Joya De Nicaragua Antano Dark Corojo

The Antano has been a favorite of mine for quite some time. It’s bold flavor, and massive strength spelled out love at first smoke. Naturally, when I heard that Drew Estate was in the process of pushing out a “Dark Corojo” version of the Antano I was all over it.

The Good Stuff:The Antano Dark Corojo is the newest line to hit the market from Joya De Nicaragua. It was introduced at this past year’s IPCPR in New Orleans. At that time I believe they handed out quite a few “sample” banded sticks. The Antano Dark Corojo is blended using 75% Ligero leaf. Knowing this fact alone, you know you are in for a powerhouse-hell-of-a-treat when lighting one up. Just make sure you had a meal prior to taking on this guy. The size that I got my hands on is called “La Pesadilla” which simply means “the nightmare” in spanish. If that’s not taunting I don’t know what is. The Antano Dark Corojo comes in 4 other sizes ranging in price (from what I’ve seen locally) from $5.89 to $10.49.

Size: 4.75 x 60  -  Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo  -  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan  -  Body: Full

Joya De Nicaragua Ananto Dark Corojo

Prelight: The first item that caught my attention with the Dark Corojo was the band. I’m not 100% sure on what the deal is between Joya De Nicaragua and Drew Estate, but JDN has definitely taken on the Drew Estate persona in every aspect, including it’s artwork. The band is black, with extremely subtle grey swirls ( I seriously didn’t notice these until I took a look at the first picture above, almost invisible to the naked eye ). It’s crested with embossed Gold Metallic print stating “Antano, Dark Corojo” on the head accompanied by a similar foot band ( the picture I shot was way too embarrassing to post ) that reads “Doble Fuerte” or “Double Strong”. Secondly, the darkness of the wrapper on this cigar is intense. Seriously, maduros don’t have anything on the Dark Corojo. The wrapper itself is extremely oily, silky, and almost sticky. It reminds me a lot of CAO’s La Traviata in toothy texture. The Dark Corojo is extremely tough to the touch and gives almost no push once you squeeze on it. The tough wrapped body bleeds into a stubby, triple wrapped belicoso cap. The construction on this cigar is suburb, with no soft spots, very little veins, and no other visible flaws of any kind. I’m impressed with how consistent not only the color, but the texture of this cigar is. The wrapper gives off a very spicy, leather scent, as well as the foot of the cigar.

I clipped a pretty large portion from the head of this cigar using my trusty Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw resembled much of what I pulled from the aroma of the cigar. Spice, leather, and a bit of bitter chocolate.

Joya De Nicaragua Ananto Dark Corojo

First Smoke: WOW, just…wow. It’s like being kicked in the mouth with a foot full of pepper. The initial spice is quite overpowering, but after a few strong puffs it begins to simmer down. Backing the spiciness of the Dark Corojo is a strong leather taste with hints of bittersweet chocolate. The Dark Corojo produces a massive draw, be ready for it. The draw probably has a lot to do with the larger ring gauge of this particular vitola. The pepper flavor is so strong the aroma of spice is even carried through the tons of stationary smoke this cigar produces. Don’t smoke this guy around people who may be offended by cigar smoking, unless that’s your intention. The burn line is a bit wider than I’d like, but I’m sure that, as well as the waves early into the smoke, have a lot to do with the massive amounts of ligero in this cigar. I’ve found in the past, that any cigar with high amounts of ligero that I personally have ever smoked have some type of burn issue. This only creates a higher level of appreciation for cigars packed with ligero leaf that burn through without a hitch. The ash produced is a dark grey, with spots of white and black. The ash is extremely flaky, and only held on for for about the fourths of an inch before giving way. A quarter of the way in and the nicotine is already starting to hit me, and hard.

Joya De Nicaragua Ananto Dark Corojo

Halfway There: I’m halfway through the Dark Corojo and surprisingly the pepper is still present, and in full force. The backing flavors are still that of leather and bitter chocolate, only now I’m picking up a bit of a cedar taste as well as what I can only describe of raisin. The burn on this cigar is ridiculously slow. I figured with its short stature that I would tear through it in about an hour, an hour and a half tops. But I am already over an our in and I am barely halfway through. Another characteristic of Ligero leaf is the tendency to extinguish themselves. This particular cigar hasn’t completely gone out on me yet, but I am having to pay special attention to it, hitting it hard and often to ensure that it stays lit. After the third round of ash I had to do a slight touch up on the wavy burn line, but after that point it seemed to have completely straightened out.

Joya De Nicaragua Ananto Dark Corojo

Finish: Towards the end of the cigar the pepper finally started to taper off a bit. Not to say that it wasn’t still there, only that it has taken a back-burner to the more prominent cedar, and bitter chocolate flavors. Outside of having a nicotine kick from hell, the Dark Corojo is starting to get a bit harsh towards the final stretch. I’m sure a lot of that had to do with how hard I had to go out this cigar to keep it burning. On a good note, it never fully went out. Outside of the touch up needed halfway through the Dark Corojo needed no further assistance in the burn area, and finished dead even. After all was said and done the Dark Corojo took about two and a quarter hours to finish….really.

