During the Nicaraguan Revolution of the late 1970s, Sandinista revolutionaries stormed the Joya de Nicaragua (then called the Nicaraguan Cigar Company) factory and set it on fire. Thinking that the Sandinistas were using it as a base camp, Somoza, the dictator at the time and factory owner, had his warplanes bomb the factory. Luckily, the damage was minor. Soon after, the factory was rebuilt, and they were able to start producing premium cigars. Today, Joya de Nicaragua (Spanish for the “Jewel of Nicaragua”) is highly regarded for crafting some of the finest handmade cigars in the business as evidenced by their
Joya de Nicaragua Antano 1970.