1. Joya de Nicaragua Antaño CT Robusto (Top 25 2019)
Joya de Nicaragua
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: Fabrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A.
- Wrapper: Ecuador (Connecticut)
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Filler: Nicaragua
- Length: 5 Inches
- Ring Gauge: 52
- Vitola: Robusto
- MSRP: $8.45 (Box of 20, $169)
- Release Date: July 2019
- Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
- Original Score: 92
First, a bit about the cigar.
Joya de Nicaragua likes to promote itself for being known for strong cigars. That's largely through its Antaño line, though the last two Antaño family releases have booth been deliberate attempts at making milder versions. For the Antaño CT, the company turned to an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, hence the CT, and promised the hybrid would be more than just the sum of its part on paper.
I almost wish it wasn't called Antaño CT, or Antaño Connecticut as nearly everyone calls it. The Connecticut part seems so misleading and for that matter the Antaño part is actually not the best way to describe it. At the end of my review, I found myself wondering if this was more Antaño or more Connecticut because in many ways it's both, but in some ways it's neither. Regardless, the Antaño CT is an excellent cigar.
At $8.45, it's not only one of the least expensive cigars on the 2019 list, it's the cheapest cigar to ever win this award. But like the somewhat misleading name and that tanned-color wrapper, don't judge this until you smoke it: this is a medium-full cigar that can hold its own with any cigar.
I would be remiss if I also didn't point out that this is Joya de Nicaragua's second consecutive year to take the top spot on halfwheel's list. It joins Davidoff as the only other company to win this award multiple times and is the first company to ever win in consecutive years. In a weird twist of faith, both winning cigars have been Connecticut-wrapped Joyas, the exact opposite of what the factory would tell you it's known for. — Charlie Minato.
