Rafael Nodal, the major character of Ageing Room, had no idea he was on his way to the cigar industry. It's a series of transitions, partnerships, and collaborations that resulted in the Ageing Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro, Cigar Aficionado's 2019 Cigar of the Year.

But first, let's travel back almost 40 years to 1980, when Nodal arrived in the United States as a refugee on the infamous Mariel boatlift from Cuba. With no prior experience with cigars, Nodal pursued a career in music, which led him to New York City, and then to Miami, where he began a more practical profession in healthcare. He met his future business partners, Hank Bischoff and Dr. Alina Cordoves (who is now his wife), there

Nodal's entry into the cigar industry was delayed. He and his colleagues began selling cigars online in 1998, and in 2002, they purchased the Habana Cuba Cigar Co., a struggling company with a subpar range of forgettable cigars. For a time, the business situation appeared to be dire.

Not one to give up lightly, Nodal investigated the idea of making cigars in small batches. He launched a new brand, Ageing Room Small Batch M356, in 2011. He also renamed his company Boutique Blends from Habana Cuba Cigar Co. José "Jochy" Blanco created the first Ageing Rooms in the Dominican Republic. (Blanco is also a brand partner.) Cigar Aficionado gave the cigars high marks, and the Presto size was named to the 2011 Top 25. Nodal tasted critical success for the first time, and he kept going.

Today, you could be forgiven for being perplexed by the name Ageing Room. There are numerous Ageing Rooms manufactured in various factories. The Ageing Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro, created by A.J Fernandez in Nicaragua, is the greatest achievement.

The cigar is essentially Nodal's concept, handcrafted by Fernandez using his unique tobacco and factory technique. Every leaf in this blend is Nicaraguan, and each puff is an overture of flavours that ranges from heavy and rich with notes of dark chocolate and wood to subtle and understated with traces of fine caramel and toasted almonds. This box-pressed torpedo would be described as energetic in musical terms.

Nodal remains an artist at heart, and cigars remain his creative outlet. Consider the Ageing Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro his masterpiece if the birth of Ageing Room was his breakthrough.