My first time traveling through Nicaragua was in 2006. Armed with a backpack and a hunger to see the world, I jumped from hostel to hostel exploring this beautiful land. After a month in the country I was completely in love.

Nicaragua has a purity to it that I believe is hard to find in the 21st century. To an outsider’s eye, people’s simple lives may translate into poverty, but I have met more rich families here than in many first world countries. Rich with love, time, happiness – the things that really matter.

This time around was no different. As I made my way south, Sarah and I were hosted by some amazing Nicaraguans.

In Esteli, Fabricio hosted us like family! He showed us the beautiful small town and found a great place for the ponies to rest. While the ponies rested, Sarah and I went to check out the Cigar Factories.

The land around Esteli is perfect for growing cigar tobacco. After the Cuban Revolution many cigar makers found refuge here. Today, Esteli known for producing some of the best cigars in the world.

Sarah and I got a special tour of one of the factories and it was amazing. I didn’t know much about cigars so I was completely taken back at just how hard it is to produce one. The time and effort it takes is insane.

During our tour, we learned about how the leaves have to be aged for a long time before they go through a fermentation process and finally get picked to be filler or wrapper (Based on their appearance and quality).

I was also taken back at just how strong the odor of tobacco in the factory is. The room where the leaves are aged is almost unbearable. 

In fact a lot of the workers tie bandanas over their noses. It is also very interesting to me that 95% of the rollers are women. When I asked one of them why, she said, “Unlike men, we are perfectionist and have more delicate hands.”

The rollers go through 500 – 600 cigars a day. My hands hurt just watching them.