Joya de Nicaragua Cinco de Cinco Toro

Today, we look at the Joya de Nicaragua Cinco de Cinco in the Toro size. When it comes to the Joya de Nicaragua brand, it is very closely tied with the history and culture of Nicaragua. Joya de Nicaragua has paid homage to its history by marking significant milestones, and Cinco de Cinco marks Joya’s 55th anniversary. With this particular release, Joya de Nicaragua pays tribute to the people who, over the years, have visited its factory. The line was inspired by private blending sessions that Joya de Nicaragua has hosted for visitors over the years, where visitors have had the opportunity to create their own blends. The Joya de Nicaragua team has reviewed many of the blending records and worked to put together a blend recipe based on them.

Cinco de Cinco is part of the Obras Maestras pillar of the portfolio. Obras Maestras translates to “masterpieces” and represents the most premium offerings in the Joya de Nicaragua portfolio. Each offering pays homage to milestones in the company. These are often more limited releases in production and use the company’s best tobaccos:

Today, we will turn our attention to the Cinco de Cinco Toro and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Joya de Nicaragua Cinco de Cinco Toro – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

Cinco de Cinco uses ultra-vintage tobaccos including a Mexican San Andres wrapper and Nicaragua fillers. The binder is not disclosed. As with all Joya cigars, production comes from the Joya de Nicaragua factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

Wrapper: San Andres Mexican
Binder: Undisclosed
Filler: Nicaragua
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua, S.A.

Vitolas Offered

The cigars come in five box-pressed sizes – each presented in ten-count boxes. The Robusto and Corona Doble sizes are only available outside the U.S. market.

Robusto: 5 x 50 (Non U.S.)
Robusto Gordo: 5 1/2 x 54
Toro: 6 x 52
Corona Extra 6 1/4 x 46
Corona Doble: 7 x 54 (Non U.S.)

Appearance (*)

The Mexican San Andres wrapper of the Cinco de Cinco Toro was a medium roast coffee bean color. There was some oil, some mottling, and a slight amount of toothiness present on the surface of this wrapper. Most of the samples had only thin veins that were visible. While this was a darker wrapper, the wrapper seams were prominently visible. The box press is a classic soft Cuban press style.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

A straight cut was used to commence the cigar experience of the Cinco de Cinco Toro. Once the cigar cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw was quite simple regarding flavor profile as it delivered a combination of chocolate and earth notes. While it wasn’t the most complex pre-light draw, it was flavorful and enjoyable. With the pre-light draw completed, it was time to toast up the footer of the Cinco de Cinco Toro and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Cinco de Cinco Toro opened up with notes of chocolate, mixed fruit, cedar, and a combination of white and red pepper. Early on, the chocolate notes moved to the forefront and quickly became the primary note. The mixed fruit, cedar, and pepper notes settled into the background. Meanwhile, the retro-hale delivered an extra layer of cedar notes along with touches of chocolate.

As the Cinco de Cinco Toro moved through the second third, some earth notes emerged in the background and entered the forefront, joining the chocolate notes. Meanwhile, the cedar and pepper notes both increased in intensity. Some of the pepper notes also made their way into the retro-hale with the cedar and chocolate. Meanwhile, the fruit sweetness remained in the background of the Cinco de Cinco Toro.

The final third saw the earth notes displace the chocolate as the primary note. The pepper was more prominent as a secondary note. The cedar, chocolate, and fruit notes still rounded out the flavor profile nicely. This is the way the Cinco de Cinco Toro came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

With the help of some touch-ups, the Cinco de Cinco Toro had a relatively straight burn path and burn line. While the touch-ups did the trick, they were more frequent than I preferred. The resulting ash wasn’t overly firm, but it wasn’t loose or flakey either. This was an ash that had a silver-gray color to it. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature maintained ideal levels.

Burn of the Joya de Nicaragua Cinco de Cinco Toro

Draw

The draw of the Cinco de Cinco Toro was excellent. It had a touch of resistance, putting it into ideal territory for me. It was especially pleasing to see this on a box-pressed cigar. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar from which to derive flavor.

Strength and Body

Regarding strength and body, the Cinco de Cinco Toro started out dead-center medium for both attributes. There was a nominal increase in intensity along the way, but in the end, the cigar still stayed in the medium range of the spectrum for strength and body.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

The Obras Maestras offerings have a sleek, contemporary-style box. The Cinco de Cinco follows this style and the green and white really are pulled off nicely on the box. The band is also similar to the other Obras Maestras cigars but employs a green color. Joya’s reason for using green for this cigar is that green is the color of an emerald, and an emerald typically represents a 55th-anniversary milestone.

Packaging of the Joya de Nicaragua Cinco de Cinco

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

Coming out of PCA 2024, one of the cigars that I took home from the show that was most impressive was the Joya de Nicaragua Cinco de Cinco. When I assessed the Toro size, I was not disappointed. This is a really good blend with excellent flavor. It delivers a well-balanced flavor profile without overwhelming you with the earth and pungent notes that Mexican San Andres is known for. At $20.00, it’s not a cheap cigar, but it’s one that I can recommend to any cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this is a cigar, and I would buy and smoke again. Independent of price, the Cinco de Cinco Toro comes with an impressive 90-point score – earning it a Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence designation.

Summary

Key Flavors: Chocolate, Earth, Fruit, Cedar, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Excellent