JOYA DE NICARAGUA CABINETTA
5x52
This is certainly a VERY unique cigar, being that it has two wrappers applied to it, an Ecuador grown Connecticut shade wrapper from foot to band, and from band to head, a Nicaraguan Criollo wrapper leaf. The Ecuador is light tan in color, very smooth, silky in texture with no tooth or veins visible. The Nica wrapper is, in contrast, dark, and very toothy, and leathery tough to the touch. This should prove to be an interesting combination. The foot smells like fruit and nuts, raisins particularly. Almost a pastry like quality to the aroma, which is very pleasant. The draw is fairly firm. Hopefully not problematically so. The cold draw flavor is sweet and spicy, and actually reminds me of some of the higher end Fuente sticks. There is a dessert spice flavor (ie. Nutmeg, cinnamon, and Sweet nuts like Hazelnut) element that is very nice.
Lit at 10:51pm.
Flavor initially is of rich sweet tobacco, with a very mild spice on the finish.
Through the nose there is a good cinnamon that lingers on the palette through the finish, mingling with the pepper. The burn line is great, not perfectly straight, but slightly wavy. Performing well so far. The mix of flavors typical of lighter milder sticks, characterized here by the Connecticut wrapper, including creamy nut flavors, and the dark Criollo wrapper, like rich earth and pepper is very interesting.The draw unfortunately is resulting in somewhat poor smoke production.
Currently the ash has held on through all of the first third and into half of the second third which is unbelievable frankly. The flavors have remained constant, but nthe mouth feel has gotten very creamy, literally leaving a sweet film like sensation coating the mouth, like drinking... well... cream.
At roughly the halfway point the draw has suddenly opened up significantly, with smoke production increasing appropriately. The pepper on the finish has also risen a bit, which I find slightly unusual for this point in the cigar. Usually pepper changes occur at the begging or end of smokes, in my experience.
The ash finally falls, in one big log, right at the band point, which basically means the ash held on for just shy of 4 inches, naturally, turned sideways, etc. Unbelieveable! As the burn line moves closer to the transition from light to dark wrapper, the taste also starts to change from caramel sweet to cocoa or even coffee flavor, which is no surprise.
In the final third this stick becomes a bit of a powerhouse. The strength ramps up a bit as the Criollo wrapper starts burning too. Looking closely, it is clear that the light wrapper actually covers the whole stick, and that the dark wrapper is simply applied to the final third OVER the light. Interesting what that does, as the nutty cream flavor present early on is still fully present despite the addition of some much heavier flavors, like the toasted coffee and cocoa that the Criollo delivers. Very delicious combination. I would be interested to see what a "double wrappered" cigar would do... The peppery finish is still getting stronger as it burns, but with the sweet cinnamon flavor, it has basically turned this stick into a tingly, spicy cinnamon bun, which is... decadent (haha!) This final third has really blown me away with its intensity of flavors, and is certainly the best part of this cigar, despite the jump in (nicotine) strength, which anyone who has read my previous write-ups knows I am not a huge fan of.
Ended at 12:35am, for a total smoke time of one hour 44 minutes, which is a really long time for a Robusto. Very interesting smoke, not initially overly complex, but as the second wrapper begins to have more effect, it becomes very rich, and definitely VERY complex on the palette. Highly recommended. I am pretty sure these are reasonably priced as well, which just makes this an even more appealing smoke. Amazing job!
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