MEGA Review: Betty (JdN Fuerte Serie B Robusto)

[buzz]

About the cigar:

Brand: ...... Joya de Nicaragua ........Color: ...... Maduro
Name: ....... Fuerte Serie B ...........Wrapper: .... Nicaragua
Country: .... Nicaragua ................Binder: ..... Nicaragua
Type: ....... Robusto Grande ...........Filler: ..... Nicaragua
Size: ....... 5.5x52 ...................Price: ...... $2.50
Strength: ... Full .....................Website: .... http://www.joyadenicaragua.com.ni/

Information from CigarBid:
Introducing one of the best bundles on the planet: Joya de Nicaragua Fuerte. These cigars pack some punch and plenty of flavor to boot. Dressed in a dark and toothy Nicaraguan-grown Colorado shade leaf – yes, the same leaf as JdN Antanos – this bold beauty combines an aged mixture of Cuban-seed Criollo long-fillers grown throughout the Esteli, Condega, and Jalapa valleys of Nicaragua. Before lighting, pay close attention to the lovely prelight aroma....hints of sweet maple syrup and smoked hickory fill the nostrils. Now, light it up and enjoy a chewy bouquet of earthy, Cuban-esque qualities and semi-sweet notes of white pepper. The smoke grows more intense throughout the burn, coming to a full-bodied, full-flavored crescendo that booms with long-lasting, complex flavors.

[buzz]

| GENERAL:..... | Date Smoked | .....Where Smoked..... |
| badwhale..... | Mar 13..... | Basement.............. |
| buzz......... | Mar 12..... | Neighborhood.......... |
| craig........ | Mar 02..... | Computer rooooom...... |
| EGQ.......... | Mar 18..... | Living room........... |
| heftysmokes.. | Mar 15..... | The ol' patio......... |
| Irish79...... | Mar 13..... | Garage................ |
| logan37...... | Mar 04..... | Super awesome mancave. |
| Mangyrat..... | Mar 17..... | Driving in to work.... |
| MemphisFred.. | Mar 15..... | Patio................. |
| Mizicke5273.. | Mar 13..... | Back deck............. |
| nhab......... | Mar 20..... | Patio................. |
| slcraiders... | Mar 10..... | Office................ |
| TachyCoventry | Mar 20..... | Porch................. |
| Tdre977...... | Mar 21..... | Sittin' in living room |


| OTHER INFO:.. | ..Food. | ..........Drink......... | .........Music........ |
| badwhale..... | N/A.... | Water / Nothing......... | Playing Angry Birds... |
| buzz......... | Chicken | Laphroaig 10 year....... | Slacker radio......... |
| craig........ | N/A.... | Water................... | N/A................... |
| EGQ.......... | N/A.... | Diet Mountain Dew....... | NCAA Tourney.......... |
| heftysmokes.. | N/A.... | Moose Drool Brown Ale... | Bill Withers & others. |
| Irish79...... | N/A.... | Coffee & water.......... | Pandora............... |
| logan37...... | N/A.... | Troegs Pale Ale......... | Pandora............... |
| Mangyrat..... | N/A.... | Coffee.................. | N/A................... |
| MemphisFred.. | N/A.... | N/A..................... | N/A................... |
| Mizicke5273.. | N/A.... | Diet Coke............... | PSP: Crimson Gem Saga. |
| nhab......... | N/A.... | Water................... | Pandora............... |
| slcraiders... | N/A.... | Dr. Pepper.............. | N/A................... |
| TachyCoventry | N/A.... | Ice Water............... | Walk Hard: Dewey Cox.. |
| Tdre977...... | N/A.... | N/A..................... | Iron Man.............. |

MISCELLANEOUS:

badwhale: Colorado maduro shade wrapper. Wrapper is a little lumpy / bumpy but decent construction with a triple cap. Leathery scent and a nice leathery cut taste.

buzz: Walking the dog again.

heftysmokes: ...

logan37: Online Poker. Sitting alone in chat. Cinda stopped in at the end. (Always a pleasure).

