The 10 Best Nicaraguan Cigars of 2022
As Central America’s largest country, the Republic of Nicaragua is a popular tourist destination known for its beautiful beaches, lush tropical forests, volcanic activity, and of course, its magnificent tobacco crops. The diversity of Nicaragua’s geography and culture is reflected in its cigars, as they are recognized the world over as being some of the finest produced. Narrowing a list of the best Nicaraguan cigars down to a manageable number is tough, but here are our top ten from the jewel of Central America.
#1 - San Cristobal Quintessence
San Cristobal Quintessence was rated 95 points and crowned the ‘#3 Cigar of the Year’ by the critics in Cigar Aficionado for 2021. It’s easy to taste why when you indulge in this cigar’s impressive profile of cocoa, cedar, molasses, and coffee bean notes with a spicy emphasis in the nose. A creamy and smoky finish resonates with pure elegance in a collection of six classic shapes drawn from vintage Nicaraguan long-fillers and a glistening Cuban-seed wrapper. San Cristobal cigars are blended by legendary cigar-maker Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia in Estelí, Nicaragua.
#2 - La Aroma de Cuba Pasión
La Aroma de Cuba Pasión debuted in 2021 and is blended by award-winning father-and-son cigar-makers Pepin and Jaime Garcia. A complex profile of smoked cashew, leather, cedar, and molasses lulls the palate into a spicy state of bliss in six sizes. Pasión is finished in a beautiful Shade Grown wrapper harvested in the abundant soils of Namanji, where the richest plots are shielded from direct sunlight on a private Garcia family estate eighteen miles east of Estelí. Premium long-fillers grown in Esteli, Jalapa, and Namanji are matured to perfection to complete this exquisite blend. Hailing from a portfolio that includes the 95-rated Mi Amor and the 94-rated Edicion Especial, Pasión is the latest La Aroma de Cuba cigar that deserves your attention.
#3 - Padrón 1964 Anniversary
For a fourth time, Padrón cigars have taken home Cigar Aficionado’s coveted ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ title with Padrón 1964 Anniversary. Savor the rich, full-bodied flavor in every draw of this 97-rated gem thanks to a premium blend of vintage Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos tucked beneath a glistening, gingerbread-hued Nicaraguan wrapper leaf. Notes of nutmeg, cinnamon, cedar, cocoa, and cayenne pepper please the palate from beginning to end in several box-pressed sizes. Padrón 1964 Anniversary lives up to its legendary status with its impressive consistency and taste.
#4 - My Father Le Bijou 1922
No top ten Nicaraguan cigar list would be complete without a tribute to My Father cigars, the signature brand of Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia and his son, Jaime. The Garcia family produces several Nicaraguan classics, including the 97-rated My Father Le Bijou 1922, the family’s second to earn a ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ accolade. A Cuban-seed Nicaraguan Oscuro wrapper conceals an impeccable blend of Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos in a series of popular sizes. Hearty tasting notes of black pepper and wood characterize the profile with hints of semi-sweet cocoa and coffee beans. The finish is meaty and intense but nicely balanced. Smoke it on a full stomach.
#5 - Flor de las Antillas
Flor de las Antillas was the first cigar to earn the Garcia family a coveted ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ title from Cigar Aficionado back in 2012. The 96-rated blend boasts a premium array of aged Nicaraguan long-fillers beneath a lustrous Sun Grown Nicaraguan wrapper leaf. A medium to full-bodied profile of cedar, cocoa, and cayenne arrives in a collection of cool-burning formats before a creamy and rich finish. A decade after its debut, Flor de las Antillas is as sought after as any of the best Nicaraguan cigars you can smoke today.
#6 - Oliva Master Blends 3
Oliva cigars have established a massive audience with a portfolio that includes the 95-rated Oliva Serie V and the 96-rated Oliva Serie V Melanio, but Master Blends 3 boasts hundreds of customer reviews and a near perfect 5-star customer rating. Mouthwatering notes of dark chocolate, coffee, and brown sugar resonate in four balanced formats. A succulent Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper covers a premium array of well-aged Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos procured from prized Oliva farms. Master Blends 3 culminates with a creamy, luscious finish and is considered the company’s official ‘Crown Jewel.’ Sample every size in the wildly popular Oliva Master Blends Monster Deal.
#7 - Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne
Value and approachability reign supreme in the silky, balanced flavor of Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne. An earthy blend of white pepper and leather furnishes hints of coffee and cream that satisfy with amazing consistency. Brand founder Nick Perdomo is well known for creating cigars with magnificent taste and consistency for a great price. Fans of Perdomo cigars unanimously adore 10th Anniversary Champagne for its versatile, easygoing taste and unrivaled value.
#8 - Nub Connecticut
Nub cigars came to prominence over ten years ago with their unmistakable short, fat shapes. They’re as fat as a 64 ring gauge but aren’t a smidgen past 4 inches in length, and Nub Connecticut is the most popular with its creamy profile of white pepper, cashew, and almond. A silky Ecuador Connecticut wrapper conceals an eventful amalgam of premium Nicaraguan tobaccos aged for optimal smoothness. Nub cigars are handmade by the top-rated Oliva company in Esteli, Nicaragua, and there are four additional blends to savor: Cameroon, Habano, Maduro, and Corojo. Sample these curiously squatty handmades all at once in the Nub ‘Stub Club’ Monster Deal.
#9 - Tatuaje
Tatuaje cigars have been sought after by small-batch cigar fanatics for years. Brand founder Pete Johnson has cultivated a sizeable following of like-minded aficionados over the past two decades. The original Tatuaje blend features an oily and dark Ecuador Habano wrapper leaf over a premium handcrafted core of Nicaraguan tobaccos grown by the Garcia family. Full-bodied notes of leather, earth, and wood display a wealth of spices in a series of traditional shapes.
#10 - New World by AJ Fernandez
Premium cigar-maker AJ Fernandez blends a burgeoning portfolio of Nicaraguan cigars in addition to several Cuban-legacy smokes for Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta. His original New World blend is never far from the top of our sales charts thanks to its meaty profile of espresso, earth, and spices with hints of dark chocolate. An oily Nicaraguan wrapper leaf embraces a bountiful core of Nicaraguan long-fillers in four thick shapes. Get acquainted with New World and four more top-rated AJ Fernandez cigars in the ‘El Cubano’ Sampler, when you’re in search the best Nicaraguan handmades to add to your humidor.
All Nicaraguan Cigars
While premium cigar imports to the U.S. continue to climb across today’s premier cigar-producing nations, Nicaragua leads the pack with 19.3 million cigars, followed by the Dominican Republic’s 12.7 million and 7.9 million coming from Honduras according to recent statistics in Cigar Aficionado. Our full selection of Nicaraguan cigars includes hundreds of brands. Discover many more in addition to our top ten list when you shop for Nicaraguan cigars from Holt’s, your official home for the finest cigars in the world.
