Boutique Cigars

Joya Silver

Joya Silver ReviewI 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

Joya Silver Review

This photo courtesy of @adw52pix

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.

Joya Silver ReviewThe 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

Debonaire Habano Belicoso

Debonaire Habano BelicosoWhile looking through my humidor the other day trying to decide what to smoke I came across some Debonaire Habano Belicosos. After smoking it I knew what would be the next cigar I would write about. Obviously from my previous articles about their cigars I’ve had great luck and this one doesn’t fail to deliver either.

The look of the cigar itself is enticing and draws you in. The wrapper is milk chocolate in color with a nice light oily sheen to it and some light veining. The seams are tight, the body feels full but not over stuffed, the cigar gives to some light pressure between the fingers but it does not damage the integrity of the roll. The smell from body reminds me of sweet raisins, old leather and a bit of ceder. From the foot the raisin and ceder smell are more apparent and rich tobacco is present.

The cap cuts with no issues. The cold draw is easy giving just a slight resistance. The flavor from cold draw is a burst of natural tobacco flavor. It lights easily and burns sharp from the start. The first few pulls give a nice mellow flavor and an excellent amount of meaty smoke production.

The first half maintains a nice balanced mellow flavor of dark chocolate, leather and a touch of sweetness. The burn remains even and does not require touching up.

In the second half the flavor profile begins to open up a bit with a nice tobacco flavor becoming more prominent along with some earthy notes and red pepper towards the end, however the sweetness is still lingering in there. The construction holds through the entire cigar and the burn is sharp and did not have to be evened out or touched up at any time. The smoke remained plentiful as well.

Debonaire has another winner with this cigar. With its medium body flavor it’s a great cigar to pair with just about anything and can be appreciated by just about anyone. It has a solid construction, great quality tobacco, and due to it’s 6×54 size it’s going to be a cigar you can really kick back and enjoy for a bit. I’d say if your looking for a cigar to really sit down and appreciate on a special occasion or when you have a bit of free time with friends and want a quality stick this is the one to grab.

 

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano

Binder: Dominican

Filler: Nicaraguan and Dominican

Vitola: 6×54

Price: $14.00

Website: debonairerum.com/cigars/

Rating: 4.7 out of 5 pints

Wasabi From Espinosa

Espinosa WasabiIn November 2016, a series of cigars from Espinosa Cigars were released. There was a total of eight to be used as part of the company’s “Backroom Series” available exclusively to the Espinosa-branded lounges. In April one of these cigars, the Wasabi, was brought onto the market again as a limited release of 500 boxes of 10. This release just happened to co-ordinate during our annual Crawfish Boil that we hosted along with Erik and his son so I managed to get my hands on quite a few of these guys.

Of course as we talked about the cigar the mention of people thinking it was flavored with wasabi came up (much like how some people seemed to think that the Pickle Juice was also flavored with pickles). Of course this is not the case and the name was picked solely because he liked the name. Of course Erik does refer to it as a spicy candela so I have a sneaking suspicion that might have had something to do with it as well.

When you first look at the cigar it has a pleasing overall look to it. The color of the candela is a nice pale green color. There are some noticeable veins throughout the wrapper but over all it is smooth to the touch and the seams are tight and even. The Habano tip adds a nice contrast to the overall look of the cigar. Construction feels firm but giving enough not to feel over packed when pressure is applied with the fingers and no dead spots were apparent when inspected.

The odor from the body is light and sweet, while the odor from the foot leans a bit more towards a hay or barnyard odor with a hint of pepper. The cap cuts easily with no damage done to the construction. Pre-light draw is easy and has a mild tobacco flavor, some sweetness and a touch of pepper to it. The cigar lights evenly and produces plenty of medium weight smoke on the tongue.

The first half of this cigar comes across with a decent amount of spice to it. In the foreground to me is a good amount of white pepper and citrus. Definitely a solid medium / medium heavy cigar at this point. The burn is even and stays consistent for the most part. The ash is a dark grey in color and drops off about every ½ inch.

Reaching the second half the cigar really starts to mellow out and more of its earthy tones start to move to the front. The spice is still there on the finish but the taste of smoked cedar and peat become more prominent. This lasts until reaching the end of the cigar where the full strength becomes noticeable and the pepper fights its way back to the forefront of the flavors.

In all after smoking several of these I have to say I really enjoy them. Not something I’d recommend for the beginner but would easily recommend it to someone who likes a variety of flavor and is looking for something to try that you don’t see every day. Better go out and grab some before they all disappear. 500 boxes sounds like a lot but trust me, with how good these guys are they will be gone before you know it.

Wrapper/Binder/Filler: Ancient Japanese Secret

Website: https://www.espinosacigars.com

Rating: 4.4 out of 5 pints