Author: billykartwheels

Joya Red: Joya Series Part 4 of 5
Joya Red

Here we have it folks, the Joya Red, the very first Joya within the Joya line released back in 2014, as a 100% Nicaraguan everything (wrapper, filler, & binder). The company Joya de Nicaragua describes the Joya Red as a “vibrant, classy, extremely pleasant, and was made for the modern smoker”. It’s been just about 8 years now since its release and not just the Joya Red but the whole Joya line has established a great foundation of pleasurable smokes. 

I’ve always been a fan of the Joya line since they were launched into the cigar industry and have been blessed with the opportunity to try each of them as they were released. While each has been a very enjoyable journey, the Joya Red stands out, after all it was the very first to be introduced. With this being my forth review within the JDN line of cigars (all of them receiving high praises and all enjoyed) I’ll get right to the review! 

Starting with a cold draw, first I pick up wood and spice which to me; makes everything nice! The richness of tobacco comes through and some light essence of floral notes gets my saliva going; I’m ready to light up! 

Just as I expected; right away as I light up, there is a rich coffee, cream, some toasted nut with some semi-sweet chocolate to top it off. Burning right into the first third of the Joya Red some red pepper joins the party. There is this spice with a zip of earthiness that encompasses the palate while all those other notes swirl around from front to back, back to front. Joya Red is very unique with how the palate catches the various profiles. Some cedar notes come through to drive it all home as, in my opinion, the perfect balance to start a great cigar! 

As I continue to burn into the second third of the cigar the red pepper spice calms down to a white pepper, the semi-sweet chocolate blends into a rich chocolate, kind of like a latte turning into a mocha. You get that creaminess just with a more rich mocha profile. Even though this is not a maduro cigar the combination of well grown Nicaraguan tobacco makes that richness come through. I am still picking up toasted nuts while some light leathery notes become present also. The burn is consistent, it produces plenty of smoke and the draw is really nice thus far. 

Burning down into the last third of the Joya Red, interestingly enough, some deep fruit profiles come through. Reminds me of dates and black cherries while the white pepper turns into black pepper, the mocha remains with that mocha sweetness taste, the spice remains yet this spice profile taste for me has a cinnamon essence and of course the toasted nuts still hold strong. Over all the Joya Red has great construction, well rounded burn, and lots of smoke. It’s amazing when you have had a cigar more than once, twice, or ten times, each time might be a slightly different experience; just like I have experienced here. I love being able to have a cigar that I have had more than ten times through my 20+ years of cigar smoking and this journey really made a difference with how I view this cigar. Remembering that I had picked up some of the profiles previously, at the same time I spent my time one on one with the Joya Red and what I picked up was far different than my previous experiences with this cigar. 

With the ease of locating, the affordability, and the flavor profiles I will most certainly rate this cigar a 4 out of 5 pints. There are plenty of choices when it comes to vitolas also; sold in boxes of 20 and individually of course; Joya Red Short Churchill (4 ¾ x 48) $110.99, Joya Red Robusto (5 ¼ x 50) $123.99, Joya Red Toro and a box press Toro (6×52) $131.99, Joya Red Canonazo (5 ½ x 54) $130.99 and if you enjoy the Cigarillos then Joya Red comes in those sizes as well (4×32) pack of 10 $9.25. [Prices will vary of course depending on location.] If you have never tried one yet, then it’s a must. Joya Red is a medium body profile with not a whole lot of strength so even if you’re a full body smoker or a mild smoker you will still be able to enjoy this delicious cigar! Cheers and Enjoy!!

Wrapper – Nicaraguan H. Crillo

Binder – Nicaraguan

Filler – Nicaraguan

Website: www.Joyacigars.com

Rating: 4 out of 5 pints

  • William O’Connor, AKA Billy Kartwheels, is the Co-Captian of the Distinguished Ruffians NY Chapter. Billy has had an interesting life, going through college, being in the Navy and living on a submarine, he has visited 48 states (hitchhiking through 35) of them and even lived in a Hare Krishna monastery for some time. After having numerous brushes with death durring his travels he has decided it was best to take it easy and appreciate life to its fullest all while smoking a cigar at the same time. 

Joya Black: Joya Series Part 3 of 5
Joya Black

Sometimes there are things in life are truly Black and white, plain and simple, and although the label of the Joya Black has a black and white label there is nothing plain or simple about this cigar from Joya de Nicaragua to be wrapped with a San Andres wrapper. The Joya Black was the second release within the “Joya” line. It was back in 2016 at the IPCPR Convention and Trade Show when the Joya Black was released into the cigar industry. 

