Pre-light Experience

The wrapper on the Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas Fundador is medium brown with slightly darker marbling in some areas as it goes around the soft rectangle press. The veins are all well pressed as the seams are smooth and hard to detect. The head is finished off with a well applied triple cap. The band is the traditional design for the line with the company logo and line name over a cream background with the designation of the anniversary on the back. The aroma from the wrapper is deep stone fruit with light wood while the foot brings a more defined cherry sweetness. The pre-light draw is an even mix of wood and stone fruit sweetness along with a mild white pepper.

Pre-light Experience

The Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas Fundador is heavily pressed and has a nice block like quality. It has a coloring that is dark chocolate brown and it has this dark Colorado/Maduro to Maduro coloring. It is firm throughout and there are small to medium size veins present. I am getting aromas of rich earth, chocolate and damp wood, and they are present on the foot and wrapper.

Pre-light Experience

The Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas Fundador has a soft box press, with a large Cinco Decadas band that covers just over a quarter of the cigar. I was able to smell aromas of sweet hay at medium plus strength, along with sweet plum in the foot.

Pre-light Experience

The Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas Fundador has a smooth and oily Colorado Red wrapper shade. Construction looks and feels solid as veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and a well applied thick cap. Aromas from the wrapper and foot give aged cedar and mixed nuts. Cold draw tells cedar, hay and dried persimmons.

First Third

The cigar begins with musty wood and light baking spice. At a quarter inch in, the wood is more defined as oak and a subtle stone fruit sweetness joins in. At an inch in, the musty oak is up front while both the sweetness and baking spice are fairly light in the background but the spice does have a long finish. The retrohale is musty oak with a slightly fuller baking spice in the background. At an inch and a half, the baking spice increases as the sweetness departs. The strength in this third was slightly below medium.

First Third

The first third begins by showing some strong spice qualities and I am getting some red pepper, black pepper, cinnamon and cloves. There is a sweet tobacco quality present as well and I am getting a finish that is of rich earth, strong oak and molasses. It has this syrupy quality and produces a long finish. I would classify the strength and body as being full and the flavors are fairly close to that level as well.

First Third

My first few puffs bring bread with mild spices to finish on the post draw. Intense spices that finish with earthy cocoa on the retrohale. Hay takes up the middle of the profile with mild dry cedar to finish. Cocoa is building on the middle of the profile as the cigar settles in. Light plus sweet clover joins the retrohale by the 15 minute mark. Dry cedar settling into the post draw as the cocoa in the middle of the profile moves up to medium strength. By the halfway point, cocoa has taken over the retrohale, and the earth has faded away completely.

First Third

The first third is medium in strength and body. Flavors of sweet potatoes, lightly smoked wood chips, creamy nuttiness and a hint of metallic notes. Retrohaling introduces a red pepper spice as well as pronounced cedar and creamed cherries. The finish is earth dominant with refined dirt/soil and cedar.

Second Third

As the second third begins, it’s a continuation of the musty oak up front with the baking spice in the background. At a half inch in, the mustiness has the lead over the oak while the baking spice is fairly faint. At an inch in, some dry earth joins the profile. The retrohale shows the mustiness and oak even with the dry earth slightly behind. At an inch and a half, the dry earth has increased as it is even with the oak and mustiness while a light baking spice remains in the background. The strength in this third bumped up to medium.

Second Third

The second third shows a continuation and growth from the first third. I am getting those strong spice notes and with that is the oaky profile with some additional nut flavors. I am getting a combination of hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts, and it is paired with the molasses and earth flavors. The finish has some tobacco and coffee qualities to it and it is a smooth and flavorful finish. I would classify the cigar as being medium-full in this third, and that goes for strength, body and flavors.

Second Third

Chocolate and cedar define the flavors moving into the second third. Dry cedar takes up the middle of the profile. Baking spices at medium minus rejoin the retrohale, balancing out with equal strength chocolate.

Second Third

The second third has one main change; spice (red pepper spice) and creamed cherries showing up through mouth draws. Other than that, the profile is still medium in strength and body with sweet potatoes, lightly smoked wood chips, creamy nuttiness and subtle metallic notes.

Final Third

The final third sees the earth become a bit darker while still paired up with the musty oak. At a half inch in, a light vegetal note joins the profile. The retrohale now carries musty oak with light earth and vegetal note. At an inch in, some char attaches to the oak. The cigar wraps up with musty and charred oak, earthiness and a vegetal note. The strength in this third bumped up to slightly above medium.

