JdN Antano Consul

[BlackIrish]

The cigar: Joya de Nicaragua 1970 Antano Consul

Nutritional information:
Vitola: 4.5 x 52
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Humidor time: 8 mos

The marketing:
From CI: In the 1970s, this brand was considered the finest not only in Nicaragua, but in the entire world. It was actually created in Nicaragua’s first cigar factory founded in 1964, smoked by US Presidents and renowned for its rich and full flavor. But decades of war and Communist rule in Nicaragua destroyed the brand and decimated the factory - and most of the rest of the country for that matter. Well, the country has been on the rise again, and fittingly, so is the brand. This new Joya de Nicaragua Antaño 1970 was created to celebrate the rich heritage and worldwide renown it enjoyed in 1970, and marks a return to those glorious days. It’s well on the way, earning a terrific 91 rating (Cigar Insider). A very, very full-bodied, robust "muscle cigar." This beauty is simply delicious.

Great news! The Antaño 1970 has been named one of Cigar Aficionado’s Top 50 Cigars. The magazine noted, "Dark and rich in appearance, with lovely texture to the wrapper. It has a superb draw. The smoke is strong and intense, very cedary and spicy on the palate. A complex smoke with medium to full body."

Prelight: I love the look of this cigar. The leathery Criollo wrapper is dark and a bit thick and veiny, but the color is beautiful, with rusty shades of red and orange. It's very solid in the hand, uniformly bunched, a sturdy little smoke.

Burn: Fantastic. It takes a decent bit of toasting to get a good light with that thick wrapper, but once it's lit, it's lit for good, and it burns beautifully -- razor straight to the nub, with strong medium gray ash. It burns relatively slowly: this fairly small cigar lasted over an hour.

Flavor: It's a strong cigar, but it's not strong in the sense that you get a blast of pepper spray. There's a lot of flavor and raw power in the smoke, but it's smooth and balanced. The smoke is thick, coating the palate, and leaving a long finish. There are notes of wood, and red pepper spice, and a tartness that sometimes seems fruity, like a sour cherry. The flavors are active and shifting, sometimes showing cedar, sometimes hinting at a creamy vanilla, sometimes like a hot paprika. In the second third I thought I caught a hint of licorice, and in the home stretch it turned creamier.

I've always been a fan of JdNs, so I'm a bit biased, but I really like this cigar. It lets me check off all the boxes on my list of what a great cigar should be: well-constructed, full-flavored, complex and interesting, good value for the money. It's not subtle by any means, and I have to be in the right state of mind, but when I want power and flavor, this is what I reach for. And when I want something with a similar flavor profile but a little bit tamer, there's the JdN Celebracion. Is this country great or what?