I first heard about the Joya line (distributed by Drew Estate) in 2014 when a buddy of mine, at the smoke shop I frequented, tried to talk me into buying the Joya Red that had just been released. For some reason I was hesitant to try it, I don’t know what made me feel that way I just wasn’t interested so he gave me one and said “Just try it”. So it sat in my humidor staring at me for weeks every time I walked by asking me “Why don’t you want me?” Finally one day I knew I had a long drive so I grabbed because I knew I could give it some attention while smoking it. Half way into the cigar I called my friend to thank him for giving it to me because it was great and I don’t know why I took so long to smoke it. In 2016 when Black and Cabinetta were released they introduced two more great cigars to the line. Now here we are in 2018 and we have the release of the Joya Silver and when I was able to get my hands on one of each of the vitolas I was obviously excited to try it out.

Joya says “Silver is a box pressed cigar that delivers a dynamic complexity of fresh spice, chocolate and cherry notes. Its oscuro upper-priming wrapper showcases the perfect complement between the richness of the Nicaraguan fillers and the refined sweetness of the Ecuador grown wrapper and Mexican binder. The result is a medium to full body smoke that achieves an indulging

matching of flavors.”

 

Looking over the cigars it is an obvious box press, the wrapper is espresso in color and has a light oily sheen with some veining but is still fairly smooth to the touch. The seams are nice and tight and it feels firm between the fingers and does not yield much when pressure is applied.

The smell from body is very mild with light cedar notes and nuts. The smell from the foot has much greater odors including vanilla, hay, tobacco and dark chocolate. I’ve tried both cutting and punching the cap and found that for these a punch gives the best draw. With a punch the cold draw feels a bit snug but not so much so that it is unpleasant where as with a cut it felt a little too snug for my personal preference. The flavors are rich tobacco and sweet dried fruits.

The cigar lights with no issues and starts off burning evenly. It gives lots of smoke production that has a good weight on the tongue and the flavor is a mild earthy tone.

The first half of the cigar had a medium body flavor that reminded me of cured meats and white pepper. The burn remains even and the smoke production remains nice and heavy.

The second half the cigar really begins to pick up it’s intensity and the flavors become fuller. There is a spicy sweet flavor mixed with leather that comes rushing to the front and finishes on black pepper. The flavor continues to grow throughout the remaining last half and finishes as a nice full bodied cigar. The smoke production is plentiful throughout the entire smoke and the burn is sharp and even without the need for re-lighting or touching up during smoking.

Considering all of the variety that Joya has offered since 2014 and the difference in their profiles I would have to say that this is the most complex and the most bold. Although it starts off a touch on the mild side by the time you reach the second half it really comes into its own and lets you know it’s there. With its full and intense flavor profile I wouldn’t recommend this to someone new to cigar smoking unless they started off liking a bold flavor. Because of it’s nature it can stand on it’s own with just a glass of sparkling water or could pair nicely with a scotch, bourbon or even coffee. Coming in at a very modest price point this could easily be added to your daily rotation without feeling a huge dent in your wallet. If you like a lot of flavor make sure you pick up a bunch of these Joya Silver you see them.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Oscuro

Binder: Mexican

Filler: Nicaraguan

Vitolas: Ultra 6 ¼ X 46, Toro 6 x52, Corona 5 ¼ x 42, Robusto 5 x50

Price: $6.30 – $7.80 per stick depending on size.

Website: http://joyacigars.com/

Rating: 4.7 out of 5 pints