Joya de Nicaragua Joya Cabinetta Lancero

I wasa a big fan of the Joya Cabinetta especially the lancero, so the return of the format makes my heart happy. This week I take a look at Joya de Nicaragua’s Joya Cabinetta Lancero.

The Good Stuff:

Back in 2016 Joya de Nicaragua went through a rebranding which included the Cabinetta. With the rebrand the “JOYA Cabinetta” said goodbye to the lancero format, a fan favorite. Fast forward to 2024 and the Joya Cabinet Lancero is making its triumphant return. The Joya Cabinetta Lancero carries the same unique blend that starts with a dual-wrapped cigar which features a darker Nicaraguan Criollo wrapper that goes about a third of the way down from the cap before transforming into an Ecuadorian shade grown wrapper for the remainder of the cigar over both Nicaraguan binder and fillers. The Joya Cabinetta Lancero will run $9.95 per cigar and comes packaged in boxes of 20 with only 1,000 boxes being released.

• Size: 7 1/2 x 38
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Criollo/Ecuadorian Shade
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Medium
• Strength: Medium
• Price: $9.95

Prelight:

The obvious standout characteristic of the Joya Cabinetta Lacero is the dual wrapper setup. The cap starts with a pigtail in a dark wrapper which blends into a lighter brown/orange wrapper underneath the cigar’s band. The wrapper is very slick and silky and smooth. There are very small veins running through the cigar’s body. The wrapper is laid over itself very well leading its way up to the mentioned pigtail cap. The cigar as a whole is very light and the lighter-colored wrapper feels very thin and delicate while the darker wrapper is much more dense and firm. The cigar is polished off with the standard yellow, gold, and brown Cabinetta band with the Joya crest.

The wrapper on the Cabinetta gives off very light oak and woodsy aromas while the foot of the cigar is very earthy and dirty with just a dash of pepper and spice. The cap cut very clean and easily, the cold draw produces notes of musk, wood, and a little bit of sweetness.

First Third:

The Joya Cabinetta Lancero starts out very earthy and grainy with small hit of light pepper which fades quickly. Outside of the earthiness the flavor profile carries great notes of much and deep wood over lighter notes of sweet spice and vanilla with a nice honey aftertaste. The draw is absolutely flawless. Each little puff kicks out a massive cloud of thick, white smoke which dissipates quickly while the cigar releases very low amounts of smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted dark gray ash which held on for about 2/3 of an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Joya Cabinetta Lancero and most of flavor profile remains the same. Loads of musky wood over honey, vanilla, and a bunch of earthiness. It’s a great, lighter-bodied flavor profile. The retrohale brings out a bit more of the spice and pepper I picked up once I initially lit up the cigar. The cigar is burning like a dream and I close out the second third with almost nothing in the nicotine department.

Finish:

The flavor profile really changes up when you hit that dark bit in the Joya Cabinetta Lancero. The light honey and vanilla drop out and instead is replaced with really bold oak, dark chocolate, spice and tartness. A lot of the woodsy flavors are still there however. This cigar smokes very quickly as it took me an hour on the dot to take this down to the nub. I experienced no harshness, no extended heat, and never once had to touch up or relight the cigar. I close out with almost no nicotine kick at all.

Overview:

I love when a cigar reminds my how much I love a particular format. I love it even more when it’s a lancero. There is just something special about a great lacenro and the Joya Cabinetta is a prime example of it. The flavors are great, tasty, and pleasant especially as the grew more complex into the final stretch. The price point is incredibly affordable and I am glad I have so many on hand as I will be sad once these once again make their departure.