Mizicke5273: It was cold outside. - I sorta botched the light. It was windy and I couldn't get a good stable flame long enough.

nhab: Been sick so not smoking lately... out of humi @67%.

slcraiders: Conference call...

TachyCoventry: There was a slight tear in the wrapper but it didn't effect the smoke.

[buzz]

[buzz]

[buzz]

[buzz]

prelight taste:

badwhale: spicy leather.

buzz: got some earth, cedar wood, and slight pepper.

craig: cut head was peppery on tongue.

egq: minimal, smelled a bit of toast - but maybe i'm just hungry.

heftysmokes: tobacco, pepper.

logan37: nothing really apparent on prelight.

mangyrat: tobacco and coffee but i was drinking coffee at the time so that my be the reason i tasted coffee.

memphisfred: a slight sweet taste.

mizicke5273: forgot to take note.

nhab: leathery, sweet, almost fruity? Black licorice smell to it.

slcraiders: straw, dry grass.

tachycoventry: very easy draw, musty tobacco taste.

tdre977: chocolatey tobacco.

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taste (1/3):

badwhale: oil and leather. A little spicy, but not too overpowering. Slight chocolaty taste. Toothy, but not too much, approaching somewhat smooth.

buzz: started off great with a nice spice and great burnt coffee.

craig: initially, the cigar struck me as a torano cigar, but the cigar grew into something full-bodied, with ligero present. I felt like i had smoked this cigar before, and didn't like it all that much back then either (sorry). There was an almost artificial overtone in the aftertaste. Not that it was a bad cigar, just that i prefer a less in-your-face smoke. The cigar was getting litto gomez-like in taste profile at the end of the first third.

egq: very mild, some woodsy hints here and there.

heftysmokes: draw is a little tight, but pretty good. Tastes familiar, can't put my finger on it.

logan37: not much in here. A little spice and some leather.

mangyrat: right off the bat i got a nice hit of spice/pepper.

memphisfred: foot seemed kinda tight, draw was a little hard with not much smoke, had to two puff it, the second puff got more smoke. Ash was darker gray with black and looked flaky. Must have had a more solid core as it held for 1 1/2 in. Leather with some pepper taste at the end of the first 1/3. Seemed more towards full in this stage.

mizicke5273: nutty, spicy taste. Nice peppery aftertaste on the exhale through my nose. An uneven burn developed about a 1/2 in. In to the cigar. I had to touch up the burn a bit to correct the uneven burn.

nhab: leather. No spice, taste like pipe tobacco. Uneven burn. Flaky dark ash. Don't think i will take this much past halfway. Might be my cold affecting my taste and smell. Loose construction is burning hot.

slcraiders: strong start - somewhat "green".

tachycoventry: decent spice to the stick with a slight creaminess.

tdre977: kinda spicy barnyard, a smidge harsh.

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taste (2/3):

badwhale: similar to the first third. Oil and leather.

buzz: spice and coffee died down a tad and gave way to burnt wood.

craig: the cigar settled down and smoked nicely, without the harshness that predominated in the first third. The taste was very consistent in the second third, remaining reminiscent of a lfd. Betty was much better than amanda.

egq: intensity building a bit - definitely some pepper and cedar notes.

heftysmokes: good, draw still a little on the tight side for my taste, but still pretty damn tasty.

logan37: still not much here. Just tobacco and leather. Spice has subsided.

mangyrat: pepper and spice gone now just tobacco now and getting milder.

memphisfred: ash still held nice, at least a good inch, maybe a tad more. It's loosened up more and i have more billowy smoke... Still leathery but with a nutty taste. This 1/3 is more medium that what it started.

mizicke5273: the spice began to die down a bit and the burn has been corrected and is even now. I had to touch up the burn a second time and the cigar almost went out shortly afterwards.

nhab: put it out towards end of first 1/3.

slcraiders: mellowed a bit... Nice spice, with subtle leather like flavors.

tachycoventry: creaminess is gone but there is still a good spice to it.

tdre977: kinda bland, just not enjoying it.

