Pre-light Experience

Seth: The Joya de Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco Secret Cask is an average looking cigar. It is nicely pressed and finished with a wrapper that is between Colorado and Colorado Maduro in coloring. It is smooth in texture with few medium sized veins present throughout. Coloring is that of dark brown leather. The cigar has dark and rich aromas. Spices, dark chocolate and rich earth. Pipe tobacco qualities present as well. Noticeable amount of dark tobacco in the middle of the filler on the foot.
John: The Joya de Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco Secret Cask features a brown wrapper with firmly pressed veins present throughout the appearance. For artisanal complications, it has a soft box-pressed shape. I weighed the cigar at 17.2 grams and measured the humidity at 58.8%. Aromas from the wrapper included tobacco, mild earth and wood. From the foot, I was getting sweet tobacco with a defined raisin center and faint wood on the back end.
Jiunn: The Joya de Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco Secret Cask has an attractive oily, even, Colorado wrapper. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the head is well wrapped and capped. Pre-light aromas give cedar and black pepper spice.

Joya de Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco Secret Cask

First Third

Seth: The first third begins with this pipe tobacco profile. The cigar is quite aromatic, and it is delivering baking spices, spiced aromatics, rich earth and hints of dark chocolate. There are some mineral qualities as well, and it’s a pronounced profile. In terms of strength and body, I would classify the cigar as medium.
John: The first third gets going with sweet tobacco leading off, carrying through the finish and joined by creamy wood. After a few puffs, the profile feels a bit thin overall. Through the retrohale, the profile establishes as creamy sweet spices. As the first third continues, bready notes work their way into the center of the retrohale. Light-plus chocolate moves into the retrohale as the cigar approaches the halfway point of the first third.
Jiunn: Initial flavors are toasty in nature with toasted bread and toasted oak. A few more draws, the profile gives sweet and creaminess with layered dried red pepper spice. Retrohaling shows baking spices and spicy cedar. The finish is medium length with tamer spicy cedar. Strength and body is medium.

Joya de Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco Secret Cask

Second Third

Seth: The second third is fairly in line with the first. The mineral notes become a little more pronounced, and they join the spices, rich earth and dark chocolate. Strength and body remain at that medium level.
John: The second third opens with creamy bread and wood leading off, with mildly tannic wood finishing each puff. As the second third settles in, light-plus wood with a mildly dry accent defines the post draw. Mild spices join the post draw a few puffs later. Through the bottom half of the second third, musty tobacco leads off, followed by mild chocolate, bread and baking spices combining through the finish.
Jiunn: The second third shows a reduction in flavor intensity and complexities. Much of the toastiness is gone, replaced by cream, cedar and baking spices. Strength and body is still medium.

Joya de Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco Secret Cask

Final Third

Seth: The final third becomes too much with the minerals and aromatics of what smokes like pipe tobacco. The flavor profile is one dimensional. Lack of transitioning and complexities. Medium in strength and body.
John: The last third begins with creamy earth and baking spices, with the baking spices lingering into the finish. As the last third settles in, earth and wood join the post draw, and the spices there become more defined, taking on a lingering cinnamon character on the tongue. The profile becomes increasingly wood-forward as the cigar reaches the halfway point of the final third.
Jiunn: The final third is very similar to the second third except that this time, baking spices takes the lead with cream and cedar falling behind. Strength and body finishes the same medium.

Joya de Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco Secret Cask

Burn

Seth: The burn was decent from beginning to end.
John: The burn was straight through the entire review process, with the ash holding on in roughly one-inch increments.
Jiunn: Flawless burn performance providing an even burn, tight ashes, cool burning temperatures and ample smoke production.

Joya de Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco Secret Cask

Draw

Seth: The draw was a little snug throughout the cigar. I believe that it comes from the tobacco in the filler. If you look at the foot, you can see the dark tobacco which I believe to be pipe tobacco and I think that messed up the draw.
John: I measured the draw at 40 inches of water with the Cigar Medics draw machine. Subjectively, I found the draw to be approximately one notch toward the resistant spectrum, placing it squarely in the ideal range for an amazing draw.
Jiunn: Flawless draw as well, giving the ideal balance of air flow and resistance.

Overall

Seth: The Joya de Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco Secret Cask smoked like a cigar with pipe tobacco in the blend from beginning to end. I detected the aroma on the foot, and I found the flavor and smoking characteristics present from start to finish. The cigar lacked complexity and transitioning. There was some depth, but a lot of it came from the pipe tobacco flavors. It was a little overpowering at times, and it became mineral heavy in the end. I would be interested in smoking this cigar banded, and with a knowledge of the tobacco. Not a blend that speaks to me as a smoker.
John: The cigar delivers a generally pleasant but ultimately restrained experience that never quite breaks out of its comfort zone. The first third shows the most promise, with sweet tobacco, creamy wood and a well-layered retrohale that introduces bread and light chocolate. That said, the body feels a bit thin early on, and while the flavors are clean, they don’t fully coalesce into something more engaging. The second third settles into a familiar pattern of bread, wood and musty tobacco, with mild chocolate and baking spices adding some texture without significantly shifting the profile. There’s balance here, but also a sense that the cigar is content to cruise rather than evolve. By the final third, earth and wood take over more decisively, with baking spices narrowing into a lingering cinnamon note on the palate. The profile becomes increasingly wood-forward, losing some of the sweetness and nuance that helped carry the early portions of the cigar. Construction is a clear strength, with an excellent burn and an ideal draw throughout the smoking time. Flavor-wise, the cigar remains approachable and well-behaved but lacks the depth, progression or intensity needed to rise above an Average overall impression. This Joya de Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco Secret Cask feels like a cigar built for consistency rather than memorability. It’s competent, clean and easy to smoke, but not one that demands a second look. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 27 minutes.
Jiunn: This Joya de Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco Secret Cask felt like the little train engine that got really close but couldn’t quite make it over the hill. The cigar had a promising first third, but by the time it came to the last two thirds, the flavors and nuances lost steam (pun intended). This is a pass for me.

Seth Geise

SCORE

4.95

Cost/Point

$3.83

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$3.11

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$3.11

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Joya de Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco Secret Cask