Joya Silver Toro

This year is Joya de Nicaragua’s 50th anniversary and to celebrate, the company decided to release two very different cigars.

While the first new blend was Cinco Décadas, a limited production, two vitola line whose name literally translates into five decades, the other release was a followup to the Joya Red that debuted in 2014 and the Joya Black that was released in 2016.

The Joya Silver is composed of an Ecuadorian oscuro wrapper covering a Mexican binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua with all four sizes priced under $8 and none thicker than 52 ring gauge.

The Joya Silver was shipped in four sizes.

• Joya Silver Ultra (6 1/4 x 46) — $6.30 (Boxes of 20, $126)
• Joya Silver Toro (6 x 52) — $7.80 (Boxes of 20, $156)
• Joya Silver Corona (5 1/4 x 42) — $6.30 (Boxes of 20, $126)
• Joya Silver Robusto (5 x 50) — $7.10 (Boxes of 20, $142)

“In the year of our 50th anniversary, we want to be recognized as a cigar factory that delivers the expected timeless quality of a Nicaraguan cigar, but that is also willing to evolve and take on new challenges,”  said Mario Pérez, Joya de Nicaragua’s general manager, in a press release. “On top of creating a cigar for the Joya Line with a more complex flavor profile, we wanted to create a strong visual impact. Joya Silver’s packaging is probably the edgiest in our portfolio, making it a smoke that shines.”

• Cigar Reviewed: Joya Silver Toro
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Fabrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A.
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Oscuro)
• Binder: Mexico
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Vitola: Toro
• MSRP: $7.80 (Boxes of 20, $156)
• Release Date: Aug. 18, 2018
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

A gorgeous milk chocolate brown wrapper with a reddish tint is the first thing you see when looking at the Joya Silver, and the cover is exceedingly smooth to the touch, albeit without a trace of oil. The exterior leaf is virtually flawless when it comes to veins, and the soft box press is a nice touch. Aroma is strong barnyard, hay, peanut shells, nutmeg, cocoa nibs and vanilla beans, while the cold draw brings flavors of creamy oak, leather, freshly roasted coffee beans, black pepper and slight marzipan sweetness.

The flavors start immediately after toasting the foot of the Silver, with a creamy cashew and oak combination dominant followed by leather, dark chocolate, espresso, hay and bread. There is a light spice on my tongue that actually seems to be increasing as the first third burns down, as well as just a little while pepper on the retrohale which plays nicely with some of the marzipan sweetness that has been ported over from the cold draw. A simple straight cut gives me a near perfect draw with excellent resistance, while the burn is straight without being razor sharp. Smoke production is both copious and dense off of the foot, and the overall strength is quite light, barely hitting a point between mild and medium by the time the first third comes to a close.

While the creamy cashew flavor remains dominant in the second third of the Joya Silver, a very distinct floral note begins to become noticeable in the profile right around the halfway point. Other flavors include oak, espresso bean bitterness, cocoa nibs, hay, peanut butter and gritty earth. While the black pepper and marzipan sweetness on the retrohale have increased a bit, I also pick up a meatiness on the finish that is quite interesting, although not overly strong. Construction-wise, the burn is still extremely good and the draw is as excellent as the first third, while the overall strength has started it pick up noticeably, easily hitting the medium mark by the end of the second third.

Although the flavors in the profile remain almost exactly the same in the final third of the Joya Silver compared to the previous third, one thing that does change is the strength, which easily passes the medium mark early on. The dominant flavor is still creamy cashews, followed by hay, oak, earth, espresso beans, peanuts and cocoa nibs, while the meatiness on finish is also still very much present. There is more black pepper on the retrohale as well, but the spice from the first third is nowhere to be seen, and the marzipan sweetness on the retrohale has receded just a bit. Finally, although the burn becomes problematic enough to need correcting—albeit just once—the draw remains excellent, and the overall strength stalls out halfway between the medium and full marks by the time I put the nub down with about an inch left to go.

Final Notes

• Seeing as how Joya has already used Black, Red and Silver, my prediction for the next release in the line is Gold.
• In fact, gold would have been extremely appropriate to use for this release, since the fiftieth anniversary of a significant event is actually known as a golden jubilee.
• As Charlie mentioned in his review of the Cinco Decades, Joya de Nicaragua also produced a coffee table book for its 50th anniversary that detailed the company’s history as well as the history of Estelí and the country of Nicaragua. Somewhat appropriately, the outside of the cover is actually made with tobacco, meaning there is an aroma of tobacco when you are reading the book.
• The color scheme on this release is easily the best of the three in my opinion, and really stands out from the crowd of cigars on a shelf.
• While I had to touch up each of the cigars at least once, the overall construction was extremely good, and never really threatened to get out of control.
• Cigars for this review were sent by Joya de Nicaragua, which advertises on halfwheel.
• Final smoking time for all three samples averaged a fairly long two hours and 11 minutes.
• If you would like to purchase any of the Joya Silver cigars, site sponsors Atlantic Cigar, Cigars.com, Famous Smoke Shop, JR Cigar and Serious Cigars all have them in stock.