Joya de Nicaragua celebrates its Clásico line — referred to in some circles as the White House cigar – with the Clásico Medio Siglo, available in four sizes: a 5 x 50 Robusto, a 5.5. x 42 , the 6 x 41 Número 6 and a 6 x 50 Toro.
The Siglo is wrapped in colorado-coloured Habano Criollo leaf, with Nicaraguan fillers and binders. Initial markets for Clásico Medio Siglo will be Hong Kong and Germany in late June 2021; Czech Republic, Mexico and Slovakia in late July 2021; New Zealand and Poland in late August 2021; and Guatemala and Romania in late September 2021.
With the advent of the Clásico Medio Siglo, the Clásico will now become known as Clásico Original.
The Clásico is reported to be the cigar offered to Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza Debayle when he met President Nixon at the White House in 1970. Somoza was unaware his country was making the cigar, and was duly impressed. Nixon allegedly told him it was the official White House cigar.
Upon returning to Nicaragua, Somoza called the owners of the Nicaragua Cigar Company and persuaded them to sign the company over to him. After Somoza resigned in 1979, the Nicaragua Cigar Company became Joya de Nicaragua.
In a statement, Juan Ignacio Martínez, executive president of Joya de Nicaragua, said “To mark its 50th year of production…we now introduce the Clásico Medio Siglo. It is not offering something fancy and new. It is offering something tried, tested and beloved. We know the Clásico works – and we wanted to give it a family of its own.”