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taste (3/3):

badwhale: similar. Not much change in flavor profile throughout. Decent smoke.

buzz: more of the burnt wood.

craig: i'm bored with this cigar now, and am wasting time speculating on what the cigar is, given my limited experience. It looks like a corojo-type wrapper, and the cigar is quite strong. Near the end, the smoke got gradually stronger, but could have been nubbed.

egq: just as quickly as the intensity built, it fades... Back to the first third.

heftysmokes: i'm positive i've smoked this label before. If i was an anal retentive note taker (ahem, badwhale) i'd probably be able to look this up and figure it out.

logan37: spice picked up again, albeit mild. Leather taste became subdued and a hint of cherry(?) showed up on the finish.

mangyrat: still a medium strength cigar and a hint of pepper again.

memphisfred: seems to have picked back up more towards full again. Still leather but the nut taste is going away. Ash got to an inch again.

mizicke5273: well the cigar died out at this point. And i didn't care to relight it.

nhab: junk cigar imo...

slcraiders: no real changeups - body picks up and covers entire mouth with ample smoke taste with some bitterness near the throat.

tachycoventry: started to get an acidic taste but there was still some mild spice.

tdre977: put it down at this point.

[buzz]

[buzz]

last words:

badwhale: none.

buzz: good cigar for the price, but i'd reach for an antano instead.

craig: i'm pretty set in what i like and what i don't. This is an example of a good cigar whose taste just wasn't what i want in a cigar. Someone else could find this cigar a go-to favourite, but it was just too strong for me to want to smoke again.

egq: like amanda, this would be a good morning smoke for me - better sized for my preference - and a nice smooth smoke.

heftysmokes: i hope it's a cheap one because i'd buy more... Right in my wheelhouse flavorwise.

irish79: good cigar.

logan37: betty's the kind of girl that makes you get to know her before you can do the deed. All that talking is not worth it in this case. The lady was densely filled with tobacco. She felt a little heavy in the hand. I couldn't say that i really liked this cigar. It was ok, at least it wasn't a bad cigar. She redeemed herself in the final 3rd a little.

mangyrat: i wish i had the time to nub this one but i just did not have the time. It was getting better again when i had to let it burn out.

memphisfred: pretty nice oily chewy leathery smoke. Going into each 1/3 it wanted to go crooked but righted itself. Got no idea of buzz's clue...but airbender (never had one) came to mind maybe due to the hot "air" reference... No idea about the polar bears though... Lol.

mizicke5273: well even though i've rated this cigar a c- and such, it might be due to the bad light on my part. I've got a second one and i'm interested to see if it turns out the same.

nhab: ...

slcraiders: i feel like i have morning breath for the second time today...

tachycoventry: if i'm right on the price of this stick ($3.52) i would buy a box of them because it was a pretty good smoke. I'm guessing that the stick may be a little more expensive than i have down and that's unfortunate. One thing to note is that i had a big soft spot at the end of the second third that caused a really un-even burn.

tdre977: feel bad for this stick cause i kinda forced it down, been battling the flu for the past few days, but i don't know if i'd have enjoyed it anyway. Felt bland to me, leaning toward a cheaper stick on this one.

[buzz]

PICTURES:

[buzz]

PICTURES (CONTINUED):

[buzz]

