Joya de Nicaragua Antano

I have found my new favorite smoking spot. I work now for the local CBS station here in Minneapolis, and they have a beautiful deck on the roof. It provides stellar views of downtown Minneapolis, people watching and most of all the peacefulness knowing that you are alone on a roof with a great cigar. The inaugural smoke was a Joya de Nicaragua Antano. Doing some research, cigar.com provides some great info on this cigar. They write,

"The Antano is a real piece of cigar history. As the first brand ever made in Nicaragua, Joya de Nicaragua is a favorite of aficionados who prefer cigars from this region.

Nicaragua is the fastest growing cigar manufacturing country in the world, but that has not always been the case. In 1964 the very first cigar factory opened in Nicaragua, which relative to other cigar producing nations is a late start. Joya de Nicaragua was the first real brand made in the factory and in 1970 it was the cigar of choice in the United States, smoked by the elites of society and politicians of the day. With political corruption and communism plaguing Nicaragua, production of the Joya de Nicaragua brand ground to a halt.

Joya de Nicaragua is back and the Antano is a tribute to the original blend rolled in 1970. The cigar is full bodied and full flavored, leaving nothing to the imagination. Spicy and earthy flavors hit the palate like a freight train, and the moderate finish leaves you going back for another puff. Highly rated and reviewed, this cigar has gained a dedicated following"

I wanted to include that history, because at the time of smoking this cigar, I had no idea the background of this smoke.

Pre-Light:
This cigar has a toothy, rough, bumpy wrapper, that smells of cinnamon, spice and a sweet leather note. After cutting the end, I took a dry draw, and found notes of nutmeg and eggnog.

Light:
With the first draw I found this cigar to be sweet with a kiss of vanilla and coffee notes. Retro-haling the first draws tickled my nose with floral and cedar notes. At first I found this cigar to be mild to medium bodied and flavored. None of the flavor notes were particularly strong, and could be due to the fact that I stored this as a single cigar in my humidor of singles.
As I smoked on, I noticed a bit of bitterness developing on the lips. Melting into a mild creamy sweetness that makes your mouth water.

The 2nd half of this cigar changed noticeably. The smoke transformed into a dark chocolate and saddle leather taste, ending with a spiced chocolate cake with an increasing floral aroma. I didn't notice how strong the cigar had gotten until I stood up. Even though the flavor of this cigar was medium, the nicotine really hit me in the gut. I went downstairs and had to have a few glasses of cold water... This is a cigar that proves full bodied smoke, does not necessarily mean strong, a mild tasting cigar can really make you green too!

If you can tolerate the nicotine, I would suggest this cigar. For me, it was a bit too strong, but the flavors were extraordinary. Give this one a try, but beware, it will get you in the gut!