The day before leaving León, I took a bus alone to Chichigalpa — the town that's home to "Flor de Caña", one of Central America's signature rums.
What Flor de Caña is
"Flor de Caña" means "flower of the cane" in Spanish. It's a rum made from the molasses of sugarcane harvested in the dry season, then aged slowly in white oak barrels. The distillery was founded in 1890. Everything from making the barrels to exporting around the world happens here.
When I arrived, a tour group of about 15 was just heading out. A Nicaraguan woman on staff guided us through. They used to bring the raw materials in by train. Today they ship to the entire world. The depth of the history is striking.
The 20-year shock
Honestly, I'd never been much of a rum fan. But the 20-year Flor de Caña they brought out for the tasting was something else entirely.
Pour it into a glass and swirl gently — the liquid runs slowly down the inside of the glass. The longer the aging, the higher the viscosity. That, they told us, is the proof of the years. On the tongue, sweetness and smokiness braid together in a complicated way, and the finish goes on and on.
Someone who didn't even like rum walked out of that distillery thinking, "I have to take a bottle home." The 20-year is pricey, but at least once you should try it.
The next day I got on the bus to El Salvador. With the aftertaste of Nicaraguan rum still hanging on.