Beginning smokers, beware! The newly released Antano Dark Corojo from Joya de Nicaragua is not for the faint of heart. Those who love the challenge and kick of a strong cigar may be intrigued, however, by this follow up to the popular Joya de Nicaragua Antano 1970 released nearly ten years ago.

The Antano Dark Corojo is a Nicaraguan puro, meaning it is made from 100 percent Nicaraguan ingredients. It gets its power from its filler, which is composed of more than 66 percent Ligero leaves. It's topped off by a Corojo seed wrapper grown in the Jalapa Valley of Nicaragua. The wrapper gives the cigar a nice oily sheen and its very dark color. The Antano Dark Corojo comes in five different sizes, with each given an intimidating name to reflect the cigar they represent. Available is the 4.5x52 Azarosa, the 4.75x60 La Pesadilla, the 5x44 Peligroso, the 5.5x54 El Martillo, and the 6x54 Poderoso. To give you an idea of just how intimidating this cigar tries to be, La Pesadilla translated to English means the nightmare, Peligroso means dangerous, and poderoso means powerful. From those names alone, you can tell that this is one stick that does not play around.

All of the Antano Dark Corojo's sizes come in boxes of 20. You can expect to pay an average of $5 to $8 per single. If you do happen to pick some up, make sure you do not smoke them on an empty stomach, as they pack plenty of kick. Beginning smokers or those who enjoy milder cigars may want to check out another fairly recent release from Joya de Nicaragua: the Cabinetta Serie. For more info on the Cabinetta Serie Line, check out my previous article on New Cigar Releases for 2010.

That's about it for now. Give some of these new sticks a try, as they all sound like they should be worth it. Until next time........