Joya de Nicaragua drink pairing experiment/ review

Cigar: Joya de Nicaragua cabinetta

Vitola / Wrapper / Binder: lancero; dual wrapper

Drink / Food: Drink pairing experiment with: Home brewed Oatmeal stout, Eagle Rare Bourbon, Pyrat reserve rum


Outside Factors: In shop; smooth jazz and the a/c on

Construction: Cute, nicely done pigtail. Both colors of wrapper well constructed. Very smooth wraps and only small veining. Nice bunching at end. Consistent firmness throughout with some give.

Prelight : Cuts easily with a nice easy prelight draw. Rich heady hay scent to lower wrapper; some cocoa scent to darker top. End has a minty scent of fresh tobacco.

First Third:
Oatmeal Stout: Cigar lights easily. A little oak on the front with a little white pepper on the finish. Regular drinks of the beer knock down the spice on the finish.
Eagle Rare Bourbon: Puffs following a sip of the bourbon have a rich caramelly flavor. Creamy oak moves to the finish. I have to go without drinking to get any pepper back, but the buttery caramel is a much better trade off.
Pyrat Rum: The strong orange notes of the rum ride over the subtle flavors of the cigar. The oak and pepper are present, but subdued.

Draw: Easy, but excellent for a lancero!
Burn: Straight throughout. Only relight needed near end while writing notes.
Ash/Smoke: Holds extremely well for the vitola; 1”+. Smoke is voluminous and thick on palate.

Second Third:
Oatmeal Stout: A rich nuttiness enters. The cocoa of the stout makes it feel like smoking a chocolate covered peanut! As I go to the other drinks through the second half, I keep wanting to go back to this combination. Sadly, this flavor doesn’t return for the finale.
Eagle Rare Bourbon: Pepper is nowhere around, and with the Eagle Rare, cigar morphs to a woodsy, earthiness. Nice, but a let down from the bourbon first third and the stout second.
Pyrat Rum: Flavor is there, but is virtually nondescript hidden behind the rum. If several puffs without drinking, the peppery spice comes back on the finish.

Final third:
Oatmeal Stout: Flavors are deep and earthy into the maduro wrapper. A relight causes cigar to get hot, but not bitter.
Eagle Rare Bourbon: Some nutty and earthy. Cedar makes it’s first appearance and is subtle on the back edge.
Pyrat Rum: Cigar barely a nub and needing pinched to continue to get a chance with the rum. Maduro completely washed out and not pairing well with the Pyrat.


Strength: mild medium Flavor: medium

Overall Impression: I hope they continue this quality of construction, because this was THE BEST lancero I have ever smoked as far as construction, ash, draw, smoke, and burn. I have always steered clear of lanceros due to issues, but this is one I would buy by the box if this is standard.
This has really opened my eyes to how your choice of beverage can draw positively or negatively against the flavors of a cigar. I enjoyed the Pyrat and Cabinetta, but it showed it would be a choice when you want to bring down the flavors of a cigar, not to review and enhance them. Like Ouzo, it would help make a lesser stick more palatable; wWhich this cigar was by no means.
Where the bourbon appeared to shine in the first third, it fell off as the stout benefitted from the fuller body further into the cigar. For round two, I am going to go with less “big flavored” beverage choices to see how the next cigar will fare.

Oatmeal stout pairing score
Construction: 9 10
Prelight: 5 5
First Third: 12 15
Draw: 10 10
Burn: 10 10
Ash / Smoke: 10 10
Second Third: 10 10
Final Third: 7 10
Overall impression: 18 20
Total Score: 91 100

Eagle Rare pairing score
Construction: 9 10
Prelight: 5 5
First Third: 13 15
Draw: 10 10
Burn: 10 10
Ash / Smoke: 10 10
Second Third: 8 10
Final Third: 8 10
Overall impression: 17 20
Total Score: 90 100

Pyrat rum pairing score
Construction: 9 10
Prelight: 5 5
First Third: 11 15
Draw: 10 10
Burn: 10 10
Ash / Smoke: 10 10
Second Third: 7 10
Final Third: 6 10
Overall impression: 15 20
Total Score: 83 100