Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 4.875 x 52 Robusto
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $11.60 ($10.44 after promo codes)
My cigars received 2 months of naked humidor time.
250 boxes of 25 cigars were released.
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
Reasonably Priced Cigar Monday ~ Only a 3 Minute Read.
I thought I’d give Monday a pass until I smoked this cigar yesterday morning while lounging with a naked Easter bunny. I had bitten off its head, as all children do, and found a natural opening that gave me ideas. Despite my rep as a needle dick, things did not work out as planned. A wash of realization engulfed me as I discovered I was smoking my second to last Tat MM 2023. I checked the sales status and price. Yikes. Well, this won’t last long. So, I dragged myself from the wreckage to bring this song to you. Hold applause.
The draw is a little tight but some vibrant massaging provides air that my PerfecDraw will never understand. Imagine what it is like to have never drawn a breath of air. Imagine being a custodian cleaning the boy’s bathroom after graduation prom.
The stick begins with a punchy wake up strength. It is immediately followed by a phalanx of bold, rich flavors: Dark chocolate, peanuts, gentle creaminess, salted caramel, red and black pepper (tip of tongue and back of throat), buttery fish scales, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
A lovely spicy meatball approach. Flavors are sharp and delineated. None shoving the other out of its lane.
Let’s skip ahead so we can all focus on work. The first half was as delicious as a new stripper’s pole in the living room. Charlotte insists on a bi-yearly change out.
The second half is the staircase to heavy-osity. Same flavors as the first half but with the addition of orange liqueur, rose floral notes, creamy oak barrel, and Purple Haze 30 minutes before kicking in.
No revelatory spices. Yet, it takes the tried-and-true Nic leaf design to a level of sophistication not usually seen. Andre Farkas brought Viaje to life in 2008…not that long ago in ‘cigar’ years. In those 16 fiscal years, this journeyman blender has come of age at a time when smokers are seeking refined approaches to what they shove in their giant open maws.
Candy bar PayDay. If you love this chocolate treat, first introduced almost 100 years ago, boy do I have a cigar for you.
The second half is full tilt. Almost no nicotine, but still very powerful. Not for those that faint at the sight of a Ferris wheel. A memory flash…my part time school years gig at Knott’s Berry Farm saw me sometimes running the carousel. There is a trick to getting on and off a fast-rotating-vomit-mobile. It looks easy but it is not. I can’t count the number of dads who refused to pay the 25¢ to ride with their young children and decided to exit the 12-mph spinning wheel as a protest. Every man jack of them plummeted to the concrete. The ensuing multiple broken bones must have been worth saving 25¢. I learned to conceal my laughter so as not to be pointed at by bystanders.
This isn’t a cigar you can’t live without (Double negative, thank you, thank you very much). But as you know, good $10 sticks are evaporating. It’s a solid cigar that offers up no surprises other than it is consistently satisfying from start to finish. How many things in your life, with a $10 price tag, can you say that about. You thought I was about to go for a cheap BJ joke. So here goes…a blind date had teeth like a horse. End of date.
The popularity of exotic blends is seeing Cuban envy syndrome…an undertaking that is reaping rewards for all involved. Boutique blenders are making a resolute effort to snag our attention with more fascinating cigars than we’re accustomed to. I’ve looked at the objects of my reviews from only 5 years ago and realized that my palate has grown enormously…maybe more so than in the preceding 70 years.
I’m not going to give this blend a ridiculous katman score of 95+ because it is simply not groundbreaking. It is a well-crafted melding of Nicaraguan leaves that you’ll enjoy as the blend is pointedly consistent. Sometimes life can be simple.
Every online retailer is sold out of the Viaje Mini Moon 2023 except for SBC. But…they only allow the sale of a singular five pack per person.
You can snag this cigar from sponsor Small Batch Cigar (10% off with promo code ‘katman’).
RATING: 93
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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
