Joya de Nicaragua

Joya de Nicaragua is the oldest commercial cigar brand in history, founded in 1968 in Estelí, Nicaragua by Cuban immigrants. It was the first cigar factory in Nicaragua to handcraft cigars and export them globally, and in the 1970s became the official cigar of the White House, hailed as a "Nicaraguan national treasure." After its factory was destroyed by fire during the 1980s civil war, the brand was revived in the 1990s by a new management team, currently led by Dr. Juan Ignacio Martínez, a former executive of the family business Drew Estate. All cigars are 100% handcrafted in their own factory in Estelí, Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua SA. The tobacco leaves mainly come from the black soil regions of Nicaragua's volcanoes (Esterli, Jalapa, Ometpe, and Jamastran in Honduras), while the wrappers cover Mexico's San Andrés, Ecuador's Habano, Cameroon, Nicaragua's Criollo and Jalapa, perfectly blending classic Nicaraguan power with modern balancing techniques.

Joya de Nicaragua's main collections have distinct styles and can be divided into the following four categories:

1. Clásico Classic Line: A replica of the brand's original recipe, using an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, with a mild to medium strength. It is the only cigar in the world that retains the original Cuban recipe from 1968, including traditional sizes such as Consul, Corona, and Churchill.
2. The flagship modern line (Antaño series): meaning "the old days" in Spanish, a strong comeback in 2001, including the Antaño 1970 (the original intense version), Antaño Dark Corojo, Antaño Gran Reserva, Antaño CT (Connecticut version), and the upgraded Antaño Power Ranger;
3. The top-tier art line (Obras Maestras series) includes Cuatro Cinco (5th Anniversary Reserve, using 5-year aged tobacco leaves), Cinco de Cinco (double-layered reserve cigarette binder), Número Uno (exclusively for diplomatic envoys, now a limited global release), and Rosalones (a more accessible line).
4. Experimental and limited edition lines: Joya Black (modern black label, San Andrés wrapper), Joya Red (entry-level bold red label), Joya Silver, Joya de Nicaragua 50th anniversary edition, Joya Cabinetta (double wrapper design), etc.

Joya de Nicaragua is positioned as "an elegant interpretation of Nicaraguan power," ranging in strength from medium to full and even extra-full. Its flavor is centered around the intense pepper bursts from classic Nicaraguan turquoise soil, along with notes of dark chocolate, coffee beans, leather, earth, roasted nuts, and sweet spices, yet it maintains a stunning balance and a silky smooth finish. The reason to choose Joya de Nicaragua is crystal clear: it's the only cigar brand officially recognized as a "Nicaraguan national treasure," consistently awarded 90-96 points by Cigar Aficionado, and hailed as the "father of Nicaraguan cigars." For seasoned cigar enthusiasts who crave authentic Nicaraguan power while rejecting harshness and monotony, Joya is not just a cigar, but a living history of cigars—from the White House to your fingertips, every puff is Nicaraguan pride.