Joya Cubana 2009 Corojo

Another advance sample from my pal Roger at Joya Cubana, the Joya Cubana Corojo is just that, a Corojo-wrapped torpedo and is a sight to behold. The dark brown wrapper is fairly smooth, with a couple moderate veins and faint sheen of oil. The fillers are a blend of Nicaraguan and Honduran tobaccos.

The cigar had a free draw, without being completely loose. While smoking, the burn line wobbled a bit ahead of the dark gray ash.

First flavors of buttery cedar and leather, with Corojo's red pepper heat lurking in the background. The sinuses picked up the Corojo heat pretty good. Nice volume of smoke. The corojo is nicely balanced with the other flavors, adding a bit of heat without being overpowering. Occasional hints of coffee present themselves. After the first inch, body mellowed a bit, coming down a notch from a solid medium.

But, After a couple inches, it went out. I relit it and a little bit later, it went out again. The cigar kept self-extinguishing. I smoked three inches in all, then got tired of the game.

The following weekend, I broke out another:



I hate to dog on a cigar that I didn't pay for, but it seems that the rolling quality of the Joya Cubana Corojo isn't what it should be. Either that, or the cigars are still 'young' and need a couple months to age/chill/relax to burn better. I now need to re-smoke the Joya Cubana maduro, and see if I lucked out with a good stick the first time around.

UPDATE:

A rep from Joya Cubana suggests that the cigars may have been a little too humid still from the factory. True, and a couple days in a dry box won't really fix that. So I'm going to hang onto this last Corojo torpedo for a couple months and smoke it again to see what happens. Joya Cubana seems to have been a hit at IPCPR, which is great; they make a great-tasting cigar. I hope to see these in a shop humidor near me.

Joya Cubana Maduro 2009 torpedo

I'm a very lucky guy. Not only do I have a great hobby, in which the quality and variety have been unparalleled in decades, but I've made friends and acquaintances of the highest caliber as well. My friend Roger whalloped my mailbox with a handful of Joya Cubana's latest offerings, and the maduro torpedo rung my bell from the moment I unpacked the box.



Thanks, Roger and Joya Cubana, keep up the great work. The Joya Cubana Maduro is a great-tasting cigar.

Joya Cubana Habano robusto

A new cigar from a little-known company. Tastes pretty good, but construction may be an issue:


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Joya Cubana Bomb

Roger Toledo.

Note the name of this BOTL and hopeful purveyor of Joya Cubana cigars. Roger sent me a sampler pack of some tasty looking cigars from his company, and I'm eager to get these burning once they've rested a little in the humidor.

Roger sent pairs of the Habano-wrapped robustos and barber-pole robustos, and one salomon-sized cigar each of the Connecticut and Sepertina (barber-pole) lines.

I'll likely bring the robustos down to my #2 B&M, who likes smaller, Indie cigar makers, and smokes them with the owner, and see if we can't get these in stores somewhere.

Cheers, Roger, you DA MAN!

Embargo Watch, 2/23/09

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Richard Lugar, the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a draft report Monday saying it is time to reconsider longtime U.S. economic sanctions on Cuba. "The unilateral embargo on Cuba has failed to achieve its stated purpose," Sen. Richard Lugar writes in a letter. "After 47 years ... the unilateral embargo on Cuba has failed to achieve its stated purpose of 'bringing democracy to the Cuban people,' " Lugar, R-Indiana, wrote in a letter that accompanied the report.

"The current U.S. policy has many passionate defenders, and their criticism of the Castro regime is justified. Nevertheless, we must recognize the ineffectiveness of our current policy and deal with the Cuban regime in a way that enhances U.S. interests."

Sounds like either Dick Lugar is tired of paying exorbitant prices for his Montecristo no. 2 shipments, or he's hankering for a box of Ramon Allones Specially Selected and doesn't want to get busted.

I do have to agree, though, that the embargo hasn't done much to change the Communist regime there. But neither has caving in, like we've done with China. What to do?