I decided to catch the sunrise on our last morning in Esteli by heading up to the roof patio of our hotel. I missed the first light of the morning, but I did get a close up experience with the 6 a.m. air raid siren that rustles everyone out of their beds and off to work and school.

 A quick breakfast and one last visit to the little shop across the street for some of their delicious sugar cookies, and I was ready for another day of cigar adventure.

Our first stop of the day was at American Caribbean Cigars where they make several of the lines for our gracious hosts from Torano Cigars. It didn't take us long to light that first cigar of the day and we were off to the factory floor. As a special treat, some of their master rollers created some very interesting cigars. Double wrappers, triple wrappers, barber poles, and one piece of artwork that is impossible to describe with words.

The great thing about American Caribbean Cigars is that it was a much smaller factory—more “boutique,” to use a cigar term. They did some aging and processing here but it was all in small batches.

A quick ride out of town took us to a large scale processing plant. It is here that we were able to witness fermentation, sorting and grading. The size of the facility was very impressive and the amount of tobacco that they were able to process in a day is truly remarkable. As we made our way through the various buildings there were room after room of women sorting and shaking these wonderful leaves. It is rare to see a man do this job and it has nothing to do with sexism. Women are much better at distinguishing the differences in color and quality of the leaves. Their eye for detail is critical in the process.

As important as rolling a cigar correctly is in the process of producing a cigar, there isn't anything more critical than proper fermentation. As we walked into the room with the large pallets of fermenting tobacco, known as pillones, the aroma of ammonia certainly filled the air. The level was dependent on just how long the pillones had been fermenting. Those early in the process had very intense smells and sinus congestion was not a problem after a few moments next to these stacks. After completing our tobacco processing lessons we boarded our van and headed off to lunch. Columbian fare along with a few cervezas really hit the spot. It prepared us for our visit to the box factory. We did visit another small processing center before ultimately arriving at the place where the packaging is created.

What starts out as a big block of cedar is soon crafted into some of the most beautiful cigar boxes found anywhere. One hundred percent of this process is done by hand. The boxes are assembled, glued, nailed, and hinged all by hand. They are then lacquered and finished the same way. The work conditions at this factory are quite dusty and loud, but everyone there was focused on their job and seemed to enjoy what they were doing.

Our final visit of the trip before we headed back to Managua, was a visit to Plasencia Cigars. Not many cigar factories are laid out like a resort, but this one truly is. Court yards with fountains, pristine landscaping, and some of the cleanest floors you will ever see are the standard here. At each stop along the way we were presented with many exceptional gifts of cigars, but at Plasencia we were given a nice set of the Torano Finite cigars. These limited edition sticks are as tasty as they are scarce. Of course everyone in the group quickly lit one up, which we enjoyed for the rest of the tour. Just before we boarded our van for the last time we were afforded the opportunity to visit their blending room/library. It is here that they have samples of every leaf in their portfolio. One only needs to make a few marks on a sheet and within minutes they can taste a sample of their blend. I made a few copies of the sheet, so I may have to send them some specs for the cigar I have wanted to blend for many years. It is amazing how diverse their tobacco portfolio is. They had all the tobacco I want to use.

As usual, all good things must come to an end and it was time for us to leave this magical place. As we drove down the Pan American Highway towards Managua I couldn't help but think of just how important cigars are to this area. If there were no cigar industry here, one third of Esteli's population would be unemployed. Think about that the next time you pay $7 for a Nicaraguan cigar. For the price of an hour of relaxation, you are building schools, clinics and better living conditions for a lot of people.

Our final night in Central America consisted of a nice dinner followed by a few more great cigars. What a great trip, what great people and sadly now a great memory.

Long Ashes,

Chris Gwaltney, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits North Florida Regional Manager. Certified Tobacconist and Cicerone Beer Server. Follow me on Twitter @abccigarchris.