Nicaragua, especially Estelí (known as the cigar tobacco’s capital city), offers you a warm hug of “Puro Sabor” (Pure Taste) as a reward for electing to join fellow cigar enthusiasts from throughout the globe at the 6th International Tobacco Festival, from January 16 - 21, 2017.

JANUARY 16 (MONDAY): THE ARRIVAL

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Organizers from Puro Sabor will be waiting for you in the VIP area of Managua’s Augusto C. Sandino International Airport. They will take you from the airport to the city of Granada. Once checked in at the hotel and registered with the festival, you will have some free time to explore this historic city of Granada. It is quite safe to move around this city both on foot and by bicycle.

JANUARY 17 (TUESDAY): GRANADA – TOURISM, HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE

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After breakfast, you will enjoy the architectural beauty of Granada. It is an enchanting city know as the “Paris of the Americas” and named as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. You will also take a trip around the islands of Lake Cocibolca (Lake Nicaragua), which resulted form the last recorded eruption of Mombacho volcano in 1570. There are more than 360 islets filled with magic, vegetation and fauna that seem to float in the Great Lake Cocibolca. Next, you'll be taken to Mombacho Volcano Nature Reserve, where you'll discover natural beauty among the clouds. You can participate in different activities on this volcano such as hiking, visiting a coffee farm or zip-lining in a canopy tour.

After lunch, there are a number of different options for the rest of the day. The first one is to visit the handicraft market in the city of Masaya to purchase souvenirs from Nicaragua and then look around the Santiago volcano, which is currently very active. From the top of the volcano it is possible to see the lava lake in the crater below, which is a spectacle that can only be viewed in two other places in the world. The other option is to remain in Granada, take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage and visit the Mombacho Cigar Factory.​

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At night you have a date at La Pólvora Fortress, one of the oldest and best preserved buildings in the city. Built in 1748, it is an important part of Granada’s colonial history, having been used to store gunpowder that was taken on to the fortress at El Castillo on the San Juan River, which was the main point of defense against pirates. During this time, we will also take the opportunity to register friends who arrived later and are joining the festival at this point.

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JANUARY 18 (WEDNESDAY): FROM GRANADA TO ESTELÍ

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We will leave for the city of Estelí after breakfast. The trip takes approximately two and half hours, but there will a be a rest stop to stretch your legs and, of course, smoke a cigar. When we arrive at midday, lunch will be taken with the Plasencia family, who will present the first cigar consisting of 100% organic tobacco leaves.

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In the afternoon, you will visit different cigar factories in Estelí. At night, the venue for the festival’s inauguration and dinner will be at Joya de Nicaragua. This was the first 100% Nicaraguan cigar factory established in the country that manufactures handmade premium cigars.

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JANUARY 19 (THURSDAY): PLANTATION TOURS

The city’s main cigar factories will open their doors for you. You will have the chance to meet the owners, who will personally show you around and tell you everything you need to know about each of the processes involved in manufacturing the main brands. And of course you will have the opportunity to try those brands and become quite an expert. You will have lunch at the La Estrella plantation, which belong to the García family, whose members have channeled all of their efforts and passion into tobacco and build one of the industry’s mos recognized companies: My Father Cigars.

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After lunch, you will enjoy the pairing of the most delicious coffee produced in our country and - of course - tobacco. This is a good opportunity to mix two of the preferred tastes of many palates. There will also be a panel discussion in which experts will share thier impressions of the industry and a press conference during which an important announcement will be made. At the end of the afternoon, you will have a couple of hours to rest and recharge your batteries before a traditional dinner at night accompanied by music and dance with colorful national folk costumes.

JANUARY 20 (FRIDAY): PLANTATION AND FACTORY VISITS

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Your activities will continue with a tour of plantations to see how the growth and production of tobacco plants takes place in harmony with the environment. Lunch will be served in one of tobacco curing barns belonging to the Padrón family where you will enjoy a gastronomic festival dedicated to maize, the basic ingredient of the main dishes in Nicaragua’s Pacific, central and northern regions.

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The factory visits will end in the afternoon, but there is still more to celebrate. We have reserved the last night for an extraordinary gala dinner to bring the festival to a close. This event, held in the Tabacalera Oliva Factory, will also include the traditional charity auction in benefit of social projects in the city of Estelí.

You will take away with you the aroma of a great tobacco nation and the esteem of an industry with a rich history, high quality levels and a true human face.

Come and experience the best of the International Tobacco Festival Puro Sabor 2017.