Now here is a very interesting and dynamite cigar to add to the Joya De Nicaragua already premium collection of magnificent smokes; Unfortunately Dos Cientos is a one-time release which was came out in August 2021. As stated by Joya Cigars “Dos Cientos; which means “200 years” was masterfully blended to celebrate the bicentennial of Central America’s independence from the Spanish Empire. It is a super-premium and limited-edition cigar that embodies our region’s history. It features a multi-origin blend with tobacco from different Latin American territories; Dos Cientos provides a very distinct smoking experience in my opinion of course.” 

Last 15th of September 2021 had marked the 200th anniversary of Central American Independence. This set the stage for the creation of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua to commemorate the occasion. As Juan Ignacio Martinez, president of Joya de Nicaragua explains in a press release “For us there is always a link between the past and the present. We are who we are today because of the decisions that were made hundreds of years ago. Dos Cientos pays tribute to those 200 years and who we are today as the leading cigar producing country and region in the world.” 

Dr. Alejandro Martinez-Cuenca the owner of Joy de Nicaragua added “The leaf’s role in the development of our culture and our society has been fundamental. Tobacco was ever present as we created our own economic, political and cultural identities. That was the moment in which we became what we are today as a region. We want to celebrate that achievement of our own birth as a country and as a region, so we’re showcasing tobaccos from different Latin American countries-Nicaragua, Honduras, Mexico, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic. We are paying tribute to the Latin Americans and the Americans who achieved independence to craft their own destiny.” 

With a Habano wrapper from Ecuador, the binder being from Mexico, fillers from Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic; the monumental story behind “Dos Cientos” certainly gets my palate perked with curiosity. With a nice oily leather and chocolaty look to Dos Cientos, it most certainly gets my eagerness to spark this cigar up! Before I get into my review of this cigar; I wanted to express that it took me two to solidify my review. My first experience of Dos Cientos did not burn or draw correctly; my second attempt had exactly what I was hoping for; smooth, extremely tasty, and the burn was on point. 

Taking a few cold draws before lighting it up really got my senses going due to some hints of cardamom and dried fruit which I don’t always get from the cold draws. Upon lighting up an immediate explosion of profiles came to mind; bakers spice, leather, brown sugar, cocoa, espresso, and that dried fruit hung around. Smoking right into my first third the intensity of notes smoothed out yet the various profiles are still very present to describe. Cardamom, cinnamon, dried fruit, chocolate, almost an essence of toasted pine nuts came to mind, with that sweetness of brown sugar still lingering on the palate. One observation I will mention; have you ever had toasted pine nuts? Pine nuts, once toasted (like all nuts) will excrete oils; some more than others yet pine nuts certainly will excrete more than most. I bring this up because during my journey I was getting that oily residue around my tongue. Not a bad taste at all, in fact it enhanced the experience. 

Smoking right into my second third most of the profiles stayed consistent but some moving to the front of the line and some getting shifted around, fresh baked bread and baked plantains joined the palate party. The construction held strong, the burn was very consistent, and the flavors were really impressive. Chocolate, nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar, caramelized plantains, earthiness, toasted pine nuts, fresh baked bread, and that swirl of cardamom in the background really makes me want to hoof this cigar down but took my time to really get the most out of Dos Cientos. 

Burning right into my last third, some of the profiles like toasted pine nuts, fresh baked bread, cardamom, and cinnamon started fading away while black pepper comes to the table, along with sweetened espresso and the traditional chocolate taste became a rich dark chocolate with that essence of brown sugar still lingering. I smoked this right down to the nub and it did not get hot or did I taste any type of bitterness to end the journey prematurely. 

Over all I rate this cigar 4 out of 5 and absolutely worth the $17 price tag. The Dos Cientos is available in a single 6×54 toro size. Production is limited to 3,000 boxes of 21 cigars per box. Of that number 2,000 boxes will be sold in the U.S. while the remaining 1,000 are designated for international markets. To remind you this a “one-time” cigar so if you see one, make the purchase and hope you have an exceptional cigar experience as I did! Enjoy!

Wrapper –  Ecuador

Binder – Mexico

Filler – Nicaragua /Handuros/Dominican Republic

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.