Shopping Nicaragua

I may be going to Nicaragua soon and naturally I am considering buying some cigars while I am there. However seeing that counterfeits are big business these days, I was wondering if you could tell me where to shop or look for legit cigars?

Posted: November 6, 2012

The Managua Airport is a surprisingly fine place to buy Nicaraguan cigars.

There are two shops in the Managua Airport that sell fine cigars. One is owned by Alejandro Martinez-Cuenca, owner of the Joya de Nicaragua brand, and it carries a wide selection of Joya cigars. It is prominently located just after the security checkpoint.

The other—which is more of a kiosk, rather than a full-blown shop—is owned by the Padrón family, and it stocks a wide variety of Padróns.

You are correct to be wary of counterfeit cigars, especially in cigar-producing countries. The airports in the Dominican Republic have long been stocked with wide varieties of counterfeits. But the airport in Managua is the rare oasis of fine cigar shopping in a cigar-producing country

Have a question for the Cigar Aficionado editors? Submit it here