For Federico Marino tobacco is not just a job, but it is also a passion, only in this way can we explain the countless obstacles that it had to overcome, of an agricultural, logistical, bureaucratic and economic nature, before arriving at its final product, a cigar called Nicitathe first cigar made in Sicily.
Federico in addition to being an expert, he is the only one in Sicily who can boast the title of Master Blender achieved at You love methat is, someone who has the skills to taste tobacco and be able to create new cigars, is also a grower of an excellent Sicilian tobacco, a variety Kentucky qualitatively highly appreciated by cigar producers. In fact, the Sicilian territory, until about 150 years ago, was not new to this type of cultivation, a crop which for centuries supported many families economically and which gradually, after the unification of Italy, was abandoned due to growing obstacles which favored other national crops
As he told us Federico Marino, the road to arriving at the first cigar with Sicilian tobacco was long and full of difficulties. The genesis of the cigar Nicita begins many years ago, during which Federico Marino he first had to deal with the agronomic aspect, finding suitable land in the province of Palermo, acquiring the necessary skills, then making agreements with his Nicaraguan partner who actually produces the Nicita and obviously facing the costs and difficulties of the European bureaucracy to be able to legally import and sell the cigar on our territory.
READ ALSO: Palermo Coffee Festival: specialty coffee, wine and oil protagonists of the second edition
Simplifying as much as possible, in Italy we have two types of cigars, the most widespread and well-known is certainly the “Tuscan”, it is made up of fermented tobacco leaves which give it the classic pungent smell. Then there are the numerous Cuban-inspired brands, much sweeter and less pungent than the “Tuscan”, since the processing of the tobacco leaves does not involve any fermentation. In turn, these cigars are divided into products created partially or totally by machines or completely manually processed. It goes without saying that the product of this last category is much more expensive than all the others and usually the best raw material is used for it, in fact this is the case of Nicitabut without significantly affecting the selling price of the product.
Federico Marino’s tobacco
Sicilian tobacco Federico Marino it is collected, dried and then shipped in Nicaragua, where the expert cigar producing partner cuts it with local leaves, it seems in fact that our product is too “strong”, exactly as it happened and still happens today in the history of our wine. This blend of leaves forms the inside of the cigar and in jargon is called “tripe“, finally this is wrapped in the best quality leaves coming from South American crops, thus completing the process with the so-called “head“, as already mentioned, completely carried out strictly by hand.
We tasted the Nicita, immediately noticing, during the olfactory examination of the still unlit tobacco, a great complexity of aromas that ranged from the freshness of lavender to the classic herbaceous scent of tobacco leaves. Subsequently, during the smoke, the notes of freshly cut grass returned, almost like a good Merlot, which lasted for a few centimeters, and then, progressively, concentrated towards the dried fruit and finally in the black pepper near the end. The Nicita cigar with Sicilian tobacco can be found at the best tobacconists with humidors in Italy, currently at the excellent price of 6.50 Euros, distributed directly by its manufacturer Federico Marino.
Slow Smoking Club
However the cigar Nicita it was not the only novelty of the evening, in fact it was also presented at the same time Slow Smoking Clubalso created by Federico Marino with Manlio Lentini, a loyal client of his, a lawyer from Palermo who was evidently captured by this world. Also in this case there seems to be a record, that of being the only club on this topic in Palermo and probably in Sicily.
© All rights reserved
