Don Duarte

Don Rafael Rodriguez was one of the founders of Esteli. He was a tobacco farmer and one of the first to export tobacco out of Nicaragua. And his great-grandmother on the Duarte side, Dona Maria Duarte Boza, owned a small tobacco factory in Masaya. They processed Ometepe tobacco into small cigars called Chilcagres. Tobacco runs in the blood of this Managua-born entrepreneur.

When Duarte Rodriguez was president of Tabacalera Tropical, now known as Aganorsa Leaf, he worked with the likes of Don Pepin Garcia and Eduardo Fernandez. Through these mutual friends, he met Evelio Oviedo. Oviedo is a legendary Cuban blender and master roller. After leaving Tabacalera Tropical, Duarte convinced Oviedo to work with him. They teamed up with Nestor Plasencia, who gave Oviedo complete control over the creation of Don Duarte cigars.

The brand was launched in 2008 and attracted attention in Europe and Asia. Distribution agreements were signed and the cigars were available in several countries. Japan is the largest Asian market for Don Duarte. In Europe, its cigars were available in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Poland and a few other countries. But then disaster struck. During a promotional trip to Europe, a sudden health problem occurred and Duarte Rodriguez was admitted to an Amsterdam hospital, fighting for his life. It took months for him to recover sufficiently and leave the hospital. Don Duarte returned to his Florida home and had to recover from his health problems. He couldn't concentrate on his business during this period. And it took him years to relaunch the cigar brand.

The brand offers several blends. Among them, the Reserva Privada. This is a cigar with a Colorado de Jalapa wrapper. The Binder also comes from the Jalapa Valley in Nicaragua. The tripe comes from Esteli, Jalapa and Mexico. The Reserva Privada Fuerte is a modified version of the ordinary Reserva Privada, with a little more strength. It is a Puro from Nicaragua.

Finally, there's Don Duarte Reserva Privada Maduro and Don Duarte Reserva Privada Doble Fuerte. These blends contain six different tobaccos instead of the five that make up the other blends. The tripe for both cigars comes from Esteli, Condega and Jalapa. Both cigars have a double Binder, one from Esteli, the other from Jalapa. And the wrapper is either a Colorado wrapper or a Maduro wrapper from Jalapa.