PCA 2023: Joya de Nicaragua

This year marks the 55th anniversary of Joya de Nicaragua, so it was not exactly a surprise when the company announced it was commemorating the occasion at the 2023 PCA Convention & Trade Show by releasing a brand new line. However, Joya de Nicaragua was not done: it also brought back one of its oldest lines and showed off a very special humidor.

For the last convention that Joya de Nicaragua’s exhibited at in 2019—the PCA was named IPCPR  in those days—the company had a small booth inside the monstrosity that was the Drew Estate compound. With Drew Estate not exhibiting this year, Joya de Nicaragua was able to spread its wings… and boy, did the company take advantage of the opportunity.

Gone was the aforementioned understated—and somewhat understaffed—corner spot within Drew Estate; in its place was a large, well-designed space with plenty of room for people to sit, stand or—like me—wander around to view all of the new products that Joya de Nicaragua was highlighting this year. Drew Estate representatives were in the Joya de Nicaragua booth this year, but they were only there to help Joya de Nicaragua take orders, which is not an unusual situation since Drew Estate distributes Joya’s cigars in the U.S.A. Oh, and yes, Drew Estate has confirmed it will have its own booth at the 2024 PCA Convention & Trade Show.

Joya de Nicaragua Cinco de Cinco

One of the releases celebrating the 55th anniversary is Cinco de Cinco, which joins the company’s ultra-premium Obras Maestras collection of cigars, which includes the Número Uno, Cinco Decadas, Cuatro Cinco and Dos Cientos lines. To create this blend, the company selected “ultra-vintage” tobaccos based on blends created during private blending sessions with visitors to the factory.

However, while the line is being offered in five semi-box pressed vitolas, not all of the sizes will be available everywhere Joya de Nicaragua cigars are sold. Three of the vitolas—the corona extra, the toro, and the robusto—will be available in the U.S., while the corona doble and robusto will be exclusives for non-U.S. markets.

• Wrapper: Mexico (San Andrés)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua

• Joya de Nicaragua Cinco de Cinco Corona Doble (7 x 54) — $21 (Box of 10, $210)
• Joya de Nicaragua Cinco de Cinco Corona Extra (6 1/4 x 46) — $16 (Box of 10, $160)
• Joya de Nicaragua Cinco de Cinco Toro (6 x 52) — $20 (Box of 10, $200)
• Joya de Nicaragua Cinco de Cinco Robusto Gordo (5 1/2 x 54) — $18 (Box of 10, $180)
• Joya de Nicaragua Cinco de Cinco Robusto (5 x 50) — $16 (Box of 10, $160)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: September 2023

Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Power Play Sling Puck

After introducing a special packaging format for its Antaño line that incorporated the game shut the box into a cigar box, I was not exactly shocked when I heard that Joya de Nicaragua had created another special cigar box incorporating the game sling puck. What I did not anticipate was how addictive the simple game would be, especially since the game is so nicely integrated into the design of the cigar box.

For those that don’t know—I certainly did not—sling puck is a game in which two players on opposing sides that try to shoot small pucks through a small hole until all the pucks are on the other player’s side. The pucks are propelled via an elastic band, which in this case, is attached to the sides of the cigar box.

This particular cigar box holds 20 cigars:

• 10 Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gran Reserva GT20 (6 x 54)
• 10 Joya de Nicaragua Antaño CT Toro (6 x 50)

Both are existing regular production cigars, though the Antaño Power Play Sling Puck is limited to 1,400 boxes, of which 600 are designated for the U.S.

MSRP: $255.75

Production: 2,000 Boxes of 20 (40,000 Total Cigars)

Release Date: September 2023

Joya de Nicaragua Clásico Original Returns

Clásico is one of Joya de Nicaragua’s oldest blends, but it was phased out around 2008-2009 and has rarely been sold during the last 15 years. According to the company, the wrapper on this newest incarnation is the same as Joya’s highly-rated Número Uno line, although the two blends differ in the internal tobaccos. When it is released next month, the Clásico Original will be offered to retailers that are part of the company’s Club de Amigos of Joya de Nicaragua, a retailer loyalty program.

• Wrapper: Ecuador (Connecticut Shade)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua

• Joya de Nicaragua Clásico Original Robusto (5 x 50) — $8.25 (Box of 25, $206.25)
• Joya de Nicaragua Clásico Original Toro (6 x 50) — (Box of 25, $218.75)
• Joya de Nicaragua Clásico Original Churchill (6 7/8 x 48) — $9 (Box of 25, $225)
• Joya de Nicaragua Clásico Original Torpedo (6 x 52) — $9.25 (Box of 25, $231.25)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: August 2023

Joya de Nicaragua Número Uno Deluxe Humidor Limited Edition

This special humidor includes two Joya de Nicaragua’s Numero Uño vitolas, and while neither of the sizes is new—in fact, both are available outside the humidor in boxes of 25 as a limited production item—this is the first time that the company has sold a Numero Uño branded humidor to the public.

Inside each humidor will be 150 cigars:

• 75 Joya de Nicaragua Número Uno L’Ambassadeur (6 5/8 x 44)
• 75 Joya de Nicaragua Número Uno Le Premier (6 7/8 x 48)

Out of the 400 units that are being sold, 300 will head to stores in the U.S. while the other 100 are reserved for international markets.

MSRP: $2,850

Production: 400 Humidors of 150 Cigars (60,000 Total Cigars)*

Release Date: July 2023

*These cigars are regular production items.

Update (July 25, 2023) — Joya de Nicaragua has clarified that there will be 2,000 boxes of the Power Play Sling Puck. Of the 2,000, 1,400 boxes will go to the U.S, while 600 will be sent to international markets.

Update (July 28, 2023) — Joya de Nicaragua has once again updated the pricing of the Clásico Original.

Brooks Whittington

I have worn many hats in my life up to this point: I started out as a photojournalist for the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, then transitioned to photographing weddings—both internationally and in the U.S.—for more than a decade. After realizing that there was a need for a cigar website containing better photographs and more in-depth information about each release, I founded my first cigar blog, SmokingStogie, in 2008. SmokingStogie quickly became one of the more influential cigar blogs on the internet, known for reviewing preproduction, prerelease, rare, extremely hard-to-find and expensive cigars, and it was one of the predecessors to halfwheel, which I co-founded.