I remember when they were released because it was around that time when I was starting to educate myself on the company Joya de Nicaragua. I remember reading about how the Joya line was meant to bridge Joya de Nicaragua’s rich history with the modern contemporary cigar enthusiast in mind. A cigar that has rich, robust, Nicaraguan tobacco (binder and filler) without an overpowering strength, and that Mexican San Andres wrapper to bring it all together; sounds pretty “plain and simple”, “black and white” yet the appearance and taste profile will certainly express differently! This all just my opinion so let’s get into taking a couple of cold draws, light this beauty up, and enjoy! 

Such a nice espresso color to this cigar, the smell is so deep and rich from that Nicaraguan soil with an ever so slight oily look to it. Upon taking a couple of cold draws I immediately get that nice maduro sweetness with some mocha notes and a hint of wood, certainly got the glands salivating and ready to light up. 

Upon light up there was an instant white pepper and espresso rush that trampled my palate to certainly wake up the senses to start to fully indulge in this already great cigar. As I continued the first third that white pepper calmed down but a rich sweetness of tobacco came through strong with a swirl of espresso dancing about. Certainly some rich and creamy dark chocolate came to mind as I continued to enjoy the Joya Black. Brown sugar and butter mixed with some nice coffee is what this taste reminds me of. 

As I continued onto the second third the profiles are stayed quite strong yet at the same time changed. Have you ever stirred your coffee after a few sips and gotten that cream swirled around and it changes the taste of your next sip of coffee (unless you drink it black) it’s kind of like that, a swirling profile of chocolate, espresso, mocha latte, with a little wood taste and that brown sugar butter sweetness to tie it all in. 

The last third had a little bit of black pepper, molasses, and toasted bakers spice as I guessed there would be as I got closer to the end. All that richness and well cared for tobacco really pleased my palate from start to finish. Joya Black is certainly one of those cigars that are hard to put down. The taste keeps you wanting more and more and well… more.

With these prices you can certainly have the Joya Black whenever you like. Double Robusto (5×56) – $7.95 – box of 20 $159, Nocturno (6 ¼ x 46) $6.50 – box of 20 $130, Robusto (5 ¼ x 50) $7.25 – box of 20 $145, and Toro (6×52) $7.96 – box of 20 $159.20.

Now of course prices may vary from state to state and online because me being NY the prices are definitely not that low but still very affordable. One thing that does not vary on this cigar is the 4 out of 5 pints that I rate this cigar. Certainly one that can be enjoyed morning, noon, or night, on any day and I’m sure most of you reading this article have had at least one of these Joya Black’s. On the other hand if you had not tried one yet, what are you waiting for? Enjoy and stay tuned for the next Joya review in this series.

Wrapper –  Mexican San Andres

Binder – Nicaraguan

Filler – Nicaraguan

Website: www.Joyacigars.com

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 pints

  • William O’Connor, AKA Billy Kartwheels, is the Co-Captian of the Distinguished Ruffians NY Chapter. Billy has had an interesting life, going through college, being in the Navy and living on a submarine, he has visited 48 states (hitchhiking through 35) of them and even lived in a Hare Krishna monastery for some time. After having numerous brushes with death durring his travels he has decided it was best to take it easy and appreciate life to its fullest all while smoking a cigar at the same time. 

Joya Silver From Joya De Nicaragua: Joya Series Part 2 of 5
Joya Silver

I will have to say that the Joya Silver is definitely the second best cigar I enjoy smoking within the JDN line of cigars. When JDN released Joya Silver back in 2018 at the IPCPR Trade Show; I was working at another cigar shop (different than the one I am currently working at now) there was certainly a buzz going around about Joya Silver. There was a sense of anticipation; a build up; ready for it to come in and hit the shelves so all who had heard about it can give it a try. I was already a huge JDN fan and after hearing that the launch of Joya Siler was part of the company’s 50th anniversary celebration the excitement grew more. Side note; I do find it rather amusing that “WE” as cigar smokers will get totally excited, enthused, like a child waiting to open up presents on Christmas day for a particular cigar to come out. Well, with a box press shape and a dark Ecuadorian Oscuro wrapper, who wouldn’t get excited. 

