Joya de Nic Antano 1970 Churchill Review

[smokemifyagotem]

I usually don't post many reviews (b/c I tend to babble), but I had one of these tonight and felt compelled to write one.
All I can say is WOW. I've had all the smokes in the Antano 1970 line and the churchill is the best (All are good, but churchill is the most refined).
First of all the wrapper was gorgeous - silky shiny dark brown. Pre-light draw had a spicy-sweet taste and was so good I almost didn't want to light it.
Burn was PERFECT with no torch touch-ups needed. Only complaint was the ash was slightly flakey, but still held on respectably.
Flavor - Outstanding! Started VERY spicy and mellowed slightly after the 1st inch. Stayed full flavored throughout. Had hints of leather, spice, sweetness, etc..
Finish was great - I nubbed it with no metallic bitterness.
To be TOTALLY honest, if you blindfolded me I would swear I was smoking a VSG. To be even more honest I would venture to say I like these even BETTER than VSGs!! (And I love VSGs!) And for less than half the price!
If you are a fan of full bodied smokes (VSG in particular) do yourself a big favor and try one of these. If you disagree feel free to call me a fool. (PS - very, very nice buzz too)

[AAlmeter]

good review. i agree, these are great cigars. i think ill light one up now to get me through the cramming i need to do tonight for finals.

[SilvrBck]

Smokem-

I had one the other night and it was a real rock star. About knocked me out of the poker game! But mine had real burn issues. Kept having to relight it. I ordered mine though and they came really wet. Could it be that it was still to damp after 1 month in the humi? Who knows. I'm letting my other one take a nap for another couple months and see how it goes then.
SB

[smokemifyagotem]

thats a shame they burn bad - hopefully more time will help.
Mine were a little dry (they way I like em) which just added to the buzz...
Im actually going out right now to go get more. Will probably get a few LFD Double Ligero Chisels too. Mmmmmmm Chisels........

[cashcow]

The Antanos are world class.

[Eichen]

Just nubbed one of these tonight. It was a Belicoso. I picked it up just about when they started appearing in stores in my area, so it's been sitting around for a year. I must admit that the first samples I had of these were a bit shocking. The spicyness was almost too much for me. I swear I could feel the hair inside my nose getting singed when I blew the smoke out my nose ... it was like blowing out a jalapeno! Once I got past the first inch or so of it I remembered that it settled into a much more pleasant smoke.

After a year that huge spicy kick at the beginning was all but gone; replacing it was a much smoother smoke. It still remains a potent stick however. It didn't strike me as a terribly complex cigar but it was nonetheless very enjoyable. For my taste, a little time does wonders in improving my enjoyment of it. The burn also seems to have improved in my aged sample. Now I can see what the fuss is about.

I've had a churchill that was younger a few months ago and it was surpisingly well-behaved compared to my first experiences with the brand. I've heard that the blend seems to have been tempered a bit (especially in the newer sizes like the churchill) since its introduction but I'm not familar enough to say whether or not this is true. Got a few more sitting in the humi ready for trial...

All in all I'd agree that this is a good stick. I wonder what the machitos are like.

[smokemifyagotem]

The machitos are like pure death and I LOVE THEM. Without a doubt the strongest of the line. They are more 1 dimensional, but if you are looking for a serious buzz, they are the ones to go for.
I would say the best tasting of the line is the Churchill. Tied for 2nd is the belicoso and Robusto Grande. 3rd is the consul and grand counsul, 4th the machito (all are worthe trying). Don't get me wrong though, the churchills are plenty strong. All in all they are my favorite new cigar. The quaility is great and flavor is outstanding. I know everyones taste is different, but I can't see how you could go wrong with this cigar (unless you love light cigars).

[Eichen]

The one that blew off my nose hair a year ago was the gran consul, I think...

Fortunately I've got another churchill in the humi. I've been tempted to burn it a couple of times lately. It just smells so d*mn good! From what I've read, it's a toss up between the churchill and the belicoso for the best size of the line.

And yes, I like lighter cigars too ... just as long as they have a good amount of flavor. I like to keep a wide variety of cigars, mild to strong, to suit my mood at the time of smoking. For me there's a time and place for every kind of cigar. This sort of smoking habit doesn't bode well for my pocket book...

One thing that kind of turned me off from the brand at the beginning was that in my experience the strength of the cigar, and that strong spicy kick in the first inch or so, overbalanced the rest of its flavor. After a year of sitting in the humi, I could tell that there's a lot of really good flavor in the Antanos. I've noticed that strong spicy flavors, particularly those found in the first inches of the cigar, are quickly toned down with humidor time. I know there's a lot of smokers who love that kind of spicyness so they can smoke them young. I just can't because it's too much for me. That's why I need to age them. I like a good smaller cigar but it sounds like I'd have to sit on the machitos for a bit before I could really enjoy smoking them.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[smokemifyagotem]

no problem - I love ranting when I find a new cigar i like!!

[Eichen]

Hey, it's cool. I do the same thing. I'm just probably more or less a wimp when it comes to Antanos OTT!

[MADURO_MAS_DURO]

If you can get your hands on the original release JdN A70's them were some good smokes...It seems as though the recent blend has somewhat mellowed out...