Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments where we use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or giving a score for the first time. It might be a blend we are looking at in a different size. Today we look at the Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gran Reserva GT20. This is a cigar line that was assessed most recently in March 2019 in the Presidente (TAA) size.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan (Condega, Estelí, Jalapa)
County of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua, S.A
GT20 (Gran Reserva): 6 x 54

The original Antaño 1970 cigar made its debut in 2001. It was the Nicaraguan puro that many consider to be a game-changer in terms of its boldness. Today, the Antaño brand consists of four sizes: Antaño 1970, Antaño CT, Antaño Dark Corojo, and Antaño Gran Reserva. In 2005, Joya de Nicaragua released a limited edition offshoot of Antaño 1970 known as the Antaño Gran Reserva. The Gran Reserva is based on the Antaño blend but contains extra aged tobaccos. In 2017, Joya de Nicaragua brought back the Gran Reserva– this time as an ongoing offering in the Joya portfolio. Fast forward to 2021, and Joya de Nicaragua decided to commemorate 20 years of Antaño and release a special commemorative 20th-anniversary cigar under the Gran Reserva line known as the GT20. Today, we take a closer look at this cigar – the Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gran Reserva GT20.

The Antaño Gran Reserva blend contains 100% Nicaraguan tobaccos. The blend is highlighted by filler tobaccos aged up to five years – and a Nicaraguan Corojo Oscuro wrapper. GT20 stands for “Gran Toro,” with the 20 representing the 20th anniversary of Antaño. This is a 6 x 54 box-pressed offering. It comes presented in 20-count boxes. The GT20 uses the same bands as the Gran Reserva but contains a special red footer ribbon with the text “GT20” in gold font.

The Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gran Reserva GT20 opened with notes of earth, wood, cedar, natural tobacco, and some black pepper. Early on, the natural tobacco and earth notes moved to the forefront, with the wood, cedar, and pepper settling in the background. The retro-hale produced a combination of black pepper and cedar. There was a nice sweetness imparted from the natural tobacco. Once the GT20 entered the second third, the natural tobacco slowly diminished, and the cedar notes pushed into the forefront. The natural tobacco joined the wood and pepper in the background. By the last third, the cedar took a slight edge over the earth, and some harshness developed. The black pepper, wood, and natural tobaccos were present but seemed out of balance with the cedar notes. As the GT20 came to a close, the cigar finished with a soft and cool nub.

The strength and body of the Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gran Reserva GT20 started out medium. There was a slight increase in the intensity of both attributes, but in the end, the strength and body remained in the medium range of the spectrum. Both the strength and body balanced each other nicely. The draw to the GT20 provided just the right amount of resistance and was excellent for a box-pressed offering. The burn required frequent touch-ups to keep the burn path on track and the burn line straight.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gran Reserva GT20 was a classic tale of two cigars. The first half of this cigar (especially the first third) was excellent. There was a wonderful sweetness and a nice balance among the flavor notes. Something happened in the second half. The cigar became heavy with cedar qualities, and some harshness developed. The Antaño Gran Reserva has been one of the better scoring lines by Joya de Nicaragua, but I felt the GT20 fell short compared to some of the other sizes. My recommendation here is to try a sample and see what you think.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Earth, Cedar, Wood, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Good