Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo
Filler: Nicaraguan Estelí and Jalapa, including double-viso long-fillers
Size: Corona Gorda (5.6 x 46)
Strength: Mild-Plus → Medium-Plus (last inch), approaching Full at the nub
Body: Medium → Full (nub)
Price: $39.00 per five-pack
Factory: El Titan de Bronze, Miami, Florida, USA
Blender: Undisclosed
Release: May 2026 (Regular Production)
Smoking Time: 1:40
Experience Rating: 96
I think I have a contender for the Joya de Nicaragua Black Swan Robusto.
That was a cigar I thoroughly enjoyed, and I’ve regularly purchased boxes since its release. But with the new ETdB Black Swan, I’m going to have to break up my purchases.
Simply put, this is a great cigar, and it earns a place in my regular rotation.
Or at least it eventually became one. I smoked three leading up to the review, and each started moderately enough to make me wonder whether there was much to it. Then everything changed in the second half.
This is one of those sleepers that starts deceptively moderate, then builds until it finishes with a bang.
Synopsis
Strength begins just below medium, reaches medium during Progression, holds through Halfway, then climbs more decisively from the Home Stretch to finish between medium-plus and full at the Nub. Body starts at medium and builds steadily, reaching medium-plus during Progression, pushing toward full in the Last Inch, and finishing at full. Activity remains just below medium through Settling In, moves above medium during Progression, holds through Halfway, then accelerates continuously to finish just below full as all three curves converge near the top of the scale.
The Black Swan has that sharp, clean finish I expect from El Titan de Bronze. The wrapper is smooth, the cigar feels solid from head to foot, and I can’t find a soft spot anywhere.
The wrapper gives off fermented tobacco, a touch of barnyard, and stale bread. At the foot, the fermented tobacco remains, joined by a faint sweetness.
The cold draw brings sourdough bread, hay, and fresh-cut cedar.
Lighting the cigar, the aroma off the foot is nutty and cedary.
The first puff is gorgeous, but moderate. Black pepper and green peppercorn lead, followed by charred cedar, sweet bread, and the lightest touch of coffee. The body is already medium.
A few puffs in, the strength sits just below medium. Cinnamon and a hint of clove arrive, while lemon zest peeks in and out. Cream begins to work its way into the profile, joined by a light red pepper spice.
It’s a fairly moderate start, but a pleasant one.
As the cigar settles in, the spice picks up slightly and the cream thickens, becoming more mouth-coating.
The strength moves closer to medium as the nicotine begins to show, while the body grows richer. Floral notes start to enter the profile.
There still isn’t a core or base holding everything together, but nothing feels chaotic. It’s refined and very well-behaved.
As I move deeper into the first half, that Corojo binder starts showing its spice in waves. It’s strongest on the inhale, then fades through the finish.
There still isn’t a core, but the cigar is nicely balanced. The body pushes into medium-plus, while the strength finally reaches medium.
The flavors shift from puff to puff, though the changes are moderate rather than pronounced. Violet and honeysuckle move through the profile with nougat, hazelnut, sweet cream, caramel, sweet bread, and white pepper. Then a fruity, nutty Ethiopian coffee appears.
That one gives me a little emotional lift. It’s my favorite type of coffee bean.
The first half is all about a chill vibe, but there’s a certain magnetism to it. The cigar isn’t demanding, yet it keeps pulling me in. Other cigars grab my attention through complexity or sharp transitions. This one feels more like a tractor beam.
The pull is constant, but never overwhelming. I can feel it, but it isn’t dragging me down.
At the halfway point, the cigar is still gliding along with that persistent gravitational pull. I decide to stop thinking about it and just go with it.
Balance, balance, and more balance.
Everything seems to be in the right place. Business books talk about getting the right butts in the right seats, and this cigar is a perfect example of that. Nothing feels out of place, and nothing sticks out.
The strength remains a solid medium, while the body thickens slightly. For a Nicaraguan puro with double-viso in the filler, it doesn’t have the punch I’d normally expect. I can feel the intent. Make a Nicaraguan puro that doesn’t follow the standard Nicaraguan puro playbook.
Sweet bread steps forward with the floral sweetness. Caramel and hazelnut join the cream, while the other flavors continue to wink in and out.
There still isn’t a core, and I’m fine with that. Cream, caramel, and hazelnut may be the closest thing to a central theme, but they don’t feel structural. They’re simply more prominent.
Everything seems to be happening at a slow, leisurely pace. It’s a very chill vibe.
There isn’t much change as the cigar moves into the home stretch, but that doesn’t mean it’s boring.
Then the profile takes on a slightly darker tone. Charred cedar steps forward, nicotine begins pushing up the strength, and a heavily toasted almond note appears. The caramel darkens, white pepper shifts into a light black pepper, and the body thickens along with the darker turn.
Coffee finally asserts itself and quickly becomes the central pillar of the profile.
Now there’s a definitive structure.
Before this, the cigar didn’t have one, but nothing ever seemed out of place. Everything was organized. The coffee simply gives it something to gather around.
The energy also starts picking up. Secondary flavors still wink in and out, but they’re moving at a quicker pace now.
As the cigar moves into the last couple of inches, the spice begins to pulse. It moves from my lips to the middle of my palate, then back again. The motion is constant, and it gives the profile a new kind of energy.
The body holds steady, while the strength ticks up slightly. That gravitational pull is still there, but there’s no heaviness to it.
Then vanilla crème shows up.
Sweet bread steps forward, the coffee darkens into espresso, and black pepper begins to assert itself. The cigar is finally smoking more like a Nicaraguan puro. The profile has developed some muscle, but it remains well-behaved and never turns aggressive. The secondary flavors continue to pop in and out: floral notes, fresh-cut cedar, hazelnut, and lemon zest.
It feels like the cigar has been building toward this the entire time. Even with the increase in energy, it doesn’t feel like a transition. It’s more like a gradual buildup of complexity.
In the last inch, that gravity finally begins to compress the profile. The flavors feel closer together and a little more crowded, but there’s no sloppiness and nothing collapses. The strength reaches medium-plus, while the body pushes toward full.
Sweet bread steps forward, giving the profile some lift against the compression and spice. A fruity sweetness appears on the back of my tongue through the finish, adding another point of lift. There’s still plenty of energy and complexity despite the compression.
At the nub, the profile turns dark, but there’s no drop in energy. The flavors are packed closely together, yet the complexity remains.
The secondary notes now arrive like blots and splotches of paint. It has the organized chaos of a Jackson Pollock painting. The spice eases slightly, but nicotine keeps pushing the strength higher.
What’s remarkable to me is that most cigars begin to lose activity at the nub. This one refuses to lie down. It was lounging for more than half the smoke, then decided to get up and do something.
I finally put it down as my fingers are getting singed.
This was a remarkable smoke.
There weren’t any definitive transitions. The complexity built so gradually that the entire cigar felt like one long transition.
The closest comparison I can make is the 1812 Overture. It begins gently, settles into a long middle where everything seems to cruise, then starts building toward the final third. By the end, the cannons are firing, the bells are ringing, and the cigar is still gaining energy at the nub.
It takes its time getting there, but once it does, holy shit.
You can buy these at Cigar Page. The 5-pack is only $39.00, lowering the per-stick price to $7.80 from $ 9.00.
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