Feature Story: Spotlight on Mombacho Cigars and Patina Cigars at the 2018 IPCPR

Depending on how you look at it, we either arrived at the Mombacho Cigars booth at the right time – or the wrong time.

Typically, we try to slot in approximate times to visit a booth. We had Mombacho scheduled for the morning of the final day of the trade show. When we got there, we discovered the booth had been “TP’d”. It turns out that Mombacho and its associated brand Patina Cigars were smack in the middle of a “fraternity war” with Caldwell Cigar Company. It appeared when we got to the booth, Robert Caldwell and friends had struck.

Photo Credit: Cigar Coop

But there still is a story to tell at the Mombacho Cigars booth. The non-pranked photos are courtesy of our friends at Developing Palates, who were at the booth prior to the final day pranking.

On a serious note, Mombacho had been a company that was impacted greatly by the unrest in Nicaragua. The company’s factory operation is located in Grenada, just outside of Managua – and Grenada had been harder hit by the unrest than where most of the cigar industry is situated to the north in Estelí. As a result, the long-awaited Mombacho Cosecha 2013 release was delayed. It had originally been slated for a May release, but the company would bring the cigar to the 2018 IPCPR and shipping would coincide around that time.

The name “cosecha” is Spanish for “harvest.” It’s a concept that is analogous to the wine world when premium grapes are harvested from a particular crop. When it comes to cigars, it involves using tobaccos from a specific harvest year. The Mombacho Cosecha is a project spearheaded by company President and Master Blender Claudio Sgroi. In 2017, the company released the Cosecha 2012, a cigar that uses some of the best Nicaraguan tobaccos Sgroi had available to him from the year 2012. The cigars were rolled and aged for nearly four years in an aging room at the company’s Casa Favilli factory in Grenada, Nicaragua. The Cosecha 2013 is the second installment and as the name, indicates it utilizes tobaccos from 2013.

Like the Cosecha 2012, the Cosecha 2013 is an all-Nicaraguan puro. It’s available in one size – a 6 x 52 Toro. Production has been limited to 800 boxes.

Photo Credit: Developing Palates

The Liga Maestro line also received new packaging. The new boxes feature a matte black finish with a gold embossed Mombacho logo and have already begun shipping to retailers. It appears to also be designed to accommodate warning labels. The company also says the Tierra Volcán will be available with a similar box design later this year.

Photo Credit: Cigar Coop

While there was no new product, Patina Cigars showcased their Patina Connecticut and Patina Habano lines. Patina Cigars is the brand owned by Mombacho National Sales Manager Mo Maali. Maali utilizes the company’s Casa Favilli factory to handle his production.

Photo Credit: Developing Palates

Finally, there is another project Mombacho Cigars is planning. The line is called Casa Favilli – and it’s named after the company’s factory. The cigar wasn’t at IPCPR, and the details weren’t disclosed, but the company has hinted it uses Nicaraguan broadleaf tobacco.