacco in your cigar it’s unique notes.

Regions of Nicaragua

Tobacco grown in the elevations of the Estelí region of Nicaragua is known for it’s boldness, pepperiness, and high nicotine content, due to the elevation it receives intense UV light which leads to thicker and more oily leaf, contributing to it’s strength. The volcanic soil is exceptionally rich in iron and the minerals potassium and magnesium, contributing to the pepper and spice notes. Estelí leaf is primarily used as filler or binder tobacco.

 Tobacco from the Jalapa valley of Nicaragua tends to be sweeter – with notes of cedar and nuts, more aromatic and creamier – a complete contrast to Estelí. The valley is surrounded by mountains that often provide cloud cover – a natural substitute for the cheesecloth covering used to make shade grown tobacco in other regions – with high humidity and light breezes, lending to a thinner, low nicotine level leaf. While rich in nutrients from the runoff of the surrounding mountains the soil is a mix of sand and iron oxide rich clay giving it a deep red color, it’s a similar composition to the Pinar del Rio region of Cuba. Jalapa leaf lends itself to being used as a wrapper leaf.

Condega is another of the main growing areas of Nicaragua with it’s own unique terroir, it lies in a cooler valley slightly north of the Estelí region. The soil is a heavy loam with balanced organic and mineral content due to runoff from the surrounding mountains. The leaf is supple with a medium nicotine content with earthy, natural sweetness and more aromatic than leaf from Estelí. It is a great binder leaf and is often used in the filler for it’s aromatic nature.

The newest darling of tobacco is from the Ometepe region of Nicaragua, a volcanic island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. It’s low laying with high humidity and heat but a sturdy breeze keeps the leaf oily and supple. The soil is loose and purely volcanic, it’s extremely high in potassium, magnesium and calcium. The conditions combine to give the tobacco a sweet-salty profile with an earthy and sometimes metallic tang. It’s used primarily as a filler or binder leaf.