Cigar: Joya de Nicaragua JOYA Copper
Size: 6 x 50 Toro
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
MSRP: $7.80 per cigar
Samples received from the manufacturer
Happy New Year to everyone out there. I hope that the start of the new decade is going well for all of you. One cigar that ended up in my humidor right near the end of the year and unfortunately wasn’t able to get a proper review is the one getting a look today. Debuting in November of last year for Cigars International, Joya de Nicaragua and Drew Estates introduced the new Copper blend to the JOYA line of cigars. Always eager to try a new cigar, I was more than happy to formally jump into this one. A big thank you to Joya de Nicaragua and Drew Estates for the opportunity to try this cigar.
No construction issues found on my physical examination. I felt that the pre-light aromas on the cigar were fainter than usual but consisted of leather and dried fruit. The cold draw followed a similar path with the aromas, bring the aforementioned dried fruit with touches of wood. The cigar started well with a balanced draw, an average amount of smoke on the exhale and opening notes of wood and flashes of pepper along the sides of the palette and noticed on the immediate aftertaste. Looking the cigar up on a few different online retailers, I saw this cigar being described as a full bodied smoke. For my palette, I don’t think it starts that way. I found it more medium bodied and grew into a medium-to-full by the end but your tastes may be different than mine. With that said, I don’t think this cigar is going to scare anyone away in terms of strength. 11 minutes in, the pepper began to mellow some while notes of leafy greens began entering into the palette. 30 minutes after this, the strength began creeping ever upward into medium-to-full range while the increased notes of spice and more wood became more prominent on the palette. The overall smoking time on this Joya de Nicaragua JOYA Copper clocked in at 1:02.
The first cigar reviewed this year and it was unfortunately not all sunshine and rainbows. The 31 minute mark was when the programs began. The burn and draw was getting uneven and the cap area of the cigar began feeling overly loose. While a relight fixed the burn issue and massaging the head opened up the draw, it wouldn’t be too long to where the cigar started falling apart on me. It wasn’t a complete breakdown as I was able to hold it together to finish smoking it for 30 minutes longer.
By-The-Numbers
Pre-light: 2/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.5/10
To recap the Joya de Nicaragua JOYA Copper:
- The strength and spice balance to this cigar was enjoyable for me. It reminded me of other Joya cigars that I have smoked but offered something different from the rest of their line.
- Strong enough for veterans and not too powerful for those who prefer a milder fare.
- Under $10 a cigar is always appreciated in my house.
- The problems aside, I enjoyed this cigar and will keep a look out for it at my local retailers.
Thank you once again to Joya de Nicaragua and Drew Estates for the chance to review this cigar and thank you all for reading.
