I fancy myself a lover of wine and cigars.  Selecting great wine for our guests is my vocation as is the personal enjoyment of wine.  But fine cigars are also a passion of mine.  So understandably, when presented with an opportunity to travel into the heart of cigar country, I jumped at the chance to feed my fascination and obtain a more tactile understanding of the cigar maker's art.

My affinity with cigars began back in the early 90s, around the same time as the launch of Cigar Aficionado as a publication.  Up until then I had been a cigarette smoker.  On the recommendation of a business associate, I transitioned to cigars as a seemingly better alternative.  I haven't touched a cigarette since.

While both topics may seem disparate, wine and cigars share a deeper bond than just a pairing of puros and Ports.  In fact, as I was to discover, the concepts of variety selection, fermentation, aging, terroir, innovation and organic practices share commonality within both spheres.  Not to mention the passion and drive shared between the best producers of each in their respective crafts.

Within those early pages of Cigar Aficionado, I learned about the legendary cigars of Cuba. Fortunately it was a time when Cuban cigars, while difficult to obtain, were still on par with their reputation.  For an American cigar lover, the post-embargo Cuban puro was the forbidden fruit.  And of course, you had to travel outside of the US to taste it.  Back then a Cuban was worth the long journey.

Sadly, over the last couple of decades the rush to overproduction and the extinction of Cuba's singular wrapper leaf, El Corojo, has Cuba's preeminence within the cigar world waning.  Quality control is now a major issue.

Other countries in the Caribbean have more than adequately filled the quality vacuum. Today, I would argue that Honduras, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua produce cigars that are consistently superior.

One of the top producers today in Nicaragua is undoubtably Toraño Family Cigars.  Imagine the thrill of a lifetime for this wine guy accompanying Carlos Toraño to his company's operations in Esteli this past week!  Señor Toraño and his Sales Manager, Armando Lapido were extraordinarily gracious hosts, inviting us to witness every facet of production from its inception on the farm to its packing in the box.

Carlos Toraño

And I thought the production of great wine was labor intensive!

If you've been following this space over the last three days, then you already have a keen account of our travels from our certified tobacconist, Chris Gwaltney.

In future, look for postings from our other ABCFWS team members Bob Gibson, Gary Murphy, and James Keep as well, lending their own personal accounts to the mix.

I too plan on chiming in, especially with tasting notes on great Toraño cigars as I sample them paired with the appropriate libation :)

James Greeley, SW Florida Wine Supervisor. Follow me on Twitter @ABCWineJimG