OK, time for a little history. Ever since the advent of the Cuban embargo it was conjectured that Nicaragua might have the soil closest to that in Cuba. Early attempts to grow Cuban seed in Nicaraguan soil showed great promise. However the country was so continuously politically unstable that the few serious attempts to grow and market tobacco fell prey to either the government or rebel forces. Many cigar books of the 70's, 80's and even the early 90's touted the potential for Nicaraguan cigar tobacco and then lamented the danger of trying to do business there. From time to time attempts were made, all but a few collapsed.
I would also add that it was hardly the novice smokers of the cigar boom who advocated "mild" cigars. The American penchant for mild cigars far preceded that event. If anything the boom gave rise to a renewed interest in rich, full bodied cigars. At one time Honduran brands like Hoyo, El Rey del Mundo, Punch etc were considered powerful cigars. I began smoking cigars in the mid 60's. Most cigar smokers went for the mild machine made varieties, White Owl, El Producto, Muriel etc. A step up were Garcia & Vega, Cuesta Rey, & Optimo. A handful of guys smoked Royal Jamaicans, Partagas, Punch, and a few other brands. I remember thinking that the Punch Chateau L was a real head rocker.
The boom of the 90's created a shortage of tobacco coupled with a renewed desire for real cigars. It was the so called novice smokers who drove the market that allowed Fuente to create the Opus X. New smokers were uneducated, but adventurous. Most long term cigar smokers were cautious and set in their ways. The need for more tobacco coupled with some political stability in Nicaragua led to brands like Padron. We see the same thing in alcoholic beverages. Not that long ago high end Scotch meant Chivas or Johnny Walker Black blends, when single malt really hit the market a whole new breed of novice Scotch drinkers demanded more variety and more authenticity. We see the same thing with Bourbons, Tequilas, Vodkas, Rums and so on. The cigar boom of the 90's recreated a market that had all but disappeared in the 1950's.
The great variety and quality of cigars that we have today is, in my opinion, the direct result of the "novice" smokers who were open to new and creative tastes. At the time I was an experienced cigar smoker and I viewed the new breed as upstart dillitantes worthy only of scorn. However, the wonderful variety of extraordinary new cigars did not come about because of old codgers like me, but because of the discriminating and demanding standards established by these "dillitantes".
Everything I have just written is only my opinion and experience. This is how I see it, but I am usually wrong. I do enjoy Nicaraguan cigars however.
