With the exception of Ben Lee from Nice Tight Ash who traveled through Houston, we all met up in Miami before the flight. The personalities on this trip were: Jerry Cruz and Brian Hewitt from Stogie Review, Thor from Cigar Press Magazine, Brooks and Charlie from Halfwheel, Ben from Nice Tight Ash, Dan Reeve and Mario Takeyama from Cigar Explorer, Jason and Anthony from Cigar Brief, and Jay from Cigar Photo. Although I have met a few of these guys before, it was a pleasure to finally meet up with some of the other guys for the first time.

Fast Forward 3 hours or so and we land in Managua, Nicaragua. The airport was crazy. It was jam packed. After you get through the baggage there was hardly enough room to walk. Luckily the Drew Estate crew quickly scooped us up, and threw us on the bus. Within seconds of boarding the bus I had a can of Tonu (Nicaraguan Beer) in one hand and a Liga Privada 9 in the other, Which is a good thing considering how crazy hot and humid the country was. Pedro, our tour guide and one of the front-runners for all the Cigar Safari trips, went over tons of information about the country as we headed for our first destination.

I can’t say exactly how long the bus ride was to the restaurant as I was too busy taking in the sights, but I would estimate it was about 45 minutes until we reached “Bucaneros”. A nice dining restaurant overlooking a large lake.

As we got off the bus Jonathan Drew, Johnny Brooke, and Dave Lafferty were all there to greet us. We enjoyed some badass meals and drinks as we were briefed on the trip’s agenda, what we should and shouldn’t eat, and just how awesome the trip was going to be. We spent about an hour and a half there before moving on to the next destination.

From the restaurant we were bussed about and hour and a half away to the city of Granada. Granada was once famous for the war that took place there, and parts of the city are still a wreck. Now, Granada is a beautifully rebuilt, humble city and overall tourist destination. We drove through the cobblestone streets until we arrived at a huge, open lake. It was hear that Jonathan Drew loaded us onto boats and we embarked out a very relaxing, and beautiful boat ride around some of the small islands on the lake. Each island looked as if it was own by a single party who build some of the highest-end luxury houses, as well as some tiny, cozy, living quarters. There was a even a tiny island about the size of your average house that housed a half dozen monkeys. We took plenty of food to toss to them as Pedro explained that they have always lived there and all the passing boats drop food for them. They were once allowed to hang out with the tourists on the boats until one jumped on and caused a lady to go crazy.

After the boat ride we headed out of Granada and headed for our hotel back in Managua. The bus ride was another hour and a half or so, so we were able to see even more of the country. We even passed an active volcano that was only a few miles from the highway. Once we reached our hotel, we dumped our bags, freshened up, and headed poolside for a drink and smoke before departing one more time for the evening.

The next item on our itinerary was dinner. Drew Estate decided to take us to one of the best, if not the highest rated restaurant in the city. Senses de something. Yes I know, boring, I forgot the name, but I didn’t forget the food, nor could I forget the live Jaguar and Puma they had in cages as you approach the establishment. As far as the food goes, They had to have had the best steak I have ever had, hands down. Not to mention the best avocado. The thing was as big as my head. Jose Blanco and his fiancé met up with us for dinner as well as Jonathan Drew’s banker. Jonathan and his banker went on to tell us about how he started the company financially, as a kid with only a few hundred dollars, literally begging someone to open a bank account for him. Needless to say, He has come a long way. After dinner we packed up, and headed back to the hotel room for the evening. No one stayed up that night, I think all of us were pretty tuckered out.

Check out more pictures from the day: (click each image, once you are done hit “back” on your browser to return to this page. Annoying, I know, but the only other quick option was stupid flash.)

Click Here if you rather see the image via my personal Flickr slideshow.

Link: Drew Estate – Cigar Safari – Blogger Trip Day 2

Link: Drew Estate – Cigar Safari – Blogger Trip Day 3

The post Drew Estate – Cigar Safari 2012 – Blogger Trip Day 1 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

How to win:

 Entering is simple. Simply leave a comment on this post. Simple as that. If you want another entry just leave a comment on any of the reviews coming later this week. We will then choose 10 winners at random to receive a 2pk of La Aurora Para Japon so that they can join in the virtual event.

