Proxy No. 24 Churchill

The man behind the highly rated 601 brand, Erik Espinosa, is back again with a brand new cigar brand – Proxy No. 24. To say he knows cigars is an understatement – to say the least – as he’s worked with Alec Bradley, Gurkha, Rocky Patel, and Drew Estates, just to name a few. The new Proxy No. 24 starts with carefully selected Nicaraguan Criollo long-fillers that are then secured with a Nicaraguan binder and a very handsome Ecuador Habano wrapper that glistens with oil. Once lit you can expect flavors of earth, spice, sweet cedar, and pepper. This medium-bodied cigar is a great everyday smoke that pairs wonderfully with an India Pale Ale.

The Nicaraguan cigar industry originated when Cuban cigar makers escaped the revolution and re-established their livelihood in Nicaragua with Cuban-seed tobacco. Blessed with dark, rich soil, their new home was ideal for tobacco cultivation and Nicaragua quickly became known for cigars that rivaled Cuban quality. Unfortunately, revolution and war came to Nicaragua in the 1980s and devastated the industry, but it’s rebounded dramatically and is once again producing tobacco considered by many to be the finest in the world.

The Esteli Valley is in many ways the heart of Nicaraguan production and is known for its very powerful and spicy tobacco. The Jalapa Valley produces arguably the finest tobacco in the country: somewhat sweeter and less intense than Esteli, but extremely complex. The tobacco of the Condega Valley is often described as a blend of the other two regions.