The Oliva Cigar Company had to overcome many hardships before reaching the level of success they enjoy today. A lot went down between the roots of Oliva and the company producing Cain cigars in Estelí, Nicaragua. The Oliva cigar family traces all the way back to 1886 and Melanio Oliva growing tobacco in Cuba. The family would go on to survive three revolutions, the 1990s cigar boom, and numerous other roadblocks to ensure your humidor remains stocked with quality smoke.
Oliva sales rep Sam Leccia blended the first Cain cigars in 2009 following the success of the Nub brand, which he also created. Oliva was looking to attract more customers with cigars fuller in body. The initial Cain cigar used only Nicaraguan Ligero tobaccos to keep things potent. However, to help balance out any potential harshness, the tobaccos went through a triple fermentation process.
Sam Leccia told Cigar Insider about the process shortly after unveiling the Cain brand, "I wanted a cigar that was made of straight Ligero. The palates of people have changed. They've matured and people want a full-bodied cigar, but it is difficult to make something so strong that isn't harsh. The only way to make so much Ligero tobacco smokable is to triple ferment it."
While the Oliva cigar family has experienced incredible success using some of the deepest cigar-making traditions, through Cain cigars, they have displayed a fluid ability to remain creative and open and develop products suitable to the tastes of newer generations.
One of Cain’s most popular blends is the Cain Daytona which uses 100% Ligero but only from Nicaragua’s Jalapa region. Jalapa produces a more approachable leaf which helps make the Daytona robust yet nice and smooth. Another is the Cain F Habano, which pushes the boundaries of strength while still remaining balanced, hence the “F” in the name for “Forced Refined.”
