Stogie Reviews: Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Consul

Back in 2002, Joya de Nicaragua introduced Antaño 1970, a strong line of rich cigars honoring Joya’s storied history in the U.S. While the brand’s pinnacle was arguably back in the days of bellbottoms and disco balls – when sales exceeded nine million units per year and the American government named Joya the official cigar of the White House – my recent mid-afternoon smoke with an Antaño Consul suggests Joya isn’t running on empty yet.

This 4 and ½ inches by 52 ring gauge beauty is a full-bodied, pure-blooded Nicaraguan. The cigar’s dark, smooth wrapper is pleasantly soft and doughy to the touch and it’s red and gold band is attractive to the eye.

After snipping the head with a double guillotine cutter and patiently toasting the foot with some wooden matches, the cigar gave off earthy flavors with heavy floral and leather notes. The most distinct feature of the stogie – other than its big and powerful taste – is that the wrapper leaves a discrete banana peel flavor on the lips.

Much to my surprise, despite the cigar’s full-bodied character, I found it to be quite smooth at the beginning of the smoke. Don’t get me wrong: The stogie had a pretty decent kick, but the flavors were blended so well they were more harmonious than invasive. In the second phase, on the other hand, the cigar became very spicy with black licorice notes. This sudden change kept me on my toes until the cigar mellowed out towards the end of the hour-long smoke.

As far as construction is concerned, the burn wasn’t a distraction, but certainly nothing to write home about. The long, gray ash accumulated on the foot for an honest 1 and ½ inch.

For complex, altering flavors, I give the Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Consul four out of five stogies.

-Patrick A