My Weekend Cigar Carnage San Andres

Carnage by Joya de Nicaragua: Loaded for Bear and the Masses

This Carnage San Andrés Toro review sheds light on one of three Famous Smoke Shop bestsellers made by Joya de Nicaragua. Carnage is part of Famous’s exclusive “Rare Breed” series, or Rara Raza in Spanish, which is printed on the bands. The other two Rare Breed selections are Merciless and Cunning. Each blend is now also identified by an animal. For Carnage, it’s a bear, but if you think it represents the cigar’s strength, that’s not necessarily so.

“Famous has always had a strong relationship with Joya de Nicaragua, who felt the blends could use ‘a little more refinement’ all around,” said Famous Private Labels Purchasing Agent, Michael Klingerman. “We wanted to create blends that capture the essence of Joya’s factory and their blending team’s esteemed traditions. These tweaked blends bring a combination of refined smoothness and bold richness; in other words, elements that are found in all good cigars rolled in Nicaragua.”

Cigar Details: Carnage San Andrés Toro

Factory: Joya de Nicaragua – Estelí, Nicaragua
Size: 6x50
Body & Strength: Medium-plus to Full
Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Presentation: Bundle of 10 cigars

Carnage by Joya de Nicaragua San Andrés Toro Cigar Review

My Carnage Toro was well-rolled in a reddish-brown maduro wrapper that is somewhat rough in appearance and fairly toothy. The cigar felt firm throughout and the triple seam cap cut cleanly; cold draws issued pre-light flavors of cocoa and leather. Once lit, the draws were earthy with a black pepper finish, but as it passed the first half inch the cigar smoothed out.

By the first inch, the tobaccos had caramelized nicely, and the smoke smoothed out even more. A combination of sweet tobacco and leather notes ensued with a sticky pepper finish. Early retrohales offered a cascade of chili pepper through the nose.

Moving along, some herbal notes arrived as the body ticked up to medium-plus. The smoke was now creamier, revealing balanced flavors of herbs, leather, and an underlying sweetness. The peppery finish calmed down a little, too. Then, just shy of 3-inches, a hint of wood arrived and virtually melted into the other flavors. A drive-by hint of raisin also left a few fingerprints.

By the midpoint, I noticed that the burn had been excellent. The strength shifted to just a trace below full and displayed slightly more depth, while adding a thin layer of earth to the profile. As some of the sweetness began to fade, a fair amount of spice returned.

In the final stretch, the cigar was now officially full-bodied, a bit darker in character, and even earthier. However, the smoke was still creamy and had enough flavor to keep it interesting.

Was the Carnage San Andrés Toro Weekend Worthy?

Honestly, I’ve never been that crazy about the name “Carnage,” but the cigar…that’s something else. For one, with Joya de Nicaragua’s revamped blend, I think Carnage smokers and others will like this new scenario. The Toro certainly had more of a JDN ring to it for me and fell somewhere between a JoyaBlack and a Joya Silver. The San Andrés wrapper wasn’t pretty but offered plenty of inner beauty—nice and sweet.

For the most part, I was more impressed with this Carnage San Andrés Toro than my first sample. It seemed to have more flavor and character. Maybe I was just paying more attention. Moreover, since Carnage is presented in bundles of 10, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that they worked with a limited amount of higher grade tobaccos for this upgrade. It’s no Antaño 1970, but for my money, the Carnage San Andrés Toro checks enough boxes to make it a convincing everyday smoke, and “everyday” includes weekends.

Please Note: Gary’s review was based on his experience and that your mileage may vary.