Joya de Nicaragua Antaño 1970 Churchill

1. September 18th, 2021: This is a 6.9 by 48 Nicaraguan Puro. The cigar is very highly rated by Stogie Guys. The Robusto Grande is lauded by Phil Kohn, who writes,

I highly recommend this cigar. I cannot think of a single criticism. The cigar has everything going for it. It is very close to a perfect cigar experience.

After a couple of disappointments with the Joya Red, I was very keen to try it and dipped into the box a day after its arrival. 

Appearance and Construction: The cigar looks a bit rustic. It's very smoothly made but the wrapper is quite mottled and the cap appeared quite roughly affixed. 

According to Kohn, the structure is:

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Criollo (native seed)
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan Habano

I had smoked a few Antaños Gran Reserva a few years ago. They were a lot darker.  JR Cigars writes about the Criollo wrapper:

There are two main regions in Nicaragua where Criollo is grown: Estelí, and Jalapa. The Jalapa Criollo plant has a very distinct sweetness and the Estelí’ strain has more of an earthy and nutty flavor profile. Once again, this flavor difference is due to chemical composition of the soil and the climate of each region. 

My guess is that the Criollo wrapper in the Antaño Churchill is from Jalapa, given the sweet flavour profile. 

Prelight aroma: A very subdued prelight aroma, slightly leathery.

First Puff: Very spicy, full bodied. But this quickly dissipated to a more restrained, mellow profile.

Draw and Burn: Draw was a little tight, but not too tight. Burn was excellent. I let the cigar go out towards the end and so a relight was required. But otherwise, all waviness self-corrected.

Flavour and Complexity: Throughout the first two thirds, flavour was a mild to medium sweet, light roast, weak coffee. There was no spice. Everything was calm and mellow but not without complexity. The Montecristo Especial came to mind, although I hadn't smoked one for decades. It was very pleasant. But body was insufficient to make the cigar satisfying - until the final third. 

The final third was a complete change. Flavour became richer, pepper made an entry and the whole profile of the cigar intensified. Body increased to full. Strength picked up. 

Body: Mild to medium for the first two thirds; a full bodied explosion in the final third.

Strength: Mild to medium, then building up to strong in the final third.

Finish and Aftertaste: Very pleasant, clean sweet, light, long finish. 

Aroma: A bit disappointing. Aroma was not strong or intense. It was pleasant, but subdued throughout the cigar.

Ash: Ash held on well during the first half hour. After the initial tap, ash became fractured and irregular. I noticed that an ember was glowing in one of the ashes, suggesting an uneven burn. But that didn't produce any problems with draw or burn, unlike the Joya Red I smoked, twice this month.

Nice firm ash for the first half hour. Waves self-corrected.

Balance and Consistency: The lack of pronounced aroma was a detraction. Body in the first two thirds could have been stronger. Otherwise, the transition from medium body to full body in the final third was quite satisfying and added character to the cigar.

Time smoke: 95 minutes

Overall: Kohn summarizes his experience with the Robusto Grande:  

"Obviously, this is a cigar for seasoned smokers. The power of this cigar is so omnipresent that a newbie would run for the woods screaming for his mama. This is a real kick ass cigar." I didn't find that in the Churchill, not until the final third. During the first two thirds I would have rated this cigar just 'satisfying'. It was smooth and mellow with medium body and little strength. But the flavour explosion in the final third brings up the rating to 'very satisfying' and conforms to Kohn's conclusion. I look forward to the next sample from the box. 

2. September 27th, 2021: Second dip into the box. The cigar was in good condition: not to moist, not too dry, firm to the touch but with a few empty spaces. Again, no prelight aroma to speak of; perhaps a vague leatheriness. The first few puffs were full bodied and peppery, but that flavour blast soon abated. 

The first third was smooth, but rather thin and quite boring. It reminded me of the Philippine Tabacalera cigars I used to smoke in the 80's; pleasant, with the light roast coffee flavour, but monodimensional. 

The second third was a marked improvement. Aroma became richer and body increased to a medium plus. But there was no spice or pepper until the second half of the cigar, when it came alive. By the final third the cigar became quite enjoyable, almost full bodied, rich and complex with a bit of strength and bit of spice. 

The only drawback was construction. The middle third was perfect, but draw was tight and burn was uneven in the first and final thirds, requiring several annoying touch ups.

In total, 105 minutes. Duration was probably partially influenced by difficult draw. Overall, quite satisfying, but problematic. The first third was rather dull and touchups were a nuisance.

3. October 21st, 2021: This was the best specimen so far: a delicious, well burning, aromatic cigar which lasted 110 minutes with no major construction issues. Flavour was rich and smooth, much as described above: light to medium roast coffee. It wasn't monodimensional, the sample from last month was in the first third. Aroma was rich and complex. The only defect, if one must be found, was that draw was a little tight around the middle. But that soon corrected. Overall, 110 minutes. Very satisfying. I look forward to the next one.

I listened to a podcast: Jordan Peterson interviewing Michael Shellenberger about his book Apocalypse Never. It was an excellent discussion of the psychology of the apocalyptic mindset: depressed and projecting doom onto the world. At one point Peterson burst out, "What is wealth? Wealth is energy." So true.

4. December 4th, 2021: Another hit! Medium bodied during the first two thirds. Full body in the final third with a strength kick towards the end.  Complex flavour and aroma throughout. The characteristic sweet, dried fruit flavour was prominent.

Burn and draw had defects. The ash split in two, like a celery stick, after the first inch.

The split ash didn't have any noticeable effects on draw or burn. Burn was wavy throughout, but self corrected without need for touch up. Draw was occasionally resistant and at the beginning of the final third, very resistant; so much so that it needed a partial relight. But once it got going, smoke volume was adequate. 

Strength built up in the final third and gave quite a kick towards the nub. Overall, quite satisfying and good to the nub. 95 minutes. 

After one hour

5. December 27th, 2021: Medium bodied throughout. No strength to speak of; no kick in the final third. Good burn except for a minor touch up. Flavour profile much the same as above: medium roast coffee and dried apricot. 100 minutes. Quite satisfying.

6. March 21st, 2022: A sweet, mild to medium bodied cigar with a touch of spice here and there. Good long finish and aftertaste. Easy draw and burn not perfect, as above. A nice frisson of strength in the final third. This cigar burned much faster than others. 80 minutes. Quite satisfying. 

 

Barely 80 minutes in this one. But quite pleasant with a nice kick at the end.

7. June 20th, 2022: The first two thirds were pleasantly in the medium body range. Draw was a bit resistant and the ash split as in the December 4th, cigar above. Burn was otherwise adequate, however the cigar went out once or twice in the two inches. The final third developed to full body. It was much tastier than the first two thirds. Strength increased somewhat. It didn't feel overpowering, but strange dreams ensued that night. Complexity wasn't up to the level of the Belicoso, which, when it's good, is a winner. But still quite satisfying. 95 minutes.