Toro, 6" x 50 ring gauge / $9.95, Burns
Another summer exits the building today...or at least it will on the day you read this...as usual, I'm working on this review well in advance, so the full mid-90 temps of summer are upon me when I write and smoke. Before us today we have another of the Viaje limited editions, one of many, many that were released this year...which I guess makes them not quite so limited, except in the fact that each different release was limited to a relatively small batch. I'm on the record as saying that in most cases "the smaller the batch the better" as many of the recent LEs released by Viaje have failed to make me want more, especially at the asking prices. But I digress...last year, a Summerfest brush foot torpedo was the first Viaje I ever smoked. I liked it but can't say it blew me away. The brush was loose and unsmokable on last year's cigar, but this year they have said it is actually meant to be smoked...we will see. Like most Viaje products this is a Nicaraguan Puro; according to The Cigar Feed (because Viaje doesn't post info about their LEs) the wrapper is Corojo 99 (Cafe Rosado). The review is based on my first 2011 sample of this blend.
Seems like someone last year made the mistake of calling the brush foot "gimmicky"...but the fact is, I totally agreed with him. It was not tight enough to draw through so after trying to smoke it, I had to take my scissors and lop it off...what a waste. This year looks no less gimmicky, to be honest. Perhaps the brush is bunched a little tight overall, but it still just a ridiculously long shaggy foot that tends to get nicked and pulled apart by the other cigars it touches, even those in the box it came in. Other than that, the wrapper is nice-looking and plenty oily, with medium to large veins in some places. It appeared to be well made with the standard triple-cap and tight seams. Sniffing the wrapper, I picked up a leathery aroma with a bit of barnyard; the foot gave off notes of chocolate, earth and cedar. The cold draw had just the right amount of resistance and featured flavors of cedar and natural tobacco.
Amazingly, the brush foot was actually smokeable! I got it lit quickly and easily with a single flame torch and it burned fairly evenly. So instead of gimmicky the brush actually made for a way to taste the filler and binder without the wrapper...then see what the flavor is like when the wrapper starts to burn. I got a light cedar flavor as well as plenty of natural tobacco at first, along with some mildly sweet graham cracker and just a little peppery burn. When the wrapper actually did start burning, the flavor intensified almost immediately...it was practically like night and day. There was more earthiness and the pepper increased on the retrohale; the body also deepens from medium to close to full in a period of just a minute or two.
Through the first third and into the second, construction proved excellent...the burn was even enough, the draw was exceptional, and the ash was strong, even during the filler/binder only segment. As the second third got going, I noticed that the spice had died down considerably, leaving more cedar and natural tobacco flavors than anything else, although there was some hard-to-define sweetness hanging on, too. That same profile continued throughout this third.
In the last third the Summerfest pretty much stayed the same...more woody and earthy notes and a little sweetness...plenty of natural tobacco goodness. I have to conclude that this is a very good cigar, but it does miss the mark of greatness, at least for me. While there was nothing bad about it, there was nothing showstopping, either, and that is a bit of a letdown when you pay $10 for a Limited Edition cigar. After the wrapper started burning, the body became medium to full and ever wavered from there and the was not a large nicotine hit, either, so this may be a good cigar for those wanting to step up from milder smokes. In the end, it's a good smoke to try, but not one I would go out of my way to get again.
Body: 7/10
Strength: 6/10
Complexity: 5/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: .5/10
Total: 8.5/10
Another summer exits the building today...or at least it will on the day you read this...as usual, I'm working on this review well in advance, so the full mid-90 temps of summer are upon me when I write and smoke. Before us today we have another of the Viaje limited editions, one of many, many that were released this year...which I guess makes them not quite so limited, except in the fact that each different release was limited to a relatively small batch. I'm on the record as saying that in most cases "the smaller the batch the better" as many of the recent LEs released by Viaje have failed to make me want more, especially at the asking prices. But I digress...last year, a Summerfest brush foot torpedo was the first Viaje I ever smoked. I liked it but can't say it blew me away. The brush was loose and unsmokable on last year's cigar, but this year they have said it is actually meant to be smoked...we will see. Like most Viaje products this is a Nicaraguan Puro; according to The Cigar Feed (because Viaje doesn't post info about their LEs) the wrapper is Corojo 99 (Cafe Rosado). The review is based on my first 2011 sample of this blend.
Seems like someone last year made the mistake of calling the brush foot "gimmicky"...but the fact is, I totally agreed with him. It was not tight enough to draw through so after trying to smoke it, I had to take my scissors and lop it off...what a waste. This year looks no less gimmicky, to be honest. Perhaps the brush is bunched a little tight overall, but it still just a ridiculously long shaggy foot that tends to get nicked and pulled apart by the other cigars it touches, even those in the box it came in. Other than that, the wrapper is nice-looking and plenty oily, with medium to large veins in some places. It appeared to be well made with the standard triple-cap and tight seams. Sniffing the wrapper, I picked up a leathery aroma with a bit of barnyard; the foot gave off notes of chocolate, earth and cedar. The cold draw had just the right amount of resistance and featured flavors of cedar and natural tobacco.
Amazingly, the brush foot was actually smokeable! I got it lit quickly and easily with a single flame torch and it burned fairly evenly. So instead of gimmicky the brush actually made for a way to taste the filler and binder without the wrapper...then see what the flavor is like when the wrapper starts to burn. I got a light cedar flavor as well as plenty of natural tobacco at first, along with some mildly sweet graham cracker and just a little peppery burn. When the wrapper actually did start burning, the flavor intensified almost immediately...it was practically like night and day. There was more earthiness and the pepper increased on the retrohale; the body also deepens from medium to close to full in a period of just a minute or two.Through the first third and into the second, construction proved excellent...the burn was even enough, the draw was exceptional, and the ash was strong, even during the filler/binder only segment. As the second third got going, I noticed that the spice had died down considerably, leaving more cedar and natural tobacco flavors than anything else, although there was some hard-to-define sweetness hanging on, too. That same profile continued throughout this third.
In the last third the Summerfest pretty much stayed the same...more woody and earthy notes and a little sweetness...plenty of natural tobacco goodness. I have to conclude that this is a very good cigar, but it does miss the mark of greatness, at least for me. While there was nothing bad about it, there was nothing showstopping, either, and that is a bit of a letdown when you pay $10 for a Limited Edition cigar. After the wrapper started burning, the body became medium to full and ever wavered from there and the was not a large nicotine hit, either, so this may be a good cigar for those wanting to step up from milder smokes. In the end, it's a good smoke to try, but not one I would go out of my way to get again.
Body: 7/10
Strength: 6/10
Complexity: 5/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: .5/10
Total: 8.5/10
Great review, David. I've never had a Viaje, but have been keeping an eye out for them.
ReplyDeleteIve only heard about this line from one other review site. The reviews were similar but when I asked my local B&M theyd never even heard of this line. I find that quite frequently. Reviews like this and all of my Twitter contacts have truely educated and informed me more than i could have imagined.
ReplyDeleteHey guys I have only had one Viaje it was the Holiday Blend 2010 and I was less then impressed I got it in a box pass last year, over priced I would like to try their core line sometime and see if that is anybetter. Thanks again
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments guys. Viajes are still hard to find, but they are getting easier to get your hands on if you want them. The limited releases just don't seem to be selling as well as they did even 6 months ago. As for their core lines, I'm a big fan of the Oro, though there are fans of the Platino as well; both would be worth a try to see what you like better.
ReplyDelete