Pre-light Experience

The wrapper on the Joya de Nicaragua Número Uno L’Ambassadeur is a light golden brown and has a few slightly raised veins along with some bumps from what resides underneath. The seams are smooth and very well hidden while the head has a double cap that is finished with a small flag. The band is blue, gold and white and carries the company and line name along with the series name on the back. The aroma from the wrapper is hay and the foot very much reminds me of a used barrel that housed a peated Scotch. The pre-light draw also brings that peated Scotch note along with a slight vegetal note. There is a bit of spice present on my lips.

Pre-light Experience

The Joya de Nicaragua Número Uno L’Ambassadeur is gorgeous in hand and silky in texture. It has a dark golden hay coloring to it and is between Natural and a light Colorado. The fantail cap is beautiful and there are small to medium veins present throughout. The aroma of of hay, raisins, chocolate, cedar and manure. It is fantastic.

Pre-light Experience

The Joya de Nicaragua Número Uno L’Ambassadeur has cellophane and UPC code designed in a way that when the cellophane is opened the UPC code remains intact. The cigar has a pigtail cap, and a tan, slightly oily wrapper that is quite smooth. The band is quite large and ornate, with Numero Uno in gold and white on a blue background, with gold accents on the right side, top and bottom. Aromas from the wrapper included fresh tobacco, hay and chocolate. In the foot, sweet prune and raisin. Measuring the cigar with digital calipers, the RG was 45 at the band and 43 near the foot. Due to the length of the cigar it exceeded the measure of the caliper.

Pre-light Experience

The Joya de Nicaragua Número Uno L’Ambassadeur has a golden light caramel brown. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll uniform and flared head is well wrapped. Nosing the wrapper gives barnyard, cheese and cedar. Nosing the foot tells the same. Cold draw gives a rich roasted nuttiness, dried persimmons and hay.

First Third

The cigar begins with a combination of cream and dry cinnamon. At a quarter inch in, some aged wood joins as the cream transitions to mustiness. At a half inch in, the cinnamon has morphed into black pepper and is slightly behind the musty aged wood and has a long finish. At an inch in, the aged wood, mustiness and black pepper are all even. The retrohale has the mustiness and black pepper together up front with the aged wood not far behind. At an inch and a quarter, a light hay note joins the profile which lightens the pepper note slightly. At an inch and three quarters, the hay is fuller and has a toasted note with it and is even with the mustiness and aged wood while the black pepper is now pretty light. The strength in this third was right at medium.

First Third

The first third opens up delivering an abundance of flavors. I am getting bits of lemon peel, hay, light coffee with cream and nougat. There is a finish of soft chocolate, almonds and vanilla bean as well. It is incredibly complex with tons of depth. More and more keep getting added to the mix and all work off of one another wonderfully. It is medium in flavors and body, and the strength is right there as well.

First Third

The first third opened with light, sweet hay. A really balanced creamy, light spice on the retrohale. As the cigar progresses, hay takes up the middle of the profile, with some cedar settling into the post draw. Baking spices on the retrohale move up in intensity to medium minus. As the cigar settles in chocolate joins the retrohale. Dry cedar and hay settle into the post draw. The first third is complex, balanced and has a large range of nuanced flavors.

First Third

The first third has a smooth delivery of flavors. Buttery mouthfeel with notes of toast, biscuits, cherries, hints of caramel and cedar. Retrohaling gives greater and sharper cedar and a creamy roasted nuttiness. The finish is a soft lingering cedar. Strength and body is medium.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the hay is very faint and the toasted note has moved over to the aged wood and is even with the mustiness. There is still a bit of black pepper in the background as well. At a half inch in, the hay has built back up a little as the black pepper has left the profile. The retrohale is toasted aged wood, mustiness and light dry earthiness. At an inch and a quarter, the toasted wood, mustiness and hay are all even again. As the third comes to a close, the hay has a slight lead over the toasted aged wood and mustiness. The strength in this third bumped up to slightly above medium.

Second Third

The second third continues to show some creamy and soft lemon qualities. There are some vanilla bean notes still present and with that are some coffee bean qualities, cedar and hay. It is a great follow up to the first third. It has complexities and depth and shows some transitioning as well. Like before, the cigar is medium in flavors, body and strength.

Second Third

Hay leads into the second third with lingering hay on the post draw. Cedar and baking spices define the retrohale. Mild cocoa finishes each retrohale draw. Baking spices and hay move into the middle of the profile. As the cigar settles in, bread notes join the middle of the profile.

