Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Vitola: 5 x 52
Purchase Link: Viaje Cache
Viaje Cache Review - California
Summary: If Davidoff made dark cigars, I'd expect them to look this beautiful. Nut Bran cereal on the cold draw. The first few puffs offer me oak, coffee, and steak. I'm able to take almost a minute between each puff because the espresso-like finish is so long. The burn line remains straighter than Wilt Chamberlain.
Second third opens up with coriander and Brussels sprouts. Hold your fire. I'm of the mindset that if you dislike Brussels sprouts, you haven't had them prepared correctly. This is a very dark smoke, but floral notes here and there keep the flavors from becoming overbearing.
Huge transition moving into the final third. The cigar maintains its dark profile but gains an herbal hue: Cynar, Fernet-Branca (minus the intense anise), and nuts. The final 5 minutes of this smoke are a #PeanutButterParadise (chunky because smooth is for pansies).
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Applying eye black with your fingers rather than the tubes they come in (or those lame sticker ones).
Pairing Suggestion: Water.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Fiver.
Viaje Cache Review - Wisconsin
Summary: The flavors on this cigar come through very clearly, each having quite a bit of depth. It brought pepper, earth, brown sugar, oak, coffee, cinnamon, molasses, gingerbread, and peanut. It wasn't just 'a hint of coffee' or 'something that reminds me of earth'. It really brought those flavors.
Construction-wise, it had a couple of flaws. The draw was loose and there were several points when the burn needed attention.
Overall, though, the flavor experience easily made up for the not-quite-great construction on this sample.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: If you like flavors to smack you in the face and let you know they're there, this is your cigar.
Pairing Suggestion: Bourbon and this cigar would go together like peanut butter and jelly.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Fiver.
Viaje Cache Review - Oregon
Summary: Firmly packed and dark in color, the Robusto sized cigar this week looked and felt like a cigar to get excited over. It appeared to have a light amount of oil on the wrapper and just a little tooth. The cigar carried natural tobacco, a little barnyard, and a mix of chocolate and cherry on the wrapper. The cold draw reminded me of the Anejo Shark with a little less spiciness... promising.
The first half of the cigar featured some great notes of oak, earth, cocoa and a gingerbread flavor in the finish. Appearing briefly there was also a citrus quality which was pleasant as well. While I didn’t taste any pepper spice in the palate flavors, the retrohale was heavy with pepper. The pepper arrived with a passion and disappeared just as fervently. At the end of the first third I also detected some slightly sweet wood notes with an added touch of black pepper.
Unfortunately, by the end of the first third I had to relight the cigar and the flavors took a decidedly harsh turn. Near the halfway mark I encountered a tunnel in the cigar, claiming responsibility for the harsh turn.
While I worked through the tunnel, the flavors did return to a more enjoyable profile but espresso and natural tobacco notes were all I was really able to discern. I burned it down to the nub without any further need to attend to the burn of the cigar. For a medium bodied cigar carrying a medium to high strength from start to finish, it managed to hold it’s own around the tunnel issue.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: If you like this then you like cigars with a dark profile that hit like a sneaky uppercut.
Pairing Suggestion: I’d pair this with Bookers bourbon or a sweeter stout.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Even with the tunnel issue, I’d still go fiver on this one. I enjoyed the flavors I experienced and chalk up the short, harsh section to the void in the filler.
Participants in this blind review were completely unaware of the cigar they were evaluating until all submissions were received and processed. Each participant was asked to answer a summary paragraph, an if/than statement, a pairing suggestion, and a purchase suggestion. Cigars were provided by Small Batch with only the expectations of candid responses. All pictures, information, and formatting were completed by a Coordinator outside of the reviewing process.
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