Joya de Nicaragua Antano Connecticut Toro

Today we have the Joya de Nicaragua Antano Connecticut Toro.  This stick come in at 6 X 50. The cigar is medium brown in color and has no veins or visible seems.  After lighting, the draw is near perfect producing large plumes of smoke.  The draw flavors start off with some sweet earth, cedar, and a touch of black pepper.  Through the nose on the retro-hale, the cedar and earth are present and there is little to none back pepper burn.  The finish flavors stay on the palate fairly long and are a nice creamy cedar, lite earth, and black pepper.  The body is at a medium.  The burn through the first inch was slightly wavy but did not require a touch up.

Two inches down and almost everything has stayed the same.  The draw and retro-hale remained unchanged completely.  The finish adds in some sweet bread flavors that replace the lite earth notes form the first update.  The creamy cedar is still present.  The black pepper has kicked up a notch and is more noticeable.  All the flavors are getting increasingly sweeter and more substantial.  The body is still at a medium.  The burn did require one small touch up after the first ash fell off.  The burn remains slightly wavy but not really a problem.

With just over an inch left the cigar started to get warm and mushy.  The flavors did transition to a warm leather and sweet earth notes on the finish with the bread note going away completely as the cigar started to warm up near the end.  I sat the cigar down at the 1 hour and 20 minute mark.  Overall, this is a more full bodied Connecticut wrapped cigar than I can remember having in the past.  The flavors were nice and it had a nice transition near the end.  The flavor matched the overall complexity.This is one of the more enjoyable Connecticut's I've had in a while.  It had just enough flavor and body to keep my attention and it was a very enjoyable experience.

Price: $ 9.00

Appearance: 10/10

Draw: 20/20

Burn: 18/20

Flavor: 16/20

Complexity: 16/20

Burn Time: 10/10

Overall Score:  90 / Good Cigar