Drew Estate has informed retailers that the Nica Rustica Broadleaf Belly has been discontinued.
In a letter to retailers, the company says that it will no longer take any new orders of the Nica Rustica Broadleaf Belly. That said, Drew Estate said it expects to ship the Belly as it works to fulfill open orders through the remainder of the year. The change only affects this one SKU and the Nica Rustica Broadleaf, the original blend, will continue to be offered in two other vitolas: El Brujito (6 x 52) and Short Robusto (4 1/2 x 50).
Belly, a 7 1/2 x 54 gran belicoso was one of two new sizes for the line announced in 2014, though neither shipped until the following year. At that time, there was only one Nica Rustica blend: a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper over a Mexican San Andrés binder and fillers from Nicaragua. In 2022, the company introduced the Nica Rustica Adobe, a completely different blend.
Nica Rustica pays tribute to Estelí, the city that is home to most of the Nicaraguan cigar industry, including Drew Estate. The logo is an image of El Brujito, a drawing of a shaman that was found on a rock that dates back to pre-Columbian times. Those shamans are believed to be the first users of tobacco in Estelí.
While Belly is going away, the company did hint that there could be new Nica Rusticas later this year.
“As we say goodbye to the Belly, we are aware there may be some consumers who are disappointed, and while we hate to disappoint, we are confident that they will enjoy the rest of the Nica Rustica brand and other cigars in our expansive portfolio,” said the letter. “Also, stay on the lookout for other exciting news from the Nica Rustica brand later in 2024.”