Joya De Nicaragua Ananto Dark Corojo

Overview: The Joya De Nicaragua Antano Dark Corojo isn’t for the faint of heart. This is an extremely powerful cigar, and even gave me a run for my money.  Would I smoke it again? I sure would, but I don’t see this cigar making it into my regular rotation. It’s just too strong for an everyday smoke. Would I recommend this cigar to others? For sure, as long as it is someone who is game to get their ass kicked. At a price tag of about $10 this cigar was sadly a bit more than I would normally pay. In my honest opinion there are far too many full bodied cigars out there with similar value, and lower price tags.

Joya De Nicaragua Ananto Dark Corojo

On a side note, keep a look out for a special contest launching later this week/weekend sponsored by the wonderful team at Bonita Smoke Shop!

Cruzado

I have heard of these cigars, but most shops locally in El Paso, Texas don’t even carry Illusione cigars, so unless I was to receive these as a gift or trade, I probably never would have got my grubby little paws on one.

Luckily, a great little shop by the name of Tobacco Road recently jumped on the Illusione bandwagon and not only started stocking Illusione cigars, but Cruzado as well. Adam, the owner of the shop, actually gifted me a few of the Cruzado cigars in hopes to spread word of the brand. If you’re ever in town, Tobacco Road is a must-stop.

The Good Stuff: As stated earlier, the Cruzado line of cigars is another line blended by the mastermind himself, Dion Giolito. The Cruzado line was released in mid 2008. With the success of Dion’s Illusione lines the Cruzado had quite a bit of hype to live up to. Unlike the full-bodied Illusione cigars the Cruzado is best described as a medium to full, with complex flavors, soft spices atop leather and general creaminess. The size I have recieved is the Dantes Robusto. The Cruzado is blended by Dion, and then rolled in the Raices Cubanas along with the rest of the Illusione line.

Size: 5 x 48 -  Wrapper: Nicaragua Criollo  -  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan/Honduran  - Strength: Medium

Cruzado

Prelight: The Cruzado’s wrapper is very firm to the touch. There were no soft spots whatsoever, actually quite the opposite. The wrapper was nice and oily, but at the same time it seemed a bit firmer than what I was used to. As most of Dion’s cigars the Cruzado sports a nice, rounded triple cap. I really wish more cigar manufacturers would take a que from Cuban construction and triple wrap their caps. The cap seems to be the only portion of the cigar I ever really have any problems with. not only is the wrapper a nice, milk chocolate shade of brown, but it also carries with it chocolate scents with hints of spice. The foot of the Cruzado smells very leathery with notes of nutmeg.

Cruzado

Cold Draw: I cut this particular cigar using my Palio double-bladed cutter. The cut was very clean, and there were no signs of misconstruction upon the slice. The cold draw was very spicy, with timid hints of what I could only categorize best as German pastry.

First Smoke: The Cruzado was wrapped a bit too tight for my liking. I was able to pull a decent draw off of the cigar but it took far more hits than I am used to. Almost instantaneously I was smacked in the face with a burst of pepper I wasn’t expecting. Other flavors were oats, bread, spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, leather, and again the German pastry. The Cruzado didn’t leave much of an aftertaste, just the slight lingering tobacco taste that is expected when smoking cigars. The burn started off well but is beginning to get slightly wavy. It’s still too early into the cigar to tell how this will affect the overall experience. The Cruzado is a great retro-hale cigar, clean, non-burning. I got about and inch and a half into the Cruzado before the ash gave way for the first time.

Cruzado

Halfway There: Shortly after I reached the halfway point the draw began to open up a whole lot more. I was no longer having to hit this cigar three or four times to get the massive burst of smoke I wanted. The burn line did get a bit wavy and I had to touch it up, I don’t see any further issues with it though. The flavors are holding their own. At this point the pepper is no longer in the mix, more spice, vanilla, oats, and bread. I’m really quite surprised how slow this cigar is burning. The smoke is thick and very light in color where as the ash is a whole lot darker than what you would normally expect out of any cigar. It’s not really flaky, but it isn’t really packed either.

Cruzado

Finish: There was a slight harshness to the nub of the Cruzado, but not anything serious. It may be in part to the massive smoking I did early into the cigar. The Cruzado finished very smooth otherwise. There was no nicotine feel. Overall the Cruzado was an incredibly smooth smoke. The pepper made a quick return towards the end of the cigar, but just enough to effect the aftertaste. After the halfway touch-up I had no further burn issues at all. The flavors finished off very Vanilla Coffee Creamery, with Oaky Leather and hints of pepper.

