Joya de Nicaragua is celebrating the company’s 50th anniversary this year, and while it has released cigars designed for the celebration, it has also announced the release of a new book that chronicles the history of the company as well as the collective evolution of Nicaragua and its people as well as the company through the lens of one singular product, the Nicaraguan cigar.

“Cinco Décadas: The Rise of the Nicaraguan Cigar” is the result of more than two years of research by British journalist Nick Hammond.

“Being asked to write the story of Joya de Nicaragua was something of a dream come true,” said Hammond in a press release. He cited the project as his long-awaited opportunity to dive into cigar research as well as the history of a country that constantly fights for a better life.

Hammond also spoke highly of the Martinez family, which owns and operates Joya de Nicaragua. Dr. Alejandro Martínez Cuenca purchased the company in 1994 and worked to restore the company to pride and prominence.

The book spans 204 pages divided into 11 chapters, and takes the reader on a journey through Nicaragua’s history and the city of Estelí, starting with the social struggles of the 1900s and reaching the present day. It delves into the cigar making process and the social impact that the cigar industry has in the country before chronicling Joya de Nicaragua’s evolution.

“For many people, Nicaragua is a newcomer to the cigar world; but at Joya de Nicaragua we’ve always known how deep and rooted tobacco culture has been in our history and in our identity,” said Juan Ignacio Martinez, executive president of Joya de Nicaragua. “We wanted to demonstrate this to the world, but we wanted to do it in a remarkable way, one unlike any other cigar book out there. With Cinco Décadas our goal was to showcase the profound impact that tobacco and cigars have had in our country, in our people, our culture and in our future. It’s not a book about a person, or a family, or the process of making cigars. It’s book about all of those things. This book allows us to appreciate cigars in a more meaningful and complete way.”

The book will debut in October in English at special Joya de Nicaragua events and in select specialty shops around the world. It will be translated into Spanish and other languages in the coming months. It is also scheduled to be available online by the end of the year. Pricing has not yet been announced.

It features a unique cover that is made from tobacco leaves, creating a unique aroma when reading.

Images courtesy of Joya de Nicaragua.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.