A box of ten Robustos picked up from Nicaragua by a colleaque. At first sight I didn't know what to think of the boxes. Soon enough I got some great advice from Don Fernando and other members of a Dutch cigar forum. From speculations it's most likely a local brand but if anyone knows more, please and feel free to post what you know.
Joya de Esteli - Robusto
The cigar itself looks decent. A little rough but feels well rolled. Cold, the cigar smells like sweet hay which I'm not used to, compared to fellow Nicaraguan cigars that smell like heavy dirt. After cutting I took a pre-draw which was the same as the sniffing conducted earlier. It even tingels a little in the mouth. The draw is good. Light with a little resistance.
Lighting this robusto went flawlessy as a sweet aroma filled the room. That tingly sensation from the pre-draw was gone and didn't return. Leather, wood and sweet hay were the first tones which became more dominant. Eventually the cedar slowly takes over that of the leathery tone after which it becomes the primary characteristic. Towards the middle, this cigar becomes full-bodied where creamy sweet nuances come by so once in a while. I found this combination to work really well.
The sturdy ash is light grey, almost white and stays put until around 2.5 inches. Got rid of it and purged the cigar. If you don't know how a jet fighter's afterburner works, you could have witnessed it here ... just like my eyebrows almost did. Anyhow, the burn is fairly straight throughout the entire cigar. Lots of smoke, mostly wooden tones in a medium/full-boddied cigar. Lacks a little complexity but the interesting woody tones kept my attention. The little sweetnesses coming by were very welcome.
Enjoy ...
After all it's a reasonable cigar. Burn was no problem and a sturdy ash which means a very relaxed smoking experience. It's not a prime cigar by any means but the well balanced nuances of different woody and sweet tones makes it a good all-around cigar. Whether you take it out for a walk, smoke it after lunch or dinner.