 Winners will be chosen, and contacted this Friday Evening (4/22). PLEASE do me the favor and fill out the email you would like to be contacted at, I will need to get a list of names and addresses over to Miami Cigars by Saturday evening. 

One quick note. You are free to enter ANY or ALL of the contests that are being ran by any of the Para Japon supporting sites, however you can only win once. If a name is picked more than once by alternate blogs then another winner will be chosen by Miami Cigars. 

Thanks for the support! Please read the following press release with more information on the Para Japon project as well as a list of all the supporters!

A short history of the “Para Japón” concept: 

In March 2011 La Aurora hosted a media event at their factory in the Dominican Republic. Invited to this event were many members of the online cigar blog community who have become a vital part of the cigar industry today. During an evening discussion at the hotel where the attendees were staying the topic of the recent devastation in Japan came up. Cigar Explorer founder Mario Takayama (a native of Japan) described the area of Japan most impacted by the earthquake/tsunami, and just how much this destruction of that region will set back the country as a whole. As most conversations of this manner play out, the idea of “what can we do to help?” arose. Guillermo quickly came to the decision that he really had to do something, so the idea for a cigar (Now know as “Para Japón”) will be produced, and all the proceeds from the sale of the cigar will be donated to the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief fund thought JAPAN TOBACCO IMEX CO. LTD, La Aurora Distributor in Japan.

 Details of the Virtual Release Party 

The Virtual Release Party will be a live online event hosted by Team of Project Para Japón that is open to anyone who wishes to join in on this significant occasion. The event will be streamed live via UStream (Link will be on ParaJapon.com) and Guillermo will be on hand to answer any questions about the Para Japón cigar, or any of the La Aurora products. Also attending the event via UStream Chat, Twitter, and Facebook are all of the cigar bloggers who attended the La Aurora media event in the Dominican Republic. These bloggers will share stories from the trip, and give their opinions on the “Para Japón” cigar. 

For more details on the La Aurora Para Japón cigar please visit ParaJapon.com

Project Para Japón Original Supporters 

Guillermo Leon – La Aurora – @GuillermoLeon_

Jose Blanco – La Aurora – @joseblanco809

Amaury Abreu – La Aurora – @LaAuroraCigars

Jason Wood – Miami Cigar Company – @MiamiCigar

Barry Stein – A Cigar Smoker’s Journal – @nyisles

Tony Casas – Casas Fumando – @tonycasas

David “The Doc” Diaz – Doc StogieFresh – @Doc_StogieFresh

Ben Lee – Nice Tight Ash – @NTA_ben

Steve Valle – Smoking Stogie – @SteveVLiLo

Brian Hewitt– Stogie Review – @brianhewitt

Jerry Cruz – Stogie Review – @jcruz

Tom Ufer – Tampa Cigar Examiner – @cigarsmokingman

Charlie Minato – The Cigar Feed – @thecigarfeed

David Jones – The Tiki Bar Online – @dmjones1009

About La Aurora 

La Aurora is the first Dominican Cigar factory. It was established in 1903 and is own by the León family whose roots in the tobacco industry trace back to the early 19th century. The factory is part of Grupo León Jimenes Corporation, the largest industrial group in the Caribbean. La Aurora brands are among the most well known cigars, with sales in more than 50 countries around the world. 

www.laaurora.com.do

http://rediscoverlaaurora.com/

http://www.glj.com.do 

About Miami Cigar and Company 

Miami Cigar & Company, founded in 1989, is the sole U-S distributor of La Aurora brands, Ducados and worldwide distributor of Tatiana, Don Lino and the Nestor Miranda Special Selection. 

www.miamicigarandcompany.com 

About Cigar Explorer 

Cigar Explorer is a production company injecting excitement to the cigar community, with revolutionary tools, to discover and explore the world of cigars. It creates content that helps cigar community strengthen its passion for cigar culture at CigarExplorer.com in Columbus, Ohio, USA. 

CigarExplorer.com | Experience the Discovery. 

Contact: 

Jason Wood, Director of Marketing

Miami Cigar and Comapny

305-599-3395

jwood@mccusa.net 

http://www.parajapon.com

The post La Aurora – Para Japon Release Virtual Party and Giveaway appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.