Cigar Ratings & Reviews

#nowsmoking: Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Connecticut Corona Gorda

#nowsmoking: Joya de Nicaragua Antaño CT Corona Gorda (5¼” x 46)

#nowsmoking: Joya de Nicaragua Antaño CT Cigar Review – Corona Gorda

Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua, S.A. – Estelí, Nicaragua
Size: 5¼” x 46
Strength: Medium
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut
Binder/Filler: Nicaragua

Where It’s At

Who’d a thunk it? A medium-bodied Joya de Nicaragua Antaño cigar. Yes, the Joya de Nicaragua Antaño CT selection is a first for the line, and 20 years in the making. In 2014 JDN released Joya Red cigars. They were medium in body, but they were also puros. What sets the Antaño CT apart among the Antaño selections is its plush Connecticut wrapper grown in Ecuador. Draped over bold Nicaraguan binder and fillers, JDN’s idea was to maintain “the spirit of the original blend for a fuller-bodied experience.” The Antaño CT also falls in line with the Connecticut resurgence of late. In other words, the blenders have created a smooth and creamy flavor profile with an ample amount of body.

“Today, Antaño is not just one cigar blend, it is a family of products that invite smokers to Keep Daring, to try powerful and intense blends with distinctive Nicaraguan character,” said Executive President at Joya de Nicaragua, Juan Ignacio Martínez. “That is why we invite cigar lovers to dare to try the Antaño interpretation of what a Connecticut wrapped cigar should be.”

“It became a real challenge for us at the factory, and the torcedores and blenders,” said Joya de Nicaragua’s factory manager, Mario Pérez. “We all wanted to defy an industry mantra, and knew we could make a truly interesting Connecticut cigar. This smoke is definitely an intense experience, the intriguing result of master blenders on a paradoxical quest: the creation of a flavor bomb like the rest of the Antaños, but with this wrapper.”

In addition to the Corona Gorda reviewed here, the Joya de Nicaragua Antaño CT is also available in three other sizes: Belicoso (6″ x 54); Robusto (5″ x 52), and Toro (6″ x 50).

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#nowsmoking Joya de Nicaragua Antano Connecticut CT cigar review close up
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#nowsmoking @famoussmokeshop: Rolled in a plush Ecuador Connecticut wrapper, the Joya de Nicaragua Antaño CT Corona Gorda offers a smooth, creamy, medium-bodied smoke with Antaño’s legendary robust flavor.

Beautifully – and stunning, to say the least. Like all of the cigars in the line, the Corona Gorda boasts a red band and is presented in red boxes – perfect for Christmas giving. It’s well-packed, seamlessly rolled, and finished with a triple-seamer that reveals a perfect draw with pre-light flavors of sweet cedar and leather.

Smooth as silk. The smoke is dense and creamy with an even burn that exposes a firm grey ash.

The retrohale offers more defined flavors of cedar and oak mixed with some light pepper. For the most part, this Corona Gorda has a mostly woody character, while the other contributory flavors are well-defined and mingle with excellent balance.

Cedar, leather, oak, sweet spice, white pepper, coffee w/cream.

For those who’ve smoked Antaño 1970s, this blend is lighter in strength, yet, pretty close in body. Nor is it as complex. As for those who’ve never had an Antaño, including newer smokers, the CT is the ideal “set-up” blend for starters. The flavors are tightly knit with a few stealthy change-ups along the way. I presume the larger Antaño CT sizes may offer more complexity. I can only speak for the Corona Gorda, which, for the most part, kept an even keel.

Khuong and I both agreed on a fine rum, but I’ll add one more suggestion. Try it with some Gentleman Jack.

(For more cigar pairing ideas, see our cigar pairing guide.)

Both newbies and seasoned cigar smokers. For the newly initiated, the medium body and balance of flavors will make this cigar a welcome addition to their budding collection. More experienced smokers will like its consistency, flavor profile, and occasional sparks of bolder Nicaraguan tobaccos.

Yes. Especially if you like medium-bodied cigars, not to mention JDNs in general. The quality of this cigar is without question. Moreover, at under $8.00 per single (at press time), it’s a good buy. (A 5-pack takes it well under $7.00.) This is a smooth, well-rounded cigar that can be smoked any time of day.

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