I must say I have enjoyed this cigar EVERY time I have sparked one up since its release date. I do recall asking myself “why don’t I have this cigar more often?” after every time I’ve ended a Joya Silver. I have certainly not smoked this cigar as often as I would like to (which might change after today) because sometimes all it takes is “lighting” the flame to start a cigar to bring back the memories, and realizing what you’ve been missing. In my opinion it truly is an affordable cigar with all the right profiles I enjoy with complexity, medium to full body strength and an exceptional flavor. It’s not a question of why, but why not enjoy this cigar on a regular basis. Speaking of exceptional flavor, let’s get into the review. 

Joya Silver has an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, a San Andres Mexican Binder, along with Nicaraguan fillers the taste really shines through during the pre-light/cold draw experience. The cold draw delivered some earth, floral, cedar, dark chocolate covered cherries, and almost a hint of molasses crossed with some black currant (cassis). It has a real Nicaraguan richness to the cigar that gets your palate salivating for the light up. 

Upon lighting up; there is a burst of black cherry and black pepper that hits you, woke me up in a sense, to embark on the journey of this great cigar. As I continued on the first 1/3rd of this cigar that smack of black pepper and black cherry intensity calmed down and settled into some nice dark chocolate, little cedar, cassis, while that black pepper and cherry was still hanging around. the burn was very consistent, had a smooth draw, burrows of smoke, and the profiles continue to impress. As I continued, there is a creaminess that settles things down a bit, not to say the profiles get diminished in anyway, it’s almost like comparing a peanut butter and sandwich separately; both are good on their own yet when combined together there is that smooth richness/creaminess of flavor that happens while you enjoy. So, that’s kind of what’s going on for me. As I continued smoking into the second third, all the flavors were great yet mixed together there was a “creaminess” that helped tie it all together. 

It’s interesting (in some ways) that each time I’ve enjoyed a Joya Silver there’s always something new I pick up OR a profile that REALLY shines through above the others. In this case a bakers spice really stands out during this second third. Nutmeg, allspice, ginger, clove and toasted cinnamon come to my palate with of course some dark chocolate churning to a semi sweet bakers chocolate while that black cherry is still dancing in the background. The black pepper asked white pepper to join the party. As I transitioned into the last third of Joya Silver some rich earthy notes came through along with some molasses. 

Burning up the last third of Joya Silver most of the profiles stay the same and swirl around from the front to the back of the palate. It was hard to put down because the taste is so good you want to keep puffing yet you want to enjoy it FULLY without getting the cigar to hot. From start to finish the burn was smooth and no issues whatsoever. Black pepper seemed to have dropped the white pepper (must of not been a good dancer) because there was a rich molasses, black pepper, and dark almost a caramelized cherry that came through within the last third. Not over powering or over baring, just real rich aaaaand delicious! 

Now, was I getting all of these profiles from when I smoked Joya Silver for the very first time? Honestly probably not; but I know I enjoyed every puff and certainly enjoyed it all of the other times I had moments with Joya Silver. This session in particular deepened my appreciation for Joya Silver, like most of the cigars I get a chance to review, but for the Joya Silver it has filled the spot of the “everyday” kind of cigar I have been looking for. When you work in a cigar shop I guess ANY cigar can be your “everyday” smoke yet Joya Silver hit’s ALL of the right notes for me and it’s not that I’m not going to smoke anything else during the day BUT I can certainly incorporate the Joya Silver as one that I WILL enjoy more often than just once in awhile. 

I rate this cigar 4.5 out of 5 pints and with a price tag like this YOU too could incorporate the Joya Silver into your wheel house of everyday smokes. Joya Silver comes in boxes of 20 with sizes that consist of Ultra (6 ¼ x 46) $6.30, Toro (6×52) $7.80, Corona (5 ¼ x42) $6.30, and Robusto (5×50) $7.10. If you’ve had one then you know, if you haven’t had one then I would strongly suggest you trying one; at those prices, again, not why but WHY NOT?? Cheers and enjoy!

Wrapper –  Ecuadorian Habano

Binder – Mexican San Andres

Filler – Nicaraguan

Website: www.Joyacigars.com

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 pints

  • William O’Connor, AKA Billy Kartwheels, is the Co-Captian of the Distinguished Ruffians NY Chapter. Billy has had an interesting life, going through college, being in the Navy and living on a submarine, he has visited 48 states (hitchhiking through 35) of them and even lived in a Hare Krishna monastery for some time. After having numerous brushes with death durring his travels he has decided it was best to take it easy and appreciate life to its fullest all while smoking a cigar at the same time.