Joya de Nicaragua
Antaño Dark Corojo
La Niveladora
La Niveladora (the grader), just the name is
appealing especially accompanied by Dark and Corojo.
But let's look further; it's the official
website that gives the first explanation: This
cigar is for experienced connoisseurs who not only enjoy, but also seek pure
boldness in their cigar - novices should not light it.
Then the different reports all go in the same
direction: do not consume on an empty stomach, smoke it after a good meal...
Not even afraid! Vamos...
Still, I mark a moment of hesitation when I
read that when it was launched, one of the cigar's two bands read Doble Fuerte, which means double strength in Spanish (this was
replaced by Dark Corojo, when in 2017 Joya decided to harmonize the packaging
of this line).
Come on Ker!
It's the first step that counts...
After a
final look at this dark and oily cloak, adorned with two black and gold rings, I
practice a straight cut. Cold, I get sensations of dark
chocolate, white pepper and raisins.
When the
flame ignites the base of my tasting, the stream of smoke does not wait and
brings me a first signal: a slow tasting will be necessary.
I get the
black pepper, dark chocolate and espresso coffee in bulk. I can see why the
official website gives it a 6/5 power rating.
This is
explained by the double ligero that enters the tripe. However after some puffs,
it softens with the presence of cashew nuts, cocoa. It is rather surprising
this effect: we feel the power behind ready to jump but well maintained in place
by a little sweetness with the nuts and the unsweetened white grape.
I am also
well aware that my cigar has no youthful, aggressive feel: this is due to the
fact that the tobaccos used are at least three years old.
When I
first lit it, I thought it was very, if not too tight; but as I heated it up, it
opened up and gave me a perfect draft with a fairly straight burn line, the ash
was compact and held superbly to the rest of the vitola.
The more my
tasting progresses, the more I am convinced that they are right at Joya when
they say that this is the strongest cigar (to date) of their manufacture.
My tastings took place on two Toro specimens of 15.24 cm for a cepo of 52.
Wrapper : corojo (Nicaragua)
Binder : Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
In conclusion: I think this is my smallest
article on one of my favorite cigars this year. At the same time, what can be
said about a manufacturer who, with a limited palette of flavors, manages to
find a perfect balance to make a powerful cigar and to take out the complexity
of Nicaraguan tobaccos.
If you are not a beginner, and if you smoke
this cigar on a full stomach, I strongly advise you to try it.
As usual, Media Rueda which distributes this
brand in our country has selected two modules, the La Niveladora and the Azarosa. At the time of writing this article, the first
one, the Toro is sold at 8.9€ and the second one, the Robusto at 7.9€.
Feel free to leave me your feedback under this
article.