Established in 1968, Joya de Nicaragua is the oldest premium cigar brand made in Nicaragua,  and it is the only brand to have ever been officially recognized as the country’s national cigar. A personal favorite among cigar smokers in the White House during the Nixon Administration, the original Joya de Nicaragua, now called Clasico,  features a blend of 100% Cuban seed Nicaraguan tobaccos that is still wildly popular among cigar aficionados today.

The brand portfolio has expanded over the years to include several savory line extensions including the highly regarded Joya Red series which is produced by Drew Estate in Estelí  Nicaragua.  The cigar that I chose to review today is the Joya Red Toro that is rolled in a classic 6 x52 size.

The top-shelf Joya Red Toro cigar is no stranger to my humidor, and it is a stick that I smoke quite often, so for this review, I will revisit it again and tell you why it has become an enjoyable part of my daily rotation.

This fabulous Nicaraguan puro is a combination of binder and filler tobaccos from the rich and fertile growing regions of Estelí, Jalapa, and Condega, all rolled into an oily medium brown EMS Nicaraguan Habana wrapper that was specially cultivated for this blend.

The cigar is packed as solid as a rock yet had displayed an effortless cold draw… a testimony to its pristine construction.  It has a beautiful reddish-brown wrapper that shows only minor veins and barely noticeable seams. A pre-light nose of coffee bean, musty hay,  and sweet tobacco is very enticing.

Freshly lit, the Joya Red Toro starts out peppery and earthy with a touch of butterscotch sweetness in the background. Several puffs in, the butterscotch becomes the dominant top note with earth and pepper lingering in the background. This trifecta of warm and inviting flavors lasted all throughout the first third.

Getting toward the middle of the stick, the flavor profile became even more highly complex. A tapestry of tasing notes that now includes the earth, white pepper, cinnamon, butterscotch, and hints of cocoa, are providing a solid medium-bodied smoke that had me savoring every puff. The cigar is performing like a champ with only one minor touch-up required, and I am really loving the firm, crisp, greyish white ash.

At this point, my Joya Red has become smooth and creamy— in fact, very creamy. Cinnamon, butterscotch, and cocoa are the dominant top notes accompanied by subtle nuances of earth and sweet spices.  The strength is still medium-bodied and remained so right down to the edge of the band. The last few puffs provided a sweet, nutty tobacco taste that I never wanted to end— a real thumb burner indeed!

• If you found some other Joya de Nicaragua blends too bold for your palate, then,  the Joya Red cigar is the solution to this problem,  because it delivers those same classic Joya flavors,  now in a much smoother medium-bodied fashion.
• I have smoked tons of Joya Red cigars since it was launched in 2014, and I can always count on consistently great flavors, top-notch construction, and an effortless draw.
• If you love handmade premium cigars produced by Drew Estate, then, Joya Red is a must-try, especially since it’s one of the more modestly priced lines in the brand portfolio.
• Throughout the years, I have shared my stash of Joya Red cigars with smokers of all experience levels.  Everyone agreed it was a terrific smoke that provided the perfect balance between flavor and strength.