Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Seed
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 5 x 54 Robusto
Strength: Medium
Price: $16.00
Date Released: April 2025
Quantity Released: Regular Production
Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.
My cigars received 4 months of naked humidor time.
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
The new blend has gotten thumbs up from nearly every reviewer…except one site that notates every cigar they smoke as Average. The other issue is that because crowd sourcing has also given the cigar a thumbs up, prices for this new cigar have not come down. $16 is a lot for a morning cigar. Cigar Page is sold out but I found a retailer that will give you $3.50 off per stick.
This is a light in the loafers cigar. It has the heft of a toothpick. This will be my third cigar. Despite them all feeling underfilled, the burn was perfect with a sharp char line. So, what do I know? Not much. This is why you’re here…it’s always good to have a reliable source that makes you feel smarter than the average bear in every way.
I sniff. It’s wonderful with those floral honey notes, green grapes, milk chocolate, sweet cedar, BBQ smoke, and lemon Pledge.
My PerfecPunch makes swift justice of the manhole cover on the cap. I can’t help but marvel that the friggin blades never dull. Never. I still have the original punch that must be 3 or 4 years old. I almost exclusively use the PP. Now and again, I get a stubborn cap that won’t release the blowhole correctly and I’ll use a guillotine cutter. But it’s rare. Guillotine cutters get dull fast if you’re a smoking junkie. And they can butcher the top of your cigar. But wait, there’s more…buy a PerfecPunch today and I will toast your dead relatives in my weekly Shabbat Kaddish prayer. No charge.
The cold draw is sweet hay, cedar, milk chocolate, toasted rye bread, caramel, and slight touch of mint.
Once lit, the draw is a bit too airy. There’s that underfilled issue again. Same thing happened with previous sticks but after half an inch, the cigars plumped like a dirigible heading for New York.
Smooth. Sweet. Slightly savory. Nice start that brings a perfect accompaniment to my first barrel of morning coffee. I’m slow in moving with the times. A couple of months ago, I bought one of those Keurig style coffee makers with the pods. Don’t know what we did before then, but I’m sold. And Charlotte, who is never happy, loves the coffee. Bar none, the best online coffee retailer is one that is based here in Milwaukee called Stone Creek. We’ve tried every coffee on the planet and Stone Creek is the most consistently tasty, but expensive, coffee. I tried talking them into a sponsorship, and of course, they wouldn’t be caught dead nodding approval for a nicotine delivery system.
See. Look at that char line.
The Viva La Vida doesn’t waste the first inch. It gets down and dirty immediately. It is rich and welcoming with a perfect balance of Sweet v. Savory. Spoiler: the blend is not so much about flavor points as it is about balance and earthy goodness with healthy dollops of complexity and depth. Keep on walking…
The perfumey nature is amazing. The floral honey quality that wafts from cigar to giant schnoz, is wonderful. If I had blind tasted this cigar, no way would I have guessed AJ.
I joined Facebook. Within a month, the drama began. I joined a group called 60+ Bass Players. I was hacked mercilessly by assholes 6 years ago that took my social media accounts down. I know who they are. A couple are dipshits that still comment on this blog. Another is a mentally ill cigar blogger who has all the trappings of a serial killer. I was finally able to open the account with Charlotte’s name. So, what happened? I constantly made it clear in my posts that it was Phil commenting, not Charlotte. It still confused several people. So, the administrator suspended me without warning.
Good fucking cigar. Consistent from stick to stick to stick. Expensive, yes…but I don’t mind spending the dough if the blender delivers. Is it similar to the Daughters of the Wind? A little, yeah. But the cheese stands alone with its own identity.
Did the administrator reach out before suspending me? Of course not. I had to explain myself to the moron and I was reinstated. But he can’t control the 5-day barring me from posting or commenting because he set it in motion and he’s not smart enough to fix it.
The cigar plumped nicely as exhibited in previous sticks.
Soft caramel notes, aged cedar, creaminess galore, candied lemon rind, wood of unknown origin, blackberries, white pepper, and raw cashews.
Strength was only mild in the first half inch. After that, it moved purposely to medium strength and that’s where it remains. This is an absolutely delicious fucking cigar. I only have one stick left. Damn, Louise. I wish Cigar Page had them.
The wrapper is extremely delicate. The slightest brush of my fingernails across the blond bombshell causes tiny rips. And that’s the best way to describe the blend: Delicate. The first half was spot on. Delirium trauma. Frootsie Tootsie. Hunga Dunga.
The burn is slow…like me in kindergarten.
So, I had to change the name of my FB account to Phillip Kohn. I only have a few friends because people my age tend not to fuck around with Facebook. And I’m not a friend monger who must have huge quantities to impress. Each person is elemental. If you’d like to be my friend…, would you? The cigar community is not katman friendly. Most don’t know who I am. That’s fine. I’m retiring and not looking for gaggles of strangers tied around my ankles.
The second half is gold. It continues to be smooth and tasty like a Kahuna burger. After writing that, the brain’s acuity finds Thousand Island dressing on my palate. How’s that for suggestive?
AJ swung for the fences with this blend. Home run.
The second half keeps its panties on. It never becomes harsh or bitter. Transitionally, its depth perception and richness develop with every half inch. Individual flavors don’t matter. It is a soothing and delightful cigar. If you have the dough, a fiver is a must, and a 10-count box would be charming.
Non-sponsor Luxury Cigar Club has them on sale for a buck and a half off per stick. Figure in 15% off with promo code KATMAN15, and the cigars plummet to $12.45 per stick for the Robusto. Toro (6 X 54) and Churchill (7 X 54) are also available but this 5 x 54 vitola is perfect for me in the a.m.
RATING: 96
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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
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