Final Third

The final third is a continuation of the second third in many ways and there is nothing wrong with that. The second third smoked great! I am getting those coffee and tobacco flavors, and they are paired with that strong spice, sweet tobacco, molasses and nutty core. It’s earthy with those oak notes and complex. Like before, the cigar is medium-full in body, strength and flavors.

Final Third

Chocolate and earth define the retrohale moving into the last third. Lingering earth settles into the post draw at a manageable light plus. Powdered cocoa is in the middle of the profile finishing with dry cedar. As the cigar settles in, mild citrus joins the middle of the profile. Earth fades away as the cigar progresses, with dry cedar and citrus moving in to fill the void.

Final Third

The last third basically holds true to the second third. The profile is still more spice and earth forward with red pepper and dirt/soil leading the pack. But it does have cream and nuttiness to smooth it out. The creamed cherry note is unfortunately lost by the time the burn line got to the middle of the final third. Strength and body finishes medium.

Burn

The cigar went out three times during the first half and each time there was a fairly deep tunnel. During the second half, there were no issues other than the need for one touch-up.

Burn

The burn on the Fundador was great from start to finish. It smoked slow and cool, presenting no problems along the way.

Burn

The burn was uneven at times with the ash holding on up to 1-1/2 inch increments. The burn was uneven in the second third but self corrected. A canoe formed in the last third requiring a touch-up.

Burn

Only downsides of the burn performance was a flaky ash and uneven burn, leading to a cherry burn most of the way through. But the cigar burned cool and I never had to use my lighter after the initial light.

Draw

The draw was fairly loose through the first half and I believe contributed to some of the burn issues. In the second half, it was right where I prefer.

Overall

The cigar began with musty oak and baking spice with some stone fruit sweetness joining in. The second third saw the sweetness depart and some dry earthiness join in, The final third had the addition of a vegetal note and the earthiness becoming fuller. The construction was an issue and definitely took it’s toll on the flavor. Strength built from slightly below to slightly above medium. The Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas Fundador had a nice start, but the burn issues had a negative effect and the second third dropped and couldn’t recover. In reviewing the previous two vitolas, I know this cigar can perform better and I’m hoping the other guys can report on a better experience. I’d like to smoke this again in hopes of better construction to see what that experience would be like, but for now, I’d go back to the two vitolas released last year when smoking this line.

Draw

The draw was where I would expect it to be with a cigar of this nature, and while it did not have my preferred tightness, it was still great.

Overall

I am a fan of the Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas Fundador and I believe it to be the best vitola in the line. I love the flavors delivered throughout and the complexities that come with that. The molasses, oak and rich earth flavors are tremendous and balancing them out with the spices does a lot for the cigar and smoking experience. It has a nice strength, body and flavor level, and they all work off of one another really well to help the cigar deliver what it does. This is a very rich cigar, not something I tend to gravitate to on a regular basis, but I know some that would go for these frequently because of the richness throughout. I have always looked at the Cinco Decades as being the middle of the road cigar for Joya while also a premium offering. It is right in the middle of their other offerings in terms of body and strength, but at the same time more flavorful than the others. A good cigar that will not fail you in providing you with an enjoyable smoking experience.

Draw

The draw was perfect.

Overall

The Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas Fundador was an enjoyable cigar from start to finish. The flavor profile was well balanced with varied flavor notes of bread, spices, cocoa, citrus, clover, cedar and earth. Each third presented its own take on the flavor combination which kept my interest the entire time. Although I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as the original Cinco Decadas, it is still a good cigar I would look forward to smoking again. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 1 minute.

Draw

Perfect draw, giving the best possible air flow.

Overall

Simply put, regardless of which format of the Cinco Decadas you pick up, you won’t find a dud. The Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas Fundador, just like the rest of it’s siblings, is well executed. Being medium strength and body, the cigar gives a good balance of spice, earth and naturally sweet creaminess throughout the entire smoking experience. If I had to choose one of the vitolas, I would choose the Diadema, since the unique shapes gives more transitions. But like I said, you really can’t go wrong with any of these vitolas at all.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.40

Cost/Point

$3.70

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

6.92

Cost/Point

$2.89

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

7.07

Cost/Point

$2.83

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

7.07

Cost/Point

$2.83

Scoring System

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