Joya de Nicaragua Fuerte Corona Gorda

I have smoked and reviewed this cigar before, but after six months of humidor time I thought I would give it another pass, and I was not disappointed. The cigar has darkened perceptibly in the six months of hibernation and has taken on a reddish hue that I do not recall it having when I placed them gently in a tray some months back. There are prominent veins, but the cigar appears to be more robust and oily than on my last review. The construction appears to be acceptable and there are no areas of concern for me. The pre light aroma has nutty essences and compliments of dark wood and soft spice. The pre light draw tantalizes with some brushes of pepper, tobacco and dark fruit.

The cigar opens with an unexpected array of complexity. The profile shows notes of dark wood, tobacco, roasted nuts and dark fruit that take turns bouncing off various areas of the palate. The flavors are deep and resonant providing an early bonanza of taste experience. At the back of the palate there is a clean, earthy texture that emerges with some hints of spice and pepper. The draw is slightly above average, but I prefer it to be just a bit more open that what I am being shown here. The burn is sharp and the ash is a crisp, white cylinder.

The first half of the cigar continues to impress. I must digress for a moment about this size. The Corona Gorda is rapidly becoming my favorite vitola. Not quite a robusto, not quite a corona, it may be the perfect dimension for imparting depth of flavor and complexity without being too thin or overwhelming. Back to the smoke, the profile has settled into a very nice presentation of dark wood and lightly sweet essence of dark fruit. At the back of the palate there are waves of robust tobacco flavors and an underlying earthy tone that is quite pleasing against the rest of the profile. The draw continues to perform acceptably and the burn continues to be superior.

The final half of the cigar is a down the stretch thoroughbred. There are notes of tobacco, wood and roasted nut character set in a backdrop of spice that is very interesting and deep. At the back of the palate the earthy core starts to really show through and bursts of pepper keep it very engaging. The strength of the cigar is there, but it is not overwhelming. The draw maintains consistency and the burn stays strong all the way through.

The finish is a touch short, but shows some lingering pepper flavors.

Appearance- 86 a nice looking smoke
Taste- 94 a fabulous profile that is improving with humidor time
Construction- 91 the draw was a bit tight for me, but there were no major issues
Strength- 92 a very enjoyable full bodied smoke that compliments the profile in a virtuoso performance
Overall- 91.25 a very profound experience, and at a bundle price of about two bucks per smoke you should not miss this one