Viaje C-4

More after the jump…

It is nice and leathery, with a little pepper on the tongue.  As it heats up there are a few off notes, but they fade, giving way to more leather and some coffee notes.

Overall I enjoyed it, as it had some great flavors, but it may need some time to come around.

Rating: 83 (B)

Viaje C-4: closed foot

Rating: 90 (A-)

Being that the Hemingway line is more full bodied than the regular line, I was concerned that the Rosado flavors would be obscured in a bolder blend.  In some ways I was right.  This cigar did not taste like the 858 Rosados.  It did not have the creamy leather, wood and cinnamon notes I love about the 858, but it was still good – just in a different way.  It was much spicier and had some clove and pepper notes that built throughout the smoke.  There was some roughness around the edges with this cigar, but I really enjoyed it.

Rating: 89 (B+)

Vitola: Perfecto

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Origin: Nicaragua

Age: a week

This is one heck of popular cigar… and it’s not even released yet. The Tatuaje Anarchy is a special Limited Edition cigar that is a collaboration between Pete Johnson, Pepin Garcia and the Abe “Ming” Dababneh at Smoke Inns in the Palm Beach area. It features an all new blend and is one of the most interesting looking cigars I have seen in a long time.

The foot is slightly tapered and the cap looks like a cinnamon bun. Holding it upright, it resembles a baseball bat and sports one of the coolest bands I’ve come across.

The cigar is a rusty dark brown and is firm to the touch. It seems to be exuding oils which always bodes well in the flavor department.

After light, the aroma of the smoke is very strong and makes you dizzy upon inhale. The first half inch is very spicy and peppery, reminding you this is a Pepin/Pete cigar. It immediately backs off on the spice and delivers a nice pleasant leathery, woody flavor with a hint of citrus and licorice on the finish.

There is also a dominant aura of earthiness o the palate that lingers past the halfway point.

The last half has a bit of bittersweet chocolate and leather with a hint of pepper. Very nice!

I’d like to thank the folks at Smoke Inn Cigars for the chance to try such a unique and tasty cigar!

Here’s the link with all of the info.

Rating: 91 (A-)

Size

Vitola: Robusto

Wrapper: ??

Origin: ??

Age: Dusty

This super limited cigar is the second installment of the Viaje Skull and Bones Series.  The first release, the daisy Cutter, was a little 4 x 54 petite robusto.  This new release, which now will be released every Halloween does not have a name.  It is very limited, just 150 boxes of 25 cigars each were made.  I was lucky enough to get my hand on a few from my local, Empire Cigars.

This is a rough looking cigar, but Viaje sticks always have a certain rough edge to them.  It’s dark and wrinkled with some veins and a decent cap.

I am expecting this to taste very similar to the original Skull and Bones, and I do get that in the first few puffs.  An earthy leatheryness with some spice.  I get lots of smoke with each puff as I burn my way down the cigar.

The middle third gets a little muddled, there are some unusual notes that dissipate quickly.  The burn gets a little off but it corrects itself.

The last third is a sheer joy, lots of licorice and coffee notes with that underlying spice.  This doesn’t seem as robust of a smoke as the original but it still packs a good punch.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the cigar, another couple of days in the humidor would serve it well.  Nice job, Andre!

Rating: 88 (B+)

Vitola: Toro

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Criollo

Origin: Nicaragua

Age: Fresh

This is a cigar I’ve been eagerly awaiting since I heard it will feature some of Pepin’s Pelo de Oro leaf.  What’s Pelo de Oro?  Meaning “golden hair”, PdO is the grandfather to the modern day Corojo wrapper.  According to Tobacconist University:

it is usually a reference to a potent Cuban cigar varietal which was popular in the early and middle 20th Century. This tobacco could be used for wrapper and filler as well, but is disease prone and can infest entire crops and regions so it is rarely grown today. Pelo de Oro can be considered a ‘campesino’ or ‘guajiro’ tobacco since many agricultural workers grow and smoke it to this day – especially in the central part of Cuba.  It is known for being quite strong and flavorful as well as sweet.

My Father LE 2010

It has been rumored to still be grown on the island (as recent as 2007) though officially banned, but also is grown in Costa Rica for Phillip Wynn of Felipe Gregorio and more recently , Pepin Garcia acquired some to be grown on his farm in Nicaragua.  Due to its susceptibility to mold and other issues, Pepin has vowed that this (and the 2009 Tatuaje Verite) will be the only time this leaf will be used.  To make this cigar even more desirable is that they were rolled by Pepin himself – supposedly for the last time!

The cigar is resented in a very nice lacquered coffin and the band has to be 5 inches long.  It almost covers up the whole cigar.

The wrapper is somewhat wrinkled, but on the whole it feels solid and firm to the touch.

The pre-light draw is nice and easy and it takes the flame well.

Right from the first puff, you can tell it’s a Pepin. That characteristic pepper and (to me) sour quality is there from the start.  Unfortunately for me, this is not something I tend to gravitate towards.  And for the hefty price, I was looking for something a bit more.

But my worries were assuaged as I continued to smoke the cigar.  All of a sudden it opened up and gone was the sour pepper and instead was replaced by lots of leather and coffee.  It starts out gangbusters but evolves into a refined and rewarding smoke.

