Boutique Cigars

Joya Antaño CT: Joya Series Part 1 of 5
Joya Antaño CT

We are about to embark on a journey. A journey that will educate you, a journey that will possibly send you cigar shopping at your local brick and mortar or perhaps shop online for the cigars that Joya de Nicaragua has to offer. It’s certainly a “family” of cigars that have always steered me right. Just like when I am working at Ed Leez tobacco here in Albany, NY, [shameless plug but we’ll allow it] I introduce fellow cigar enthusiasts to something new or different, or even guiding a new cigar smoker, there are 3 top cigars (from a mild stand point) that I choose to show and the Antaño CT is right at the top of my list. Now, I can talk about ALL of the cigars that JDN has to offer, in fact; that’s exactly my intent for the next several reviews. Some you may have had, some you may have not and others, there might be a chance, you didn’t know about. To kick things off with I’m going to start with the Antaño CT. Let’s get into it! 

The Antaño CT was introduced to the market back in 2019 at the IPCPR Trade Show. With its Ecuadorian Connecticut shade wrapper and a Nicaraguan binder & filler this is not your typical mild cigar. Very bold in flavor it’s s damn near a flawless cigar from start to finish. Being that JDN had been established since 1968 they have had many of years to perfect some really good tasting cigars. As for the Antaño CT it has a silky smooth wrapper; almost a butterscotch look to it and to quote the JDN website “It may seem tamer than its bolder predecessors. Don’t be fooled, Antaño CT is a masterful and paradoxical blend of what a cigar with attitude can look like. A cigar that defies expectations; a smoke for those with defying souls.” So without further ado let’s cut, light, sit back, relax, and enjoy! 

As I usually do pre-light I take a couple of cold draws and was picking up some cedar, earthy wood, rich soil, and floral notes. Usually the rich soil flavor of a cigar I do not notice but perhaps because of the rich volcanic soil JDN grows their tobacco in there is a subtle hint of that richness during a couple of cold draws. Onward to the lighting up! 

Right off the first puff I immediately pick up some black pepper, wood, citrus and cream. As I continue into the first third the pepper calms down yet that cream and citrus with a hint of floral emerges victorious as the journey continues. Black pepper still hangs around but it’s subtle and graces your palate with a nice balance of profiles. Cedar, toasted almonds and a soft essence of cinnamon join the party. 

Smoking into my second third the profiles are certainly swirling around like being spun on a dance floor. The profiles dance forward, backward, sideways, and every which way. All staying consistent and switching partners along the way. You’ll get some in the front and then they will go in the back but all in harmony as the dosey doe continues to bring joy to my palate. The citrus and cream notes really tie this square dance all together.

Ready to finish this dance party heading into the last third the wood, cream, a slight taste of Cinnamon, toasted Almonds and citrus, hang strong as I enter that last third the black pepper starts to really come through yet the balance really happens when that soft white pepper joins the black pepper. It’s not POW in your face or harsh, it’s this perfect balance of peppers that hit me. That deep rich spice of black pepper yet that soft creamy touch of the white pepper subdue the black pepper so it doesn’t smack you to harshly. 

The burn is absolutely outstanding and stayed consistent all the way through. The strength of the Antaño CT is truly a mild to medium cigar yet for most of us full body smokers out there; Mild with a ton of flavor! A perfect sequential dance that leaves the palate wanting more! 

The Antano CT is available in four sizes and each presented in 20 count boxes. Robusto: (5×52) $8.45 MSRP, Corona Gorda: (5 ¼ x46) $8.00 MSRP, Toro; (6×52) $9.70 MSRP, also the size I smoked, and Belicoso: (6×54) $9.90 MSRP. So there you have it folks the first review of the JDN line of cigars with more to come. So stay tuned to the IG posts on when our Distinguished Ruffian Website will be posting the next review. Certainly a very HIGHLY recommended cigar for you to try and have again; a 5 out of 5 pints for me! Until next time STAY SMOKEY everyone!!

Wrapper –   Ecuadorian Connecticut shade

Binder – Nicaraguan

Filler – Nicaraguan

Website: www.Joyacigars.com

Rating: 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. 

The Pope Of Greenwich Village 2022
The Pope Of Greenwich Village

Drew Estate’s Pope of Greenwich Village will soon be available again as part of Smoke Inn’s famed Micro Blend Series. The 2022 launch of the limited-edition cigars will be available in late July exclusively at Smoke Inn.

A collection of rare, small batch cigars, Smoke Inn’s Micro Blend Series is a collaboration between some of the premium cigar industry’s top companies and Smoke Inn’s owner, Abe Dababneh. The Pope of Greenwich Village, named to honor one of Drew Estate Founder and President Jonathan Drew’s favorite movies, debuted in 2015 as the tenth Micro Blend Series. Smoke Inn and Drew Estate resurrected The Pope of Greenwich Village in 2021 and it once again quickly sold out.

