Joya de Nicaragua reached back into its history for the Clásico Original Green Room Selection, a limited-edition release introduced at the 2026 PCA Convention & Trade Show in New Orleans.
The company notes:
The story behind the cigar goes back to the 1970s, when Joya de Nicaragua Clásico cigars were offered to guests in the White House Green Room. For Joya de Nicaragua, the new release is both a nod to that history and a broader celebration of the places where cigar smokers gather and connect.
The Green Room Selection also brings an unusual format to the Clásico Original portfolio. It is produced exclusively as a 6 x 54 Diadema, a double-tapered shape that Joya de Nicaragua says is among the oldest formats hand-rolled at its Estelí factory.
One clarification is important: Green Room Selection itself is offered in only one vitola—the Diadema. The regular-production Clásico Original line currently includes four additional vitolas: Robusto, Toro, Churchill and Torpedo. The Diadema comes packaged in 20-count boxes and carry an MSRP of $13.50/cigar.
The Green Room Selection is considerably more limited than the regular Clásico Original offerings. Joya de Nicaragua produced 1,200 boxes of 20 cigars, or 24,000 cigars total. Of those, 700 boxes were allocated to the United States and 500 to international markets.
The Blend
The Joya de Nicaragua Clásico Original Green Room Selection Diadema is handcrafted at Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A. in Estelí, Nicaragua, using an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Joya de Nicaragua
- Vitola: Diadema
- Size: 6 x 54
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Filler: Nicaragua
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A.
- MSRP: $13.50/cigar – $270/20-count box
- Production: 1,200 boxes / 24,000 cigars
For this review, I sampled 3 of the Joya de Nicaragua Clásico Original Green Room Selection Diademas which I received from the company for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
The Green Room Selection Diadema presented beautifully with a golden-tan wrapper displaying a smooth, oily sheen. The cigar was well constructed with firm, consistent packing from head to foot. Running the cigar along the nose, I picked up mild natural sweet tobacco notes from the barrel. The foot added another dimension with an interesting buttery, nut-like sensation.
The Joya de Nicaragua Clásico Original Green Room Selection is dressed with a wide, elegant band that blends the traditional appearance of the Clásico line with a distinctive splash of green. The upper portion features a deep burgundy field accented with gold and white geometric detailing. Centered at the top is the classic circular Joya de Nicaragua medallion, finished in burgundy and gold with the familiar green tobacco-leaf emblem in the center.
A broad pearl-white panel dominates the middle of the band, bordered by fine gold accents. Printed prominently in the center is “CLÁSICO ORIGINAL” in clean black lettering. The lower portion provides the visual departure from the traditional design. A vivid emerald-green field carries “GREEN ★ ROOM” in white block lettering, with “Selection” rendered beneath it in script. A small faceted diamond graphic sits toward the right side. Gold edging along the bottom completes the presentation. Overall, the band maintains the classic, somewhat old-school appearance of the Clásico Original while the bright green lower panel clearly identifies this as the Green Room Selection.
I clipped the cap straight, approximately 3/8 of an inch down from the tip, and gave it a few cold draws. Natural tobacco sweetness was the first sensation to greet the lips—a pleasant surprise. After cold-puffing for a while, a subtle pepper note began to develop along with that earlier buttery character. It was an inviting pre-light combination of natural tobacco sweetness, butter, nuts and gentle pepper.
The Smoking Journey
Using my single-flame lighter, I fired up the tip and started the journey. Pepper appeared immediately on the first retrohale, providing a lively introduction. Breaking through from behind the pepper was a pleasant and somewhat unexpected grape note.
A light grey ash began forming on top of a thin-to-medium-thick char line that was initially even. After about three-quarters of an inch of burn, the pepper began to ease, allowing the sweeter components of the blend to become more apparent. Meanwhile, a pleasant sweet cracker aroma wafted from the foot.
Moving through the first third, the cigar remained mild and nicely rounded. One characteristic that stood out was the lack of the traditional Connecticut bitterness that can sometimes appear with this wrapper style. Instead, sweetness and fruit were allowed to shine.
As the cigar moved into the second third, a mild off-burn began to develop. The ash eventually fell, revealing an off-centered burn cone, and a mild touch-up was required.
Around the midway point, the profile took another turn as a pleasant umami note began developing. Combined with the lingering mild fruit, it created an enjoyable sweet-and-savory taste sensation. Deeper into the second third, the spice began to increase, adding another layer to the profile and signaling that this cigar wasn’t going to remain mild for the entire journey.
Moving into the final third, the Green Room Selection continued its progression in strength. The spice that had developed through the second third became more pronounced, while the overall intensity continued to build. What started as a relatively mild Clásico had now ratcheted up considerably, eventually finishing in the solid medium range.
Total smoking time came in at 1 hour and 10 minutes and finished medium to full in strength.
The Diadema was generally well constructed and produced a good smoke experience, though it wasn’t completely trouble-free. The initial burn was even beneath a light grey ash, but a mild off-burn developed approaching the second third. When the ash dropped, it exposed an off-centered burn cone and required a minor touch-up.
Final Analysis
The Joya de Nicaragua Clásico Original Green Room Selection Diadema offered considerably more evolution than I initially expected from the golden Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper. The opening pepper quickly settled and exposed a particularly enjoyable combination of grape, sweetness and fruit, while the sweet cracker aroma added to the experience. The introduction of umami midway through the journey was a welcome transition, especially when combined with the lingering fruit.
Perhaps most notable was the strength progression. What began as a rather mild and approachable cigar steadily gained momentum until it was firmly medium by the finish.
I also appreciated that the blend avoided the bitter edge I sometimes encounter with Connecticut-wrapped cigars. Instead, the sweetness and fruit remained the more prominent characteristics.
The burn wasn’t perfect—the off-centered cone and required touch-up deserve mention—but neither issue seriously disrupted the overall experience.
At $13.50, this is priced noticeably above the regular-production Clásico Original vitolas, but you’re also getting a limited-production Diadema with only 24,000 cigars produced worldwide. This is a box buy in mind.