Through the last half it seemed that each puff tasted unique.  There was loads of coffee, anise, leather, cedar, espresso, and cocoa present at different times and in different quantities.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the last half of the cigar, I was still looking for a new characteristic that would lead me to think, “Hey, that’s the Pelo de Oro talking there”.  I will be interested to see how the Tatuaje Verite 2009 tastes to see if I can draw any similarities there.

Overall it was a good cigar, I didn’t care for the first half as there was nothing unique there and the price tag is pretty steep there, so I have a hard time giving it a real high score.  But don’t let the score obscure the fact that the second half of this cigar was excellent.

Rating: 88 (B+)

Size

Vitola: Toro

Wrapper: Dominican

Origin: La Canela, Dominican Republic

Age: fresh from humidor, but tobacco is from 2004 crop!

It seems like it’s been years since the last Small Batch release but it’s now here, the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 3!  The first two Small Batch releases were some of the strongest and most flavorful cigars I have ever smoked.  Litto Gomez does small batch cigars very well, so I was very eager to try this one!

This cigar has a beautifully oily sheen to it (thanks to selenium I hear).  The wrapper is dark brown with reddish hues.  It looks and feels like a leather cigar!

Guess what.  It tastes like one too.  :)  The first few puffs are rich with leather and coffee, with a hint of cedar on the finish.

I can tell this will be a strong cigar, but maybe not one that gives you a brain hemorrhage.  Absent is that strong pepper quality in the first two releases.  I can tell this cigar is going to be more refined than its predecessors.

The wrapper is super thick and burns very slowly, and with each puff I pick up different nuances.  There is some anise and chocolate that show up every now and then.

The smoke is so thick I can chew on it, the flavors coat the inside of my mouth leaving me yearning for the next puff.

There is not a harsh moment, the slow burn keeps the tobacco relatively cool, delivering puff after puff of leathery goodness.

The last third is decadent – a mocha, heavy on the espresso with some licorice notes on the finish.  I loved every minute of it!

I had high hopes, and this special release did not disappoint.  Another winner from La Flor and Litto!

Rating: 94 (A)

Size

Vitola: Long Panetela (Lancero)

Wrapper: Candela Cafe Colorado

Origin: Nicaragua, Raices Cubanas factory

Age: Right of the truck!

I’ve been excited about this short-run release for quite some time.  For me the most challenging wrapper to use and actually make an interesting cigar is the Candela wrapper.  Most candelas I have smoked have not been that interesting (with the exception of the Camacho Candela).  Nat Sherman, Graycliff, Camacho and Arturo Fuente are some of the few companies still making candelas.

The wrapper refers to the color and process, not what type of tobacco it uses.  For about thirty years in our history, Candela (or American Market Selection – AMS) was the most popular wrapper type used. The reason is most likely the process, which generally decreases the time from ground to cigar.  Candela wrappers are basically “cooked” (up to 165 degrees), locking the chlorophyll into the leaf.  Read this article for more history on this green leaf.  Needless to say, you don’t see these green cigars much anymore.

I’m a big fan of Dion’s products and was very interested to see how he would handle this wrapper, especially on my favorite size in his line, the ~hl~, AKA the Holy Lance.

Now just about all Candela wrapped cigar are blended to be SUPER mild, and I was very surprised with my first puff of this cigar!  Tons of pepper and spice from the start!  What’s neat is that I can still taste that “green” barnyard flavor common to candelas amidst all the pepper.

One thing I notice right away is that the finish is not dry either.  I do get a touch of cinnamon on the finish as well.  It reminds me of Dentyne gum without the cloying quality.

The burn is dead-on even and I get copious amounts of smoke with each puff.

Further down, the pepper backs off and I start picking up a bit of mint.  I am wholly impressed with this cigar.  The last bit smokes like a dream, adding a  little coffee to the mix.

When Dion does a limited release, he does it right (ECCJs anyone?)!  This is a special cigar I pray makes it into standard production!  If you get to try this cigar and like it the way I did, write Dion and make a similar request!

Rating: 92 (A-)

Size

Vitola: Robusto

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Criollo

Origin: Nicaraguan, single farm origin

Age: 2 years

I got the chance to smoke the new Espirit de Verite from the crazed mind of Pete Johnson creator of Tatuaje, Cabaiguan and El Triunfador cigars.  This project, from what I understand, is a labor of love and something Pete has heavily invested his time in.  The idea behind the Verite’s is to create a single cigar from a single vintage crop.  The 2008 Vintage is available in either a Churchill (as the Verite) and as a robusto (the Espirit de Verite).  All tobacco was harvested from Don Pepin’s farm in Nicaragua.

These cigars are pretty pricey, so I paid extra close attention to the wrapper and construction.  The wrapper is exquisite with just the right amount of oil and tooth finished off with a lovely triple cap.  It took a cut well and there was ample pre-light draw.

This cigar gave me voluminous smoke and a mustiness that was present from the first exhale.  My first impression was that this was different than any other cigar Pete has created.  It was very smooth and refined, but still with that telltale Pepin flavor, which is way muted than in other blends.

The mustiness is what some would call “cubanesque” but it’s there along with leather and a nice floral aroma.

The burn was dead even as I smoked it further, the cigar picked up a little in intensity but not much.

It wasn’t terribly complex, but it was absolutely excellent.

For me, I can see many Tat fans coming off a little disappointed in this cigar as it does not have that “oopmph” many have come to love and expect, considering the rather steep price as well.  But this is clearly one of the finest smokes Pete has ever made!

Rating: 93 (A)