Joya de Nicaragua Número Uno L’Ambassadeur

Cigar ReviewNicaraguan CigarJoya De NicaraguaNumero UnoL’Ambassadeur

9 Jan

📌 Brand: Joya de Nicaragua
📌 Line: Número Uno
📌 Size: L’Ambassadeur (6 5/8" × 44)
📌 Weight: 13.3 g
📌 Age: 4 years
📌 Origin: Nicaragua

Tasting Notes

Cream – Soft, elegant opening
White Pepper – Gentle lift early on
Toasted Almond – Subtle sweetness in the first half
Char & Bitter Wood – Dominant once combustion fails

First Impressions

The cigar looks elegant and refined, with a pale Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper and slim, classic proportions. Pre-light aromas give cream, hay, and light nuts. Cold draw is good, slightly open but promising finesse rather than power.

Smoking Experience

First Third – Creamy, smooth, and balanced. Almond and soft pepper show restraint and elegance. Burn is clean and promising.
Second Third – Transition point where things unravel. Burn starts to go uneven, requiring the first relight. Harsh edges begin to creep in.
Final Third – Structure collapses. Multiple burn issues and additional relights are needed. Harsh char and bitter wood dominate, erasing the refined character from the first half.

Pairings

Alcohol – Delord Bas-Armagnac 25 Year - Deep dried fruit, walnut, and polished oak add richness and maturity, helping soften the cigar’s harsh second half.
Tea – Nepal Ilam First Flush Black Tea - Bright, aromatic, and lightly sweet — helps reset the palate after repeated relights and bitterness.

Music Pairing

“We Played Some Open Chords” – A Winged Victory for the Sullen
Slow-building tension mirroring the cigar’s gradual structural decline.

Final Thoughts

Joya de Nicaragua Número Uno L’Ambassadeur shows real class and finesse in the first half, delivering cream, nuts, and balance. Unfortunately, severe burn issues, multiple relights, and rising harshness completely undermine the second half, making it a tale of two very different cigars.

Final Score: 5/10
Why not a 10?
Severe burn instability after the midpoint, multiple relights, and harshness erased the elegance shown early on.

Only cigars that deliver flawless draw, balance, flavour evolution, construction and satisfaction get a 10.