Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments where we use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or giving a score for the first time. It might be a blend we are looking at in a different size. Today we look at the Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Décadas Fundador. This is a cigar line we previously assessed in the Diadema size back in November 2019.

Wrapper: Not Disclosed
Binder: Not Disclosed
Filler: Not Disclosed
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua SA
Fundador: 6 x 54 (Box Pressed)

In 2018, Joya de Nicaragua celebrated 50 years in the cigar business. For Joya de Nicaragua it was a significant milestone as the company is the oldest company in Nicaragua, and the brand has close ties to the history and culture of Nicaragua. To mark the occasion, Joya de Nicaragua introduced a line appropriately called Cinco Décadas (five decades). The line was originally introduced in two sizes (Diadema and El General), but each year Joya de Nicaragua has added a new size that pays tribute to the people and events that have shaped the country’s history. The first line extension was in 2019, and it’s called Fundador, a 6 x 54 box-pressed Toro. The word fundador is Spanish for “founder” and in this case it pays homage to the two gentlemen who founded Joya de Nicaragua – Simón Camacho and Juan Francisco Bermejo. Today we take a closer look at the Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Décadas Fundador.

In terms of the blend of the Cinco Décadas, Joya de Nicaragua has been tight lipped on revealing the details of the blend. The Fundador was the first box-pressed line extension that was added. 2020 saw two new additions to Cinco Décadas with El Doctor (a Torpedo paying homage to Joya de Nicaragua Chairman Dr. Alejandro Martinez Cuenca) and El Embargo (a 6 x 60 box-pressed offering available in Europe remembering the U.S. Embargo during recent Nicaragua history).

The Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas Fundador is presented in ten-count boxes.

The Joya de Nicaragua Fundador delivered a mix of notes of natural tobacco, earth, mixed pepper, wood, and what I consider a signature note of the blend, a cherry-cream note. The first third saw the natural tobacco as the primary note provided deep, rich flavors. The rich natural tobacco notes continued into the second third. The cream component of the cherry-cream note subsided. Concurrently the earthiness surfaced with the natural tobacco. By the final third, there was an increase in the pepper notes, but it never overpowered the blend.

The flavors delivered were medium-bodied and were countered by medium strength. Both the strength and body balanced each other nicely with neither attribute overshadowing the other. The burn did require touch-ups to maintain a straight burn path and burn line. The draw was ideal with a touch of resistance.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

In a short time, the Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Décadas has made its mark on the marketplace. The El General size captured the Cigar Coop #11 Cigar of the Year in 2018, and the follow-up Diademas scored quite well. In addition, the Cinco Décadas line captured #1 Cigar of the Year on the Halfwheel consensus, an aggregation of end of year rankings on leading cigar websites. As mentioned, the Fundador was the first line extension, and it lives up to the high standards set by the El General and Diademas size. This is a cigar I could recommend to any cigar enthusiast. It’s not an inexpensive cigar, but its one that certainly deserves box worthy consideration.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Cherry-Cream, Earth, Mixed Pepper, Wood
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good