Ohhh said everyone when I selected this smoke at a local B&M recently. I raised an eyebrow as if to say, "what's the BFD?" (if you don't know what BFD means you are probably too young to read this blog, or too old to understand curse word shorthand and it's time for your nap). Everyone saw my skepticism and then the conga line of accolades for this Viaje creation began. "Best anniversary cigar I've ever had!" extolled one nearby dog rocket connoisseur. "Fantastic, I wish I could buy them all the time!" shouted a frequent partaker of bundled seconds. You get the idea, the accolades were strong, but the palates of those shouting out may be somewhat in question. I may come off sounding like some snobby elitist here, and I really don't give a Punch Champion what I sound like at this point. When I am spending thirteen dollars on a cigar I want to make my own judgments. Alejandro Robaina could rise up from his grave and sing the praises and I would tell him to shut his yam hole and let me smoke in peace. (I will leave it up to you to judge the validity of this story, but if you know me you know it's probably all true with little embellishment)...
The cigar itself is nice looking, but it is really nothing to write home about. It is an awkward perfecto with strange dimensions and an oddly lopsided look to it. The wrapper is a nice light brown and could be a Connecticut if it were a few shades lighter. The band work is all white, and I struggle to make out what it says on it, if you didn't know you would mistake it for a 5 Vegas on sight alone (not a great attribute if you ask me, but if you ask some of those that were shouting at me the 5 Vegas might be a cigar of the year). The pre light aroma smacks of cedar and balsa wood with some hints of grass and summer clover. The pre light draw is dry and full of muted mint notes with some strange spice and sweetness.
The cigar opens with a profile that is one dimensional and dry. The smoke is so dry that I am scrambling to put the glands in order so they can produce some saliva, it is a real struggle. I am wondering if part of the blend is one of those do not eat desiccants that they put in clothes, after all they say do not eat not do not smoke. Dryness aside, the profile smacks of grass and cedar, there are some papery textures involved here as well and I believe that the papery essences create dryness. At the back of the palate there are some dry hints of leaves and some minty strangeness that don't help the overall impressions at all. The burn is on the money, which is nice when considering this oddly shaped perfecto, they usually don't burn well. The draw is ok, but it is a little bit tight for me.
The first half of the cigar has me continuing the line of questions about the people that were shouting from the rooftops earlier, but I am not letting my face betray my impending loathing (for the cigar, not the people). The core profile still has some cedar and balsa notes that could be pleasant, but they are offset by blasts of dry grass and paper that leave the palate screaming for moisture. The back of the palate continues to show some dry mint flavors. Thankfully the leafy flavors have left at this point and a dusty sweetness has settled in. The burn continues to perform well. The draw is still just too tight for me.
The final half of the smoke improves, but it won't be enough to save the smoke. The core profile contains some nice flavors of wood and spice, and the dryness starts to dissipate (my saliva glands and throat have never been so grateful). The back of the palate shows nice mint and a dusty sweetness that is pleasing in the closing moments. The draw was too tight throughout for me. The burn was solid all the way to the end.
The finish was short and had some dry notes of wood.
All in all a poor effort. Not even close to being worth the price.
Appearance-87 a nice looking smoke
Taste- 82 some nice flavors late, but nothing great anywhere
Construction- 83 draw tightness hurt the score
Strength- 88 a nice medium
Overall- 84.25 below average
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