Cuenca y Blanco - Lonsdale

Tale of the Tape:

Brand: Joya De Nicaragua
Series: Cuenca y Blanco
Vitola:  Lonsdale
Size: 6 1/2"
Ring Gauge: 44
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Nicaragua & Peru
Cigars Smoked for Review: 1

An offering from Joya De Nicaragua; the Cuenca y Blanco is the latest release from the Nicaraguan masters. The cigar is a blend that comes from the joint efforts of JdN President, Dr. Alejandro Martinez Cuenca and new Vice President, Jose Blanco.  Blanco is well known in the industry after spending some two decades at La Aurora.

JdN's press release gave a lot of information on the cigar.  So here is it in their own words.

"Departing from Joya de Nicaragua’s traditional puros of all Nicaraguan tobaccos, the Cuenca y Blanco had been blended to be a cigar comprised of air-cured black tobaccos from four different countries of origin. This unique recipe is handmade with aged filler tobaccos including Habano Seed lead from Nicaragua’s Estelí Valley and the volcanic isle of Omtempe, Piloto Cubano from the La Canela region of the Dominican Republic and an aromatic visa from Peru’s famed Tarapoto region. The cigar is expertly finished in a beautiful Grade 1 Ecuador Habano wrapper. This complex blend is the fruit of nearly a year of ceaseless experimentation and has resulted in a very flavor smoke with a tantalizing aroma."

I may be one of the luckiest smokers out there, in that I have a small cigar shop 200 yards from my front door.  There isn't a lounge or a huge selection; but they keep a pretty sweet selection.  That being said, I knew the blogosphere was buzzin' about this CyB (Cuenca y Blanco) by JdN (Joya de Nicaragua).and I saw a fresh box at my local shop.  Surprised the little shop picked up such a 'hot' item so quickly I jumped at the chance to try it.

First Third:

The cigar is extremely mild but tasty.  It doesn't have any predominant flavor that I can pick up, but there are nutty and woody notes.  haha woody.  As the cigar burns it starts to pick up a little bit of body, but it is definitely milder than anything in JdN's collection (I haven't smoked the Clasico).  At this point I'm a little disappointed, but I guess they are going for something completely different with this line.

Second Third:

The second third is much better than the first.  I've now accepted the fact that this is a mild-medium smoke and I"m not getting a full-bodied experience this go-round.  But its still just a medium bodied smoke with no remarkable flavor profile.  The cigar is requires a little touch up, but nothing crazy; I picked up my lighter twice.  The retrohale and resting smoke has a sweet aroma to it; the flavor profile is dominated by nutty flavors and a little bit of earthy notes.

Last Third:

The final third redeems the cigar.  Honestly, this cigar was a bit of a disappointment for my taste.  There is a time and place for mild-medium cigars - you know - sunday morning after a light breakfast, sipping  a coffee.  But as a smoker that loves full-bodied and full-flavored smokes, the CyB just isn't my cup of tea.  The cigar is well balanced and smooth; its well-made and while it might not be my style - it might be your favorite.  So give it a try.

Final Thoughts and Grade:

• The cigar is well-made and a balanced, smooth mild-medium stogie.
• I'm going to try this in a larger ring gauge.  The 44 ring on this Lonsdale leads to the Dominican wrapper carrying this smoke.  I'm usually a fan of small ring gauges but I'd be interested to smoke this in a larger ring gauge to get more of the filler flavor.
• While I wasn't blown away by this smoke, its interesting to see Jose Blanco's influence on JdN.  I can't wait to see their next offering.
• JdN is solid on quality and consistency, the CyB could be a favorite for medium smokers out there

B - 80 points 

The cigar gets top notch ratings on quality, craftsmanship and balance.  The lower ratings pertained to my personal preferences of flavor and body