Wrapper: Nicaraguan Criollo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 6.25 x 50 Parejo/Perfecto
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $11.00
Released: March 2025
My cigars received 3 months of naked humidor time.
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
I reviewed this cigar in 2013. I was young so I felt it was time for a grownup’s touch.
It’s a pretty cigar with veinage and an oily skin…therefore, worth another photo:
One of the most consistent things about Viaje cigars is there is never a letdown wondering if the cigar will possess nice construction. Always solid. Maybe my lifestyle is showing but the naked version of this cigar reminds me of a suppository. My hope is it doesn’t melt or dissolve once lit. You can purchase the PerfecSlipperyDevice from Dr. Rod if you buy directly from him and use the password ‘Swordfish.’
Aromas are barely visible. Notes of chocolate, espresso, almonds, cinnamon, and barnyard. Reviewers are obligated to insert these items into each review in order to be paid by the Harvard School of Flavor Wheels Against Israel.
Impossible to get a draw unless I clip the pointy foot. The perfect construction allows for a PerfecAirHole. No need for my PerfecDraw. It tells me to buzz off as it tries to get online to book its summer vacation in the Sudetenland. It has no fingers so I watch, waiting for it to ask for help. Cigar accessories…you can love them, but you can’t adopt them.
You know what you get with a Viaje. The blends rarely travel far from their baseline of Nic puros blended with a similar aim in mind: Provide a reasonably priced cigar that hits the cigar smoker’s G Spot with ease. I’ve never been able to find mine, so I keep looking.
Great start. Chocolate galore, malted milk balls, fruity sweetness, black pepper, green bell pepper, earthy, and a creamy zing.
I dare say that the blend kicks off with decent richness and complexity. Normally, the first inch is no man’s land.
Like all Viajes, the strength never messes around. I’m foolishly reviewing the Honey on an empty stomach to taste every morsel of goodness it can deliver. I have first responders in the room with me and the police have cordoned off the area. I’m good to go.
The thing evolves with fiery orange zest and toasted caramel. I love the smell of sweet citrus in the morning…it feels like victory. Someday this cigar will end and it makes me sad.
I bought all three sizes of this blend when it was re-released in March of this year. Don’t be a schmuck like me and smoke them early in their retirement phase. Three months is still a short time but the cigars received more than 6 months of aging after being rolled. Andre Farkas states that the blending process was an effort of love. You can’t ask more from one of your favorite blenders. Actually, I’d ask that more cigars would be subject for purchase. The market supply of these cigars go poof in just a couple of weeks.
One of the reasons that the three guys in The Police couldn’t get along with each other during their heyday was that they were over stimulated from too much blow. I’m not guessing, I know. I was there a few times and saw it. Their manic behavior was already ingrained but made worse by having its roots in the powdery death. The last time I saw their drummer was at a party and he was running around wild eyed and crazy. But then I can’t imagine the pressure they were under so it’s understandable…especially since they were so young.
Flavors subdue. Complexity finds a new gear. Mouth feel is lush. I’ve always wondered why some cigars stink to high heaven while others emit a floral note. The Honey is just that…nose sweet.
The first inch was splendid with promises made. The second inch was even better with promises kept. Now as I prep for inch three, I cross my fingers that the blend’s direction is on track for becoming a living legend.
Strength is now Yosemite Sam running amok. The computer screen gets wobbly. I must stare at the keyboard to hit the right keys. Only 4” to go. Ha.
This is possibly one of the best Viaje blends I’ve smoked. Honey cake kicks in. I can’t tell if its real or the name in the title is looming large.
The aphorism of do what I say and not what I do is often in play. I smoked a couple of these sticks after a month and then a month later. Not even close to this morning’s cigar. But they are such pretty cigars all dressed up in their finest glowing red threads. They sang to me. I finally hid them out of sight buried underneath my lifetime supply of Gurkhas.
I venture into the second half. The strength is mind numbing. But reviewing a cigar on a full stomach is dicey. Maybe when I’m older I will see things more clearly.
Concerts in the 60’s often followed the same game plan that began in the 1950’s. A promoter would hire half a dozen or more bands and put them on the same bill. You’d get to see all the chart toppers in one setting. They’d play 5 hits and get off stage. It must have driven the artists bonkers but we concert goers loved it.
I take a time out and down a protein shake. The nicotine poisoning is reduced markedly. I can see again…and my hands stop shaking. Good times.
The blend is chocolate forward. It is creamy and transitional. Speaking of which, I see that the current administration has banned puberty.
Inch four is delicious. It binges on delivering a rich quality so often forgotten in mass releases. Farkas has the Midas touch.
One of my favorite clients in the studio was a four piece that performed what would eventually be called Yacht Rock. They recorded 10 sides without a rhythm section. I urged them to play with a click track but they insisted on going solo. The final tracks were a mess. I suggested that they hire drummer Hal Blaine to come in and fix things. They agreed. I was given the duties of laying down bass parts after hours. The leader insisted on mixing the finished songs. The man mixed the songs with the drums and bass so far into the background that I wondered why he bothered hiring us. I clandestinely mixed a couple of tunes in a more current vein but he rejected them outright saying he’s selling the voices, not the drums and bass. Musicians are not easy to work with.
Inch five begins and I’m as happy as a frolicking clam. But the nicotine overwhelms my nearly full stomach. Extended aging sometimes belittles the strength. Clearly, this cigar was not designed as a morning smoke. I might have done just fine reviewing this flavorful blend in the evening. The flavors and richness would have probably broken through a tired palate.
I would not recommend this blend for newbies. I’m an oldie but goodie and I’m barely hanging on.
If you’re more power resistant than me, I’d find these cigars and buy some. If you’re a wuss like me, take a pass.
Small Batch Cigar has a huge swath of Viaje blends for sale. Take 10% off with promo code KATMAN.
RATING: 94
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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
