Add Joya de Nicaragua to the list of companies bringing an exclusive cigar to the 50th meeting of the Tobacconists’ Association of America at the end of the month, as the company has announced a new size for its Gran Antaño line, a 6 3/4 x 50 box-pressed parejo.

Like the other sizes in the line, it is a Nicaraguan puro, using a corojo oscuro wrapper and fillers from the country’s Jalapa, Condega and Estelí regions. Released in the summer of 2017, the Gran Antaño is the company’s newest addition but is based on one of its core cigars, the Antaño 1970. Known as a powerhouse cigar, it also showed strong aging potential.

In order to bring aged tobacco to cigars that can be smoked off the shelf, Joya de Nicaragua reworked the Antaño 1970 blend to add fillers that have been aged for up to five years, which is designed to give the smoker a more refined and mature version of the Antaño 1970, according to Juan Ignacio Martinez, executive president of Joya de Nicaragua.

The line debuted in three regular production sizes:

  • Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gran Reserva Belicoso (6 x 54) — $11.15 (Boxes of 20, $223)
  • Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gran Reserva Robusto Grande (5 1/2 x 52) — $9.90 (Boxes of 20, $198)
  • Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gan Reserva Gran Cónsul (4 3/4 x 60) — $10.40 (Boxes of 20, $208)

The Joya de Nicaragua Gran Antaño Presidente is said to be priced at $12.50 per cigar, or $250 for a box of 20 cigars, according to a report by Cigar AficionadoIt will also wear a modified secondary band that indicates that it is a TAA exclusive release.

The cigar is being made at Fabrica Joya de Nicaragua S.A. factory. A shipping date has not yet been announced.

Joya de Nicaragua joins Altadis U.S.A., Tatuaje, CLE Cigar Co. and Crowned Heads as companies that will be bringing exclusive cigars to the upcoming TAA meeting, which happens April 29 – May 3 in the Dominican Republic. Kristoff will also give TAA retailers the first opportunity to purchase its relaunched Vengeance line.

Shortly after this story was published, a spokesperson for Joya de Nicaragua confirmed the details of the cigar and provided additional images.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.