EDITOR’S NOTE:
These cigars were purchased from www.cigarbid.com (AKA the devil site). I picked them up for $40.00 plus $5.50 shipping (bundle of 20). The cigars came bundled in plastic brick and I didn't see any damage to any of the sticks. The lowest box price from the December 2010 CigarCyclopedia's Comparison Shopper is $49.95, coming out to $2.50 per stick. The average price guess was $6.30. The closest guess for this round belongs to nhab and TachyCoventry! Remember, the prize pack goes to the person who is closest overall (all 5 cigars). Here are the current standings:

| PARTICIPANT:... | AMANDA | BETTY. | CAROLYN | DAWN.. | EMILY. | TOTAL. |

| nhab .......... | $ 1.98 | $ 1.02 | .$ ---- | $ ---- | $ ---- | $ 3.00 |
| EGQ ........... | $ 1.98 | $ 3.58 | .$ ---- | $ ---- | $ ---- | $ 5.56 |
| Tdre977 ....... | $ 4.31 | $ 1.50 | .$ ---- | $ ---- | $ ---- | $ 5.81 |
| slcraiders .... | $ 0.11 | $ 5.72 | .$ ---- | $ ---- | $ ---- | $ 5.83 |
| TachyCoventry.. | $ 6.68 | $ 1.02 | .$ ---- | $ ---- | $ ---- | $ 7.70 |
| Mizicke5273 ... | $ 2.77 | $ 4.93 | .$ ---- | $ ---- | $ ---- | $ 7.70 |
| Mangyrat ...... | $ 4.12 | $ 4.93 | .$ ---- | $ ---- | $ ---- | $ 9.05 |
| MemphisFred ... | $ 4.12 | $ 4.93 | .$ ---- | $ ---- | $ ---- | $ 9.05 |
| badwhale ...... | $ 6.68 | $ 2.66 | .$ ---- | $ ---- | $ ---- | $ 9.34 |
| Irish79 ....... | $ 4.12 | $ 5.72 | .$ ---- | $ ---- | $ ---- | $ 9.84 |
| craig ......... | $ 8.00 | $ 2.66 | .$ ---- | $ ---- | $ ---- | $10.66 |
| logan37 ....... | $ 5.04 | $ 5.72 | .$ ---- | $ ---- | $ ---- | $10.76 |
| Alcibiates .... | $10.20 | $ 2.50 | .$ ---- | $ ---- | $ ---- | $12.40 |
| heftysmokes ... | $10.20 | $ 7.06 | .$ ---- | $ ---- | $ ---- | $17.26 |

Good luck with the next round guys! Here's a hint: The prickly-pear cactus flower blooms at midnight.

-Buzz

[TachyCoventry]

Good smoke for that price! I will be adding these to the regular rotation!

[MemphisFred]

Ok Buzz, tell us how that last hint related to Betty? Inquiring minds want to know...

[EGQ]

I didn't smell maple syrup and smoked hickory -- but that is a damn nice cigar for $2.50.

[buzz]

Ok Buzz, tell us how that last hint related to Betty? Inquiring minds want to know...

"The sleeping polar bears dream about hot-air balloons"

sleeping = tired = tires = car = vehicle = airplane = travel = Nicaragua

polar bears = animals = wild = strong = fuerte

dream = lofty goal = flying = bee = serie B

hot air balloons = hot air = my clues =

-Buzz

[Paddy]

I have bought about 4 fiv'ers off Cbid.
I have always had better luck resting these for a couple months,
they seem to come into thier own after 60,90 even 120 in the box.
The older mine get the more I like them.
Great review.

[craig]

Another great choice!

I had my second Betty - it wasn't as good as the first

Hints like that answer where Buzz got his nick from. :-)

[Mangyrat]

"The sleeping polar bears dream about hot-air balloons"

sleeping = tired = tires = car = vehicle = airplane = travel = Nicaragua

polar bears = animals = wild = strong = fuerte

dream = lofty goal = flying = bee = serie B

hot air balloons = hot air = my clues =

-Buzz

The prickly-pear cactus flower blooms at midnight

prickly-pear = fruit = wine = fermentation = Buzz is drunk again

cactus flower = pollination = fertilization = Buzz is trying to get laid.

midnight = darkness = Buzz saw darkness after he drank all the wine and started hitting on his wife trying to get laid, at this point she popped him one.

[buzz]

Domestic violence is no laughing matter.



-Buzz

[Mangyrat]

Domestic violence is no laughing matter.



-Buzz

And you tried so hard to sell us that hockey injury story.