Second Third

The second third still shows a smooth and composed flavor profile. There’s a little more spice influence in the form of a sharper cedar now, but the smoothness in toast, biscuits and faint caramel are still tasted. Strength and body remains a solid medium.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the toasted aged wood, along with a slight char, and mustiness are both back up front with a slight lead over the hay. At a half inch in, some dry earth joins the profile as the hay has departed. At an inch in, a bit of a vegetal note joins the profile. The retrohale is musty aged wood with some dry earth. At an inch and a quarter, the toasted aged wood, mustiness and dry earth are all even with the vegetal note in the background. As the cigar comes to a close, the dry earth gains a slight lead over the aged and musty wood while the vegetal note has picked up a bit and has a long finish. The strength in this third remained at slightly above medium.

Final Third

I am in the final third of the cigar now and it is showing some continuation with a slight bit of transitioning from the second third. I am picking up some soft citrus notes, creamy coffee, almond, cedar and hay. The finish has this tobacco manure quality as well and it is smooth to the end. I would classify the cigar as still being medium overall.

Final Third

Hay leads the profile into the last third. Cocoa and bread takes up the middle of the profile with cocoa and cedar on the retrohale. Lingering hay and cedar take up the post draw. As the cigar settles in, the hay moves into the middle of the profile. By the halfway point, some astringency has joined the post draw.

Final Third

The last third is all about cruise control. Still a smooth delivery of slightly more sharper cedar, toast, biscuits and faint caramel. Strength and body finishes medium.

Burn

The burn was straight the entire way and the ash held on in inch and a half increments.

Burn

The burn was amazing from start to finish. It had a great burn line and a lovely white charcoal ash.

Burn

The burn struggled through the smoking experience. Re-lights were required halfway through the first third, at the end of the first third and in the second third. Burn was flawless from that point on, with the ash holding on well.

Burn

The burn performance was flawless. Tight ashes, even burn, cool burning temperature and ample smoke production.

Draw

The draw was perfect through the first half and then became slightly loose the rest of the way.

Overall

The cigar began with cream and cinnamon and gained some aged wood fairly quickly. The cream transitioned to mustiness as the cinnamon morphed into black pepper. Some hay joined in and a toasted note became present. As the cigar progressed, the black pepper left and the hay faded back. The final third saw some dry earth and a vegetal note join in. Construction was very good and allowed me to just focus on flavor. Strength was right around medium the whole way. The cigar had a nice combination of flavors and some nice transitions. The final third fell off a bit, but overall the cigar was good. This is another nice offering in the Obras Maestras series and earns it’s place as an upper echelon line for the brand. I would have no problem smoking more of these and look forward to doing so. I highly recommend people check this out.

Draw

Draw was fantastic on this cigar. The smaller ring gauge added for a nice concentrated flavor profile and with that it smoked cool to the end.

Overall

The Joya de Nicaragua Número Uno L’Ambassadeur is simply fantastic. It is a tremendous Connecticut release and is complex from beginning to end. There is great transitioning taking place and it is always balanced. The vitola is beautiful with the blend and it delivers those great wrapper flavors with just the right amount of filler tobaccos. Releasing this cigar for the general cigar smoking world was a brilliant move by the company and I know I will turn to it quite frequently as my cigar of choice.

Draw

The draw was perfect, right in the ideal zone of resistance.

Overall

The Joya de Nicaragua Número Uno L’Ambassadeur was one of the best cigars from the 2019 releases I’ve reviewed to date. The first third had the most flavor complexity, with notes of sweet hay, creaminess, spices, cedar and chocolate. The second and last thirds were also good, with nuanced flavors that were quite enjoyable. The burn struggled through the first half of the cigar with three re-lights. The draw was perfect. I’ll be excited to get my hands on more of these. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Draw

The draw was also flawless giving the best balance of air flow and resistance.

Overall

Composed and elegant would be the two words I would use describe the Joya de Nicaragua Número Uno L’Ambassadeur. Each individual flavor by themselves and combined was a treat to experience. I probably sound like a broken record by now, but this is yet another example of how Joya does not miss and continues to create hits. Looking forward to more and more of these.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.67

Cost/Point

$2.25

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

8.23

Cost/Point

$1.82

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

7.12

Cost/Point

$2.11

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

7.17

Cost/Point

$2.09

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Joya de Nicaragua Número Uno L’Ambassadeur