Cruzado

Overview: Although the Cruzado had great flavors, and was extremely smooth, it was just a little on the light side for my taste. This isn’t to say I won’t have it again. I actually think the Cruzado will be one of the few Medium smoke I will have in my regular rotation. This is a perfect cigar for novice and casual smokers.

Cruzado

Joya De Nicaragua Antano Consul

I have actually never smoked a Joya De Nicaragua before, so this is my first. I have heard nothing but great things about this cigar, and I stumble across it just about everywhere I go. So I finally decided to give it a shot.

The Good Stuff: Joya De Nicaragua’s Antano 1970 is a lasting tribute to the comapany’s stability. Joya De Nicaragua’s cigars were first released back in the mid 1960′s where it was one of the first cigars ever produced in Nicaragua. In 1970, the cigar gained mass acceptance in the U.S. and actually became the tradition cigar of the White House. Shortly after, Nicaragua became fairly unstable, and all of Joya De Nicaragua’s production came to a standstill. After more than 30 years, Joya De Nicaragua came back into play in 2002 with the Antano, to celebrate the company’s hard work.

Joya De Nicaragua Antano 1970

Size: 4.5 x 52  -  Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano  -  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan  -  Strength: Full

Prelight: I’ve read a review or two on the Antano so I know better than to let it’s small stature fool me. This cigar is supposed to pack a mean punch. The Wrapper is a very dark habano, almost maduro looking leaf. The cigar itself is very chunky, and has a pretty good weight to it. The wrapper smells of light earth tones with hints of almond. The foot of the cigar has a strong woodsy smell, with a touch of pine. There were a few soft spots close to the foot of the cigar. We will blame these on the handling, and I don’t forsee any problems with them. I should be able to burn right through them. The band is very bright, and inviting. There is a great use of metallic gold ink, with greens and reds spread out across the ring making the Antano stand out amongst most other cigars in any humidor. I used a double-bladed cutter, and a cheapy little 3 torch flame (my lighter is being repaired) to smoke this cigar.

Joya De Nicaragua Antano

Cold Draw: The pine taste didn’t come through with the cold draw, I must have picked that out of the air somewhere. The Antano’s cold draw had a very woodsy/leathery taste to it, with touches of spice and almond. The cold draw was pretty tight, and I am hoping this doesn’t transcend into the rest of the smoke.

First Smoke: The Antano lit up right away, and took literally just a few seconds to light completely under my 3 flame torch set to low. The first couple of puffs were very tight. I’m not a big fan of tight draws, so it was very welcomed when out of the blue the draw unleashed with huge clouds of thick smoke about 4 or 5 puffs in. Despite the massive draw, the smoke itself wasn’t all that bad smelling. If it wasn’t for the huge clouds of smoke I would recommend smoking this around other people. The taste pallete was very soft and invited. Peppery, spice was the dominant flavor backed by a bit of pine, cedar, and hints of almond.

Joya De Nicaragua Antano 1970

The burn line is nothing less of stellar at this point, and the Antano is producing very thick, almost white ash. The pepper taste is matching up well as this cigar is paired with an Avery Hog Heaven barley-wine style ale. Astonishingly enough, I got almost 2 whole inches of ash (keep in mind how short this cigar is) before finally giving way. I really couldn’t predict when it was actually going to give out.

Joya De Nicaragua Antano 1970

Halfway there: I know this is a strong cigar, but at this point I have yet to feel it. The smoke is smooth, and incredibly creamy. The pepper taste has mellowed out some, and now its become more “bready”. I’m not sure if  “bready” is the term, or even a word for that matter, but it was the best way I could describe it. The draw hasn’t let up at all, it’s still as big as ever.

Joya De Nicaragua Antano 1970

The Antano’s burn line has taken a small turn for the worse as it became pretty wavy on one portion of the cigar. I’m not sure if this one will actually correct itself. The Antano is getting pretty warm. I usually smoke pretty fast, however this one is burning a lot warmer than most other cigars I’ve had as of late.

Finish: After standing up, and walking around my back yard A bit I was pretty surprised to find that I have felt no light-headedness, nor any signs of nicotine. Towards the end of the smoke the pepper taste came back, but it wasn’t nearly as strong as the beginning of the smoke. The questionable burn line actually did in fact correct itself, and the warmth of the draw only increased. I was really surprised how the taste of the Antano was so consistent throughout the entire smoke. The only addition were soft hints of sweetness I picked up towards the very end.

Joya De Nicaragua Antano 1970

Overview: I would have to give this cigar 4.5 stars out of 5 (I am working on a custom rating system, no worries.). Outside of the small stature, the hot burn, and the fact that I don’t have more of these in my humidor, I can’t think of anything bad to say about this smoke. It was extremely smooth, and well balanced with soft kicks just where you would expect them. I WILL be getting more of these, and I recommend anyone who enjoys cigars to do the same.

The Joya De Nicaragua Antano 1970 Consul was paired with Avery’s Hog Heaven Barely Wine Style Ale.

Joya De Nicaragua Antano 1970