One of the most established of the Nicaraguan cigar brands is Padrón. This well-respected company first established its headquarters in Miami back in 1964, but it now operates from a facility in Nicaragua and produces handmade cigars using Cuban-seed tobacco. The brand has grown from the original Padrón Series cigars to include the Padrón 1964 Cigars line, the Padrón 1926 line and the Padrón Family Reserve line.

The Joya de Nicaragua also has a rich history, enjoying great popularity in the 1970s but faltering after the Sandinista Revolution led to the nationalization of the country’s cigar industry. In 1994, Alexander Martinez Cuenca purchased the struggling company and vowed to return Joya de Nicaragua to its former glory. The classic cigar was such a huge success that the line grew to include the Joya de Nicaragua Antaño, the Celebración and the Antaño Gran Reserva.

The Oliva brand was launched in 1886 in Cuba but moved operations to Nicaragua in the early 1960s. Today, Oliva is the country’s second largest grower of Cuban-seed tobacco. This brand includes the Serie 3 Melanio, Master Blends 3, Serie V Maduro Especial and Connecticut Reserve – all of which feature fillers and binders consisting of Nicaraguan tobacco.

Perdomo is another brand that can trace its roots back to pre-Castro Cuba, where Nick Perdomo Sr. was imprisoned for years before escaping to the U.S. Now Perdomo, currently based in Estelí, Nicaragua, produces the Perdomo Edición de Silvio Natural, Perdomo Exhibición, Perdomo Habano and Perdomo Fresco Natural.

While the Don Pepín García brand created by José “Pepín” García .col-sm-10ides production between a factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, and one in Miami’s Little Havana, the cigars this company produces all use Nicaraguan tobacco. Popular lines include Don Pepín García Blue Label, Don Pepín García Black Edition (Cuban Classic Black Label) and Don Pepín García Serie JJ (White Label).

Tabacalera Fernandez had very humble beginnings, starting out in a rundown Estelí, Nicaragua, factory with only six rollers. Fortunatley, the company has since grown into one of the largest in the country and producing nine million cigars each year. Some of the cigars manufactured by A.J. Fernandez are Diesel, Emilio, Man O’War, Padilla, Pinolero and San Lotano.

Check our Nicaraguan Series By AJ Fernandez review, looking at the latest cigar offering.

Another cigar company with its factory in Estelí is Drew Estate, the name behind more than a dozen brands. Cigar lines now under the Drew Estate umbrella are ACID, Undercrown, Liga Privada, Nica Rustica, MUWAT, Herrera Estelí, Tabak Especial, Isla del Sol, La Vieja Habana, Ambrosia and Subculture.

CAO was founded in 1968 as a pipe company and has been producing Nicaraguan cigars since the 1990s. CAO cigar brands include Brazilia, Criollo, Gold, Italia, MX2, Concert, Gold Maduro, LX2 and Osa Sol. CAO is probably best known for its line of flavored cigars that mix natural flavors like vanilla beans with tobacco from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

Launched in the mid-1990s, Rocky Patel was started when Hollywood attorney Rakesh Patel developed an interest in the industry through his celebrity clients, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The brand took off when the name was changed from Indian Tabac to Rocky Patel Premium Cigars in 2002; the Vintage 1990 and Vintage 1992 cigars came out the next year. The Vintage 1992 Toro cigar is considered to be one of the best, read more about this cigar in our Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 Cigar Review.

A long list of Rocky Patel cigars followed, soon to be joined by a line of Rocky Patel Private Label Cigars.