Back in December I flew down to Orlando, partially for an impromptu Drew Estate event atCorona Cigar Company, but also to visit Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World. While I was at Corona Cigar Company I saw a prominent display for the Joya de Nicaragua CuatroCinco. I had read a lot about the release of this stick and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to pick up two for review.
Nose:
What a nose on the Cuatro Cinco. Coffee, chocolate, cedar. Just wow.
Construction:
The Cuatro Cinco comes in a 6x 54 ring gauge in the toro extra vitola. The band on this is a striking gold, white and black. The band indicates Edicion Limitada, JdN and CuatroCinco. The band is quite thick and is overlaid over a slightly larger band underneath.
This release was to commemorate and celebrate an astounding 45 years of cigar manufacturing in Nicaragua. Joya de Nicaragua is not a company that has releases of limited production or limited edition cigars. The only other cigar released as a limited edition was in 2004. This release is limited to 4,500 10 count boxes in the one vitola. The name Cuatro Cinco means 45 in Spanish.
Flavor:
First Third
The first few draws support the amazing nose. Coffee with cocoa notes follow it. It has a very fresh and clean draw, which is to say that each of the flavors are very pronounced and not muddled. Theres a sweet creamy mouthfeel that develops once the first third settles in. Some light to medium intensity cedar adds to the complexity at the 15 minute mark.
The first third hits a high water mark for complexity and then starts to fall off as it approaches the second third.
Middle Third
At the middle third theres some hay and light earth present in the post draw. The creamy mouth-feel is gone, however there is still a sweetness that is a bit delayed after each draw. Some pepper comes through at the halfway point of the middle third. The pepper is not too strong, it balances out nicely with the other flavors.
Last Third
The earth present only on the post draw comes through as a main flavor here with medium intensity. The pepper is no longer detectable. There is great complexity here as all the flavors from each third seem to come together here in concert.
Burn/Draw:
I cut this with a v-cutter and still found it quite open. Id suggest a punch, and I will definitely be using a punch for the second stick. The ash holds very tight throughout the entire cigar review with reasonable smoke production. Burn is great from start to finish.
Value:
Pricing on the singles of a Joya de Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco will set you back about $13. Numbered 10 count boxes can be found for $117. Considering the lack of limited edition releases from JdN I d say they are right where I would expect them to be on price.
Final Word:
Theres no excuse for you not to pick up a few of these. Beyond the fact that Joya de Nicaragua has managed to put out a great cigar to celebrate their anniversary, theyve made them available at a price that isnt too high. Although I was expecting the cigar to develop more like some of the other JdN releases, what you get is a cigar that teases you with flavors in each third until it reaches maximum complexity at the end. Some cigars really disappoint in the last third, but you wont find that here. If I can make room in my humidor Ill be picking up a box of these to sit on for a time.
Link to post with gallery: http://cigarfederation.com/profiles/blogs/review-joya-de-nicaragua-cuatro-cinco
Nose:
What a nose on the Cuatro Cinco. Coffee, chocolate, cedar. Just wow.
Construction:
The Cuatro Cinco comes in a 6x 54 ring gauge in the toro extra vitola. The band on this is a striking gold, white and black. The band indicates Edicion Limitada, JdN and CuatroCinco. The band is quite thick and is overlaid over a slightly larger band underneath.
This release was to commemorate and celebrate an astounding 45 years of cigar manufacturing in Nicaragua. Joya de Nicaragua is not a company that has releases of limited production or limited edition cigars. The only other cigar released as a limited edition was in 2004. This release is limited to 4,500 10 count boxes in the one vitola. The name Cuatro Cinco means 45 in Spanish.
Flavor:
First Third
The first few draws support the amazing nose. Coffee with cocoa notes follow it. It has a very fresh and clean draw, which is to say that each of the flavors are very pronounced and not muddled. Theres a sweet creamy mouthfeel that develops once the first third settles in. Some light to medium intensity cedar adds to the complexity at the 15 minute mark.
The first third hits a high water mark for complexity and then starts to fall off as it approaches the second third.
Middle Third
At the middle third theres some hay and light earth present in the post draw. The creamy mouth-feel is gone, however there is still a sweetness that is a bit delayed after each draw. Some pepper comes through at the halfway point of the middle third. The pepper is not too strong, it balances out nicely with the other flavors.
Last Third
The earth present only on the post draw comes through as a main flavor here with medium intensity. The pepper is no longer detectable. There is great complexity here as all the flavors from each third seem to come together here in concert.
Burn/Draw:
I cut this with a v-cutter and still found it quite open. Id suggest a punch, and I will definitely be using a punch for the second stick. The ash holds very tight throughout the entire cigar review with reasonable smoke production. Burn is great from start to finish.
Value:
Pricing on the singles of a Joya de Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco will set you back about $13. Numbered 10 count boxes can be found for $117. Considering the lack of limited edition releases from JdN I d say they are right where I would expect them to be on price.
Final Word:
Theres no excuse for you not to pick up a few of these. Beyond the fact that Joya de Nicaragua has managed to put out a great cigar to celebrate their anniversary, theyve made them available at a price that isnt too high. Although I was expecting the cigar to develop more like some of the other JdN releases, what you get is a cigar that teases you with flavors in each third until it reaches maximum complexity at the end. Some cigars really disappoint in the last third, but you wont find that here. If I can make room in my humidor Ill be picking up a box of these to sit on for a time.
Link to post with gallery: http://cigarfederation.com/profiles/blogs/review-joya-de-nicaragua-cuatro-cinco