“The Pope of Greenwich Village has been a customer favorite every time we’ve offered it,” says Dababneh. “Working closely with Drew Estate’s Master Blender, Willy Herrera, we found the perfect blend that celebrates the Micro Blend Series and is a truly exceptional masterpiece. The Pope is definitely one of our most popular Micro Blend Series cigars.”

The thinnest cigar in the Micro Blend Series, the Pope of Greenwich Village is a Short Lancero (6 x 40) that offers a fat, flavorful smoking experience. Featuring a dark and oily Mexican San Andres wrapper, a Connecticut Stalk-Cut Habano binder and Brazilian Mata Fina and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos, The Pope of Greenwich Village is full-bodied with notes of dark chocolate, earth, meat and a touch of spice. The 2022 The Pope of Greenwich Village features new packaging, wrapped in 10-count red craft paper bundle with a graceful urban bird…aka a pigeon…on the package.

“The Pope of Greenwich Village is a 1984 cult classic movie that inspired our cult classic cigar,” says Drew. “It is a satirical dark comedy crime film that deals with taboo subjects– including death, murder, crime, suicide and war–that struck a cord with both Abe and I. Without a shadow of a doubt anyone who smokes this cigar while watching the film will travel back to Greenwich Village of the time period. Please be advised!!!”

Only 800 10-count soft packs of The Pope of Greenwich Village will be available beginning in late July. With an MSRP of $99.99/10-count pack or $9.99/cigar. The Pope of Greenwich Village will be sold exclusively at smokeinn.com starting Wednesday July 27th at 12pm EST with a virtual broadcast live at 8pm EST on Friday July 29th.

Warped Chinchalle
Warped Chinchalle

Welcome back Ruffians! It’s been a bit since I sent a review, so I’m back with another new one for you. Today we’ll tackle the Warped Chinchalle. I’ve had several Warped cigars produced at the Aganorsa factory in Nicaragua but this is one of the first cigars ever released from Tabacalerala La Isla. The factory was opened up in the Dominican Republic by Hostos Fernandez Quesada. The name Chinchalle is a slang term used for smaller cigar factories in the Dominican. Warped was created in 2007 by Kyle Gellis and started a partnership with El Titan de Bronze to manufacture his line. He considers all of his blends to be a so-called, “Cuban Inspired” fashion. O.K. That’s enough fluff, let’s get into the cigar. 

Warped Chinchalle 

The Warped Chinchalle is only offered in a single 5×50 Robusto size. It has an Ecuadorian Habano 2000 wrapper over a Dominican HVA Binder and Dominican fillers. It was released on September 9, 2021, with an MSRP of $12.50 a stick. The cigar is packed super tightly and has a number of really dark veins throughout. The cold draw is a bit loose with notes of sweetgrass and leather. I decided to light my cigar with a cedar spill today and cut with my Colibri V-Cut. 

The start of the cigar has a lot of deep earth with smoldering cedar. The retrohale is creamy with a slight bit of leather. Burnt marshmallow sweetness shows up towards the end of the first third. The cigar has a decent burn and good draw. I would say it is mild to medium in strength and mild in flavor. 

The second third is a spitting image of the first. Earth and cedar are still at the forefront. The retrohale has some deep wood and slight red pepper spice. Some dried fruit and grass sneak their way in, but not enough to really hang around. It is still mild to medium in both flavor and strength. 

Going into the last third, still more of the same. Nothing in the way of transitions that really sticks out. Still lots of cedar and earth. Towards the end, a metallic flavor starts to take over. I tried to purge it, but the flavor still is overpowering, so it’s time to let it go. The cigar ends at about the medium range in both flavor and strength. 

Well, this cigar was interesting, to say the least. It was not at all what I expected. I had to relight it about 15 times and the draw seemed to get loose and tight in different spots throughout the cigar. It had some decent flavor but few and far between to be honest. It was pretty much the same flavors throughout the cigar and when it did transition to something good, it didn’t last long and was quickly overpowered again by the cedar. 

With the amount of relights, lack of transitions, and metallic flavor towards the end, I can’t see buying a box of these. The almost $13 price point would suggest a higher quality cigar. T Money Score: 2.5/5 Try Single. If you’re a fan of Warped, this is definitely worth a shot. I only had one to try, so I might have had a different experience with another stick. The ones from TABSA seem to be quite better in my opinion. Go grab a couple, give one to a friend and try it for yourselves. You may find something that grabs your attention more than what I experienced. Until next time, smoke well and do something nice for someone! 

Wrapper –  Ecuadorian Habano

Binder – Dominican

Filler – Dominican

Website: www.warpedcigars.com

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 pints.

  • Travis Peterson AKA T Money is the Co-Captain of the Arizona/New Mexico Chapter of Distinguished Ruffians. He started his cigar journey in 2007 and hasn’t looked back. Outside of cigars he has a passion for brewing beer, playing guitar, bowling and golf. He is also a self proclaimed grilling and smoking expert.