Cigar Review – CyB Corona Real by Joya de Nicaragua

CyB is the first joint cigar creation of the Joya de Nicaragua factory with the collaboration of famed cigar maker Jose Blanco since he joined the company in 2011. These premium smokes were originally called “Cuenca y Blanco”, before undergoing a name change to avoid any confusion with other similarly-named brands. A change of pace from Joya’s usual all-Nicaraguan blends, CyB is a full-flavored offering featuring tobaccos from Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Peru. For today’s review I pulled out a sample of the Corona Real (5 1/2x 46.)

The Nicaraguan Habano wrapper on the cigar was golden-brown in color with a smooth, oily sheen. The cigar wore only one traditional-looking band with the Cuenca y Blanco name, and all aspects of construction seemed to be up to par. Pre-light notes were of warm cedar and molasses, and after a thorough toasting of the foot the cigar lit up easily.

The CyB opened up with very bold, full flavors of wood and earth with a sweet, malty finish. Right off the bat this stick was pumping lots of dense smoke with very rich tobacco flavor. After about the first half-inch the smoke began to smooth out a bit from the intense intro. So far the burn line was straight and the draw was nice and easy. By the time I hit the 2” mark I could already feel the deep, lingering flavors coating my palate.

As I burned into the second 3^rd there wasn’t too much of a transition in flavors, instead, all of the pre-existing flavors evened out to a nice balance, with some bready and nutty notes coming through every now and then. The ash had held up for a good 3 inches before finally dropping off, and right around halfway through the stick a new creamy smoothness emerged, taking the body of the cigar down a notch.

In the final third the profile remained consistent, with smooth, woody flavors and rich tobacco with just a hint of anise. The CyB kept its straight burn and cool smoke until it was nothing more than a tiny, smoldering nub.

I found the CyB Corona Real to be a solid and easily enjoyable smoke with rich, “classic” flavors. The burn was well-behaved from start to finish, and the cigar’s taste profile had just enough nuances to keep it interesting. I could see this as an excellent “everyday” smoke for the full-bodied aficionado, and in this particular vitola it burned for the perfect amount of time to accompany a nice 12 oz cup of coffee. Based on my session with the CyB I’m giving it a well-deserved B grade. I’ll definitely be lighting this one up again in the near future.