Puro Sabor 2025 | PCA staff with Art Garcia at White Party

In the cigar industry, you are likely to hear the talking point that over 300 hands touch every premium cigar made before it reaches a store’s shelf. This is an important talking point as it demonstrates how robust and far-reaching this so-called “niche” industry is. As lawmakers pass laws to regulate premium cigars and those businesses that operate within them, facts such as the “300 hands” figure sometimes don’t resonate or carry as much of an impact as they should. People are faced with a ton of figures each day, so what’s the big deal about 300 hands touching a premium cigar? For anyone working in the premium cigar industry, it’s a very big deal.

PCA Staff with Plasencia | Puro Sabor Festival 2025

Being told how a cigar is made is one thing; seeing how it is made and the many people it takes to bring a single cigar to market is another. From January 20-24, 2025, hundreds from around the world gathered in Nicaragua for the annual Puro Sabor Festival. The festival offered cigar enthusiasts–retailers, manufacturers, media, and consumers–the chance to spend several days in Nicaragua, a country that has become the largest exporter of premium cigars in the U.S. market for several years now. The festival’s first two days took place in Granada, where attendees explored the city and sailed on Lake Nicaragua. The remainder of the festival focused on Estelí and its booming cigar manufacturing business. Tours of factories included those of Padrón, Plasencia, AJ Fernandez, Rocky Patel, Drew Estate, Joya de Nicaragua, Perdomo Cigars, J.C. Newman, Villiger, Karen Berger, and Roma Craft, among others. Each night was highlighted by a dinner and party, allowing festival attendees to interact with many of Nicaragua’s prominent cigar makers and professionals. 

This year, the Premium Cigar Association (PCA) attended the festival with four of the association’s staff onsite: Joshua Habursky, Executive Director; Shannon Marie, Director of Trade Show and Events; Maria Cervantes, Membership and Programs Manager; and Antoine Reid, Content Director. Puro Sabor allowed the staff to see firsthand how cigars are made and the many people involved in the process. With much of the PCA’s work spent advocating on behalf of the industry with lawmakers and decision-makers, being able to visit Nicaragua and get a better understanding of how the industry operates helps to add more talking points when interacting with lawmakers and other non-cigar smokers who are not familiar with the industry and those that support it. 

Joshua Habursky with Padrón | Puro Sabor Festival 2025

“The Puro Sabor Festival was a fantastic experience that highlighted a critical area of the premium cigar industry in the heart of Estelí, Nicaragua, where historic factories and farms employ tens of thousands of people who craft cigars for consumers all over the world to enjoy. The festival was a perfect mix of education, entertainment, and relationship building,” Habursky shares of his experience. 

Shannon Marie, PCA’s director of trade show and events, added: “Hands down the best way to submerse yourself into the cigar industry. I am brand new to this world, and I come from an event planner background. I am now working with the PCA Trade Show. I got to experience the entire spectrum. From seeing the beautiful land of Nicaragua to the people who are truly passionate about all things cigars and their breadth of knowledge, I am excited to tie what I have seen and learned into the upcoming trade show.”

The festival is as much a learning experience as it is a chance to get away and visit a different country. For PCA’s Maria Cervantes, it was an immersive event that allowed her to meet and connect with a large group of people who shared one commonality: a passion for premium cigars. 

Rocky Patel tobacco field | Puro Sabor 2025

“Visiting the farms was an unforgettable experience,” she says. “Seeing the tobacco fields up close and learning about every step of the process from seed to cigar gave me a new level of appreciation for the craftsmanship behind it all. Watching the skilled hands of the cigar rollers and hearing from the experts who live and breathe this industry was truly inspiring. Being able to ask questions, listen to their stories, and witness their dedication firsthand made it even more special. 

“Whether you’re a longtime industry veteran or just someone who loves cigars, there is an undeniable sense of connection and camaraderie at Puro Sabor. It is more than just an event; it is an experience that brings people together to celebrate the craft, the tradition, and the people who make it all possible.”

There were many memorable experiences during this year’s festival, such as taking a tour of Lake Nicaragua on a double-decker boat, having lunch on an island, and getting to see the farms and factories of companies like Plasencia in person rather than in a photo on Instagram. For PCA in particular, this trip was memorable because of the legal victories scored against the FDA announced during the week and seeing how this positive news impacted those working in the cigar industry in Nicaragua. 

Puro Sabor 2025 | Drew Estate

“During the day, we received news of the important court victory against the Food & Drug Administration in the United States. That news made its way throughout the industry and carried a celebratory mood across the event not only for the effect in the United States but, importantly, the effect on cigar-producing countries such as Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Honduras. I sat with several representatives from Canada at the gala dinner, and the news brought some hope for their challenging premium cigar market as well,” Habursky reports. 

In the case of Puro Sabor, seeing really is believing. Speak to anyone with a factory or field in Nicaragua and they will do their best to tell you about the country and the people behind the scenes that work every day to craft the best cigars possible. Whether you’re selling cigars or consider yourself an aficionado, festivals, and events like Puro Sabor offer you a deep dive into the world of premium cigars while highlighting the importance of countries like Nicaragua to the overall industry. 

“I can see why people keep going back to this festival. I feel like I got a big juicy bite of the apple, and now I want to see more,” states Shannon Marie. “When it comes down to my favorite part, I am unable to pick out just one. The piece that keeps coming back to my mind is that no matter how big or small you are within the industry, your passion shows through immensely and really gives me a newfound appreciation for this world.”

The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) would like to thank Puro Sabor and the Nicaraguan Chamber of Tobacco, the event organizers, for the hospitality shown to the staff during this year’s festival. 

Karen Berger at Puro Sabor Festival 2025

To learn more about the Puro Sabor Festival, visit purosaborcigarfest.com.

Story by Antoine Reid, content director at Premium Cigar Association (PCA). You can reach him at [email protected].