Joya de Nicaragua

Joya de Nicaragua emerged after the Cuban Revolution reshaped the cigar trade. Tobacco-company owners and growers left Cuba, and Nicaragua’s fertile soils became a promising alternative. Tobacco farming began there in 1964.

Daniel Rodriguez launched Joya de Nicaragua in 1968 as a joint venture with Anastasio Somoza Debayle. It was the first cigar brand manufactured in Nicaragua and is described as the country’s oldest cigar brand. Its name means “Jewel of Nicaragua.”

After Somoza was overthrown by the Sandinistas, the company could no longer continue in its existing form. During the Reagan administration’s embargo on Nicaraguan goods, production moved to Nestor Plasencia’s facilities in Honduras. The trademark was sold after the regime’s collapse, and the company was eventually sold at public auction.

Dr. Alejandro Ernesto Martínez Cuenca purchased Joya de Nicaragua in 1994. He rehired former rollers and blenders and worked to restore quality following its decline during the 1980s. The company later introduced Antaño 1970, a spicy blend intended to revive the original character of the brand. Strong sales during the 1990s cigar boom helped it build reserves, survive the subsequent downturn and repurchase its United States trademark from Altadis.

The company continues to manufacture cigars from its headquarters in Estelí. Drew Estate distributed the brand in the United States until the end of 2025; SAG Imports, part of Quesada Cigars, was subsequently announced as its United States distributor.