 New Dawn in Nicaragua (continued) Tabacalera Perdomo
The rise began as the dream of another Perdomo - Silvio, Nick, Jr.’s grandfather. Silvio first joined the cigar industry in the 1930s, working at the H. Upmann factory in Cuba. As the years went on, Silvio gained a reputation for developing innovative shapes and blends. The family’s affiliation with the Cuban cigar industry ended, however, when the Castro regime imprisoned Silvio Perdomo for “anti-communist activities.” Eventually, Silvio would rejoin the Perdomo family in the U.S., and his influence on Nick, Jr. remains to this day. “He has my father, Silvio, in him,” says Nick, Sr., pointing to his son as we step into the cavernous factory. “I’ve never seen anyone take to cigars like Nicky.” “This is the place where we make cigars the only way we know how, the Cuban way,” says a smiling Nick, Jr., straining above the din of the production floor. “Along with a little help from technology.” The new facility employs a high-tech cryogenic system which freezes the tobacco at -30° F for 72 hours to eliminate tobacco infestation problems. The mammoth, Spanish cedar-lined aging chambers also benefit from monitoring technology. In addition, a draw-testing station checks each cigar before it leaves the factory to ensure an effortless draw. It’s easy to see why the company’s seven cigar brands, including the Perdomo Reserve, Perdomo2, and Inmenso lines have received such tremendous praise over the past few years. Every brand, every box, every cigar, is inspected, to guarantee that only the cigars that meet the Perdomo standards are released. In addition, Tabacalera Perdomo produces the L’Anniversaire series for C.A.O., a line that has helped that company leap to the forefront of the industry in a short period of time. Both the Cameroon and maduro version of the L’Anniversaire have benefitted from receiving the same attention Nick gives his own lines. Both companies are happy about the partnership. Taken as a whole, the new factory and technology have put Tabacalera Perdomo in a position to catapult to the top of the industry, with the Perdomo lines as well as quality, private-label cigars. Clearly, when it comes to production facilities, the bar has been raised. Dannemann/Plasencia Plasencia, a friendly and hospitable but serious man, is one of the foremost tobacco experts in the world. His passion for tobacco, whether it be in farming, curing, rolling, or smoking, is clear to anyone who meets him. But even he is humble about his enterprise. “Anyone who tells you they know everything there is to know about tobacco is either a liar or a fool,” says Plasencia, with only a hint of humor in his voice. “There are so many variables, so much is left to nature, that we can’t know or control everything. But we must control what we can to the best of our abilities.” Clearly, Plasencia understands the tobacco world. When we visited him, Plasencia’s workers were busy producing Mayorgas and his own recently re-introduced Plasencia lines. [Personal note: I don’t like to play favorites, but the Mayorga torpedo maduro I smoked while checking the facilities knocked my socks off.] The respect he commands was evident when, as we were checking out some wrapper in a curing barn, he stopped to explain a new plan for organizing and hanging wrapper, developed in response to an extraordinarily large amount of tobacco that was about to be harvested. The field workers wandering by all stopped and popped their heads into the barn to listen to Nestor’s plan, the same way NBA players huddle arround their coaches during a timeout. Plasencia’s Esteli factory is running full blast, with high demand for his brands and those of Cigars by Santa Clara, for whom he also produces cigars. With the industry-wide popularity of his Habana2000 leaf, Nestor Plasencia is in a good position for the post-boom ride.
Esteli Cigar “Ironically,” says Don Kiki, “I met Yossi and Dixi in a Cuban restaurant that now houses our wrapper.” “We had a stockpile of quality tobacco,” says Yossi, who, along with Dixi, happens to be visiting Kiki when we stop by. “We were looking for someone to produce our cigars, and, after a short conversation, we knew Kiki was our man.”
Don Kiki recently moved his factory to a newly constructed facility with his apartment on the second floor. He has around fifty rollers producing his cigars, which now include the Don Kiki line, a value-priced line of bundled and boxed quality cigars that will retail for a dollar each. Another important note is the company’s newly signed limited partnership with Mango S.A. farms, a high-tech mango and plantain farm that is producing wrapper leaf at an immaculate facility outside Esteli. The farm raises Connecticut-seed broadleaf in a pest-resistant, weed-proof atmosphere that has to be seen to be believed. (Anyone entering the shaded fields must go through a corridor of netting and dip their feet in a pesticide tub.) The dark, rich soil between rows is free of weeds, the leaves are absolutely enormous, and now, the secret is out. Esteli Cigar, along with Cupido Cigars, is eagerly awaiting the release of the cigars with these pristine wrappers later this year. So should you.
So, with just these few companies remaining after the shake-out of the last few years, you can expect the quality of Nicaraguan cigars to remain very high, and very consistent. Technology, in farming and in manufacturing, is all the rage, and the benefits should be hitting the market by year’s end. Considering these developments, along with the winnowing-out of the “Don Nobodies,” the industry is in a great position - despite what the naysayers preach - to make steady going in the upcoming years. SMOKE - Fall 2000   |
The clickity-clack of the factory’s workers as they rhythmically slice their chavetas through the delicate wrapper leaves spread over their tobacco blocks raises to form a blanket of background noise, as Nick Sr. and Nick Jr., a former air traffic controller, show off their new digs. We’ve already been shown the box factory, as well as the horse stables and guest houses behind the 80,000 square-foot factory (that’s right, 80,000!), which sits on nine acres on the outskirts of Esteli. The factory is the culmination of the Perdomos’ efforts to become major players in the cigar business.
The result has been the growth of a top-notch boutique brand of cigars that has won high praise in tastings and reviews across the country. Cupido has four sizes: Churchill, robusto, torpito, and toro negro, all backed by a high-profile marketing campaign and strong retailer support.
It hasn’t hurt that Don Kiki has been producing cigars at a very high quality level. [Try this little trick Yossi showed me: Light a Cupido Churchill, and smoke a little over an inch down, without removing the ash. Then, with moist fingertips, carefully remove the column of ash. Hang on to it. Take another draw, and then carefully place the ash back on the end. After a few seconds, the ash will cling to the lit end of the cigar as though it had never been removed! Try that on most cigars, and you’ll have a hand covered in soot.] The cigars promise a nice, medium body and full flavor, with excellent construction.