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Well, happily, all that has changed. Joya de Nicaragua can honestly be said to have more than restored its goodwill, in my mind at least, and in the minds of quite a few cigar connoisseurs. In fact, one of my personal favorite lines of cigars is the bold, dark, full-bodied Joya de Nicaragua Antaño 1970. A full-bodied-cigar-lover's dream, the Antaño bursts with flavor and quality. As I have two boxes of these babies aging in my humidors, a review of the stupendous Antaño is forthcoming. Stay tuned!
However, today I shall review the Antaño's new and somewhat milder cousin, the Joya de Nicaragua Celebración. I recently sampled a Churchill of this line.
However, today I shall review the Antaño's new and somewhat milder cousin, the Joya de Nicaragua Celebración. I recently sampled a Churchill of this line.
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The Celebración Churchill I smoked was an elegant-looking, 6-7/8" x 48 stick. It featured a smooth, matte, rosy-brown colorado wrapper. Lighter in color than the Antaño 1970, the Celebración nevertheless was beautifully oily and appeared to be of top quality construction. The cigar was medium to light in terms of weight, but felt solid to my fingertips.
The lightup was surprisingly mild. The first impression was of toasty aromas and very subdued, but luscious, flavors. Was that cedar perhaps? Strength was mild to medium, and my overall impression of the flavor was that it strikingly similar to my memories of the luscious Antaño but much, much milder and not at all "punchy." Not at all like a mild cigar in flavor, this was very much like a full-bodied cigar in its profile, but mild in body. Amazing. Right from the start I recognized that typical Joya character and knew that this was going to be a good smoke.
After the cigar had settled out for ten minutes or so it could have been described as light but complex and clean. My wife remarked that the aroma was unusually light but featured that incensey quality she likes. The draw was on the firm side, but not overly so.
At fifteen minutes the stick had become somewhat fuller in character, and at this point could have been classified as a mild-to-medium smoke. The finish was still very clean and unusually short, almost nonexistant.
By the 25 minute mark the cigar was complex and well-balanced, perhaps medium-bodied, with notes of fresh-sawn wood and aged cedar. There was still very little finish. After half an hour I removed 1-3/8" of whitish ash.
At forty minutes the Churchill was medium-bodied and delicious. Its flavor profile held my interest and had remained quite consistent. This Celebración was very much like a subdued version of the Antaño; the flavor profile was amazingly similar but diluted. There was still not much finish at this point.
At 55 minutes I ashed another inch, and was enjoying the light but complex and flavorful smoke. I noted hints of cedar and maybe a bit of cream, together with some toast.
After an hour and five minutes the cigar was becoming difficult to keep lit. I had to keep drawing on it more frequently and forcefully than I would have preferred, just to prevent it from going out. There was some finish now, short but subdued-cedary. I was feeling a bit of nicotine, probably from deliberate puffing to keep the stick burning.
Less than three inches of the Churchill remained after an hour and fifteen minutes. At this point it was becoming fuller, definitely being a solid "medium" smoke now. The flavor profile had not changed, but had simply become more voluminous, and was now accompanied by a developing, cedary finish -- still too short for my tastes. The aroma had changed; it was now sweeter, and according to my wife, had developed a hint of chocolate.
At an hour and 20 minutes it was becoming even more interesting, more full-flavored, with a minty character entering the mix. I could honestly say that this was a luscious, medium-bodied smoke. Burning at a barely-acceptable level, I removed an irregular inch of ash at the 1-1/2 hour mark, but continued to enjoy what was left. Sadly, I had to abandon the cigar at an hour and 45 minutes, just as it was at its peak of flavor and finish.
The Joya de Nicaragua Celebración Churchill is an excellent introduction to the excellent Joya brand, especially for the cigar smoker who prefers a mild to medium smoke. With flavors one rarely finds in a milder cigar, this attractive stick definitely reflects the typical Joya blend without overpowering the smoker. I declare it to be recommended.
The lightup was surprisingly mild. The first impression was of toasty aromas and very subdued, but luscious, flavors. Was that cedar perhaps? Strength was mild to medium, and my overall impression of the flavor was that it strikingly similar to my memories of the luscious Antaño but much, much milder and not at all "punchy." Not at all like a mild cigar in flavor, this was very much like a full-bodied cigar in its profile, but mild in body. Amazing. Right from the start I recognized that typical Joya character and knew that this was going to be a good smoke.
After the cigar had settled out for ten minutes or so it could have been described as light but complex and clean. My wife remarked that the aroma was unusually light but featured that incensey quality she likes. The draw was on the firm side, but not overly so.
At fifteen minutes the stick had become somewhat fuller in character, and at this point could have been classified as a mild-to-medium smoke. The finish was still very clean and unusually short, almost nonexistant.
By the 25 minute mark the cigar was complex and well-balanced, perhaps medium-bodied, with notes of fresh-sawn wood and aged cedar. There was still very little finish. After half an hour I removed 1-3/8" of whitish ash.
At forty minutes the Churchill was medium-bodied and delicious. Its flavor profile held my interest and had remained quite consistent. This Celebración was very much like a subdued version of the Antaño; the flavor profile was amazingly similar but diluted. There was still not much finish at this point.
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After an hour and five minutes the cigar was becoming difficult to keep lit. I had to keep drawing on it more frequently and forcefully than I would have preferred, just to prevent it from going out. There was some finish now, short but subdued-cedary. I was feeling a bit of nicotine, probably from deliberate puffing to keep the stick burning.
Less than three inches of the Churchill remained after an hour and fifteen minutes. At this point it was becoming fuller, definitely being a solid "medium" smoke now. The flavor profile had not changed, but had simply become more voluminous, and was now accompanied by a developing, cedary finish -- still too short for my tastes. The aroma had changed; it was now sweeter, and according to my wife, had developed a hint of chocolate.
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The Joya de Nicaragua Celebración Churchill is an excellent introduction to the excellent Joya brand, especially for the cigar smoker who prefers a mild to medium smoke. With flavors one rarely finds in a milder cigar, this attractive stick definitely reflects the typical Joya blend without overpowering the smoker. I declare it to be recommended.