Good looking box, too. Since I'm a snake, I might want to consider, but this is nowhere near my budget except for maybe one cigar, if I can even find it. Great review. As always.
Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
another great review. can i also sit in your hammock and share a smoke with you. you are always welcome to sit on my dock and enjoy a smoke if your ever in the tampa area.
You know... You bring reviewing to a whole new level! I mean not only are your pictures superb, and the tidbits about how the thing smoked, but you educate too! I never knew any of that stuff so thanks for that. On the cigar, sounds like a nice smoke, sure looks good.
From all the pictures I've seen do you have a dedicated room for your cigars?
Good looking box, too. Since I'm a snake, I might want to consider, but this is nowhere near my budget except for maybe one cigar, if I can even find it. Great review. As always.
Hi Jeep, of course you are welcome. I will share my best Cuban collection with you. I will also let you know when I am in Tampa next. Usually, I go to Miami, thanks!
jeep edson:
another great review. can i also sit in your hammock and share a smoke with you. you are always welcome to sit on my dock and enjoy a smoke if your ever in the tampa area.
You know... You bring reviewing to a whole new level! I mean not only are your pictures superb, and the tidbits about how the thing smoked, but you educate too! I never knew any of that stuff so thanks for that. On the cigar, sounds like a nice smoke, sure looks good.
From all the pictures I've seen do you have a dedicated room for your cigars?
Hi Glen, I really appreciate your nice comments. I am glad to know that you enjoy reading my reviews. Yes I have a dedicated room for my cigars. It is actually separated from the main house so I have my privacy. Here are some pictures of my decent Man cave. It has a name- Cuba:
What is Viaje? I get asked this question a lot. Viaje is a boutique cigar company specializing in the small batch approach to cigar making. Viaje represents the idea that quality is better than quantity. That small is better than big. That few are better than many. Why small batch? Well, there are many reasons. Quality, consistency and most importantly, this is where I get my inspiration. If you enjoy mass produced cigars, you are in the wrong place. We use tobacco sparingly to execute our vision of what a cigar should look and taste like. Viaje represents the boutique in every sense of the word. This is what I enjoy, this is what I provide, and this is my promise. Join us in the revolution against mediocrity. Andre Farkas, President, Viaje Cigar Co. [Source: Viaje cigar] It is a box pressed perfecto shaped cigar. The interesting part is the embossed white band- very difficult to take a picture without light from the right angle. It is more difficult in the night time. I am not going to wait until the day light for the perfect shot because I want to smoke it now. The wrapper is very dark roasted coffee bean color, smooth in touch with rough appearances. It has some lumps here and there with many visible veins. The cigar feels really good in hand. It has dry leather, hay and barnyard scents. The cold draw has cinnamon, pepper, sweet tobacco and tangy aroma. The draw is good with some burn issues. It is straight a full bodied cigar. It has rich and complex aroma but it has overpowering strength and spice. It also has the metallic finish. The flavor and aroma profile is the combination of grass, leather, hickory wood, cocoa, dark bitter chocolate, Italian press espresso coffee shot, cinnamon, nut(peanuts), black pepper with wold floral note and caramel sweet and mint finish to it. It is very rich in flavor but at the same time powerful and complex with long finish. The smoke is lush and thick. The rehtrohale has a ginger like spice through the nose. Wrapper/Binder/Fillers: Nicaragua 1/3: It starts with a blast of black pepper, grass, dry leather flavor with a wild floral note at the back. It also has a caramel sweetness at the back. It is a powerful smoke from the start which turns me off a little. During retrohale I can feel the spicy pain through the nose. The top of my tongue has a strong zing of black pepper, the middle of my tongue can feel the lush, thick smoke but not buttery or creamy because of the overly powered spice, the back of my tongue can feel the metallic harshness. At the same time, it completely woke me up. It is like when we are almost in deep sleep and suddenly wake up with a sound of crying baby- Sh*t. Within 8-10 puffs the power and painful spice settled down a little with more caramel sweetness but rethrohale is still painful with strong black peppery spice. I am also detecting dark bitter chocolate, dark Japanese soy sauce(has a tiny pungent bite of herbs) flavors are coming up front with a nice mild aromatic wild floral note at the back. I don't know if I dislike it but my brain is little busy with different flavors here but I am not happy either. Well, I really don't know what to say but I hope I am able to describe my feeling.
2/3: The overpowering strength settled down with more bearable spiciness at 2/3. The cigar is interesting now. I think I know what happened at the 1/3 mark. All the above flavors and aroma got locked in a small area and I was too busy to identify them individually because of the strength plus the strong black pepper spice and harshness at the back throat. That means the cigar was rich but not balanced. The flavors should be easy to feel with layers and layers but overpower takes away that charm. Now the dominant flavors are sweet leather, hickory wood, grass, Italian press espresso shot, Japanese dark soy sauce, cocoa powder with caramel sweetness at the back. The wild floral note is gone but taken over with aromatic cinnamon. There is also a nutty (peanuts) finish and thickness to the smoke. The metallic harshness is moderately mild at the back of my tongue. The top of my tongue has the black peppery spiciness and middle of my tongue has thick smoke with above flavors and aroma. The draw is great but I am having little burn issue. I had to torch up three times to keep the burn straight. This wrapper is definitely from Esteli tobacco- spicy and powerful. There is also Jalapa's sweetness to it. The cigar is rich in flavors and aroma with long finish but still not balanced. The strength is not bad. Interestingly I am able to retrohale now and enjoying the ginger like spiciness through the nose. Ginger is an interesting spice which has slight vegetal, floral and spicy taste. The cigar definitely adds points for rich complexity at this stage. I am missing Nicaraguan zesty-sweet mocha flavor here. This is blend is mix of aged and new tobaccos. I believe there is at least 60% ligeros in it. The strength is full bodied and bold. I forgot to take a picture of 2/3. Final/3: As I moved to final/3, the cigar has a up front Coca Cola flavor. Again, another twist in complexity. The dominant flavors are Coca Cola, aromatic cinnamon, Italian press espresso shot, black pepper, sweet dark chocolate with caramel sweet finish at the back. There is also a refreshing minty finish at the back, another twist. This is an interesting smoke. Though it is 100% Nicaraguan puro but it has her unique appearance. This is where this cigar is interesting. The top of my tongue got a spicy frozen feel, the middle of my tongue is full of thick texture and my back of my tongue has medium young tobacco harshness. The cigar is definitely rich and complex but it is not balanced at all. The overpowering strength and spiciness is really bothering me and I am not going to finish the smoke. Cigars supposed to be relaxing but definitely I am not having a relaxing feeling here.
Final thought: I know people love or hate Viaje cigars. I am a huge fan of Viaje Oro Reserva # 4 and Viaje Platino Reserva #5 but they are very balanced. My personal opinion is Viaje failed to release a proper and balanced 5th Anniversary cigar. However, I do understand that this cigar has aging potential. Usually, cigar makers try to use their best tobaccos to their anniversary releases. I also believe, I am not going to search for this cigar in the future because there are many excellent balanced Nicaraguan Puros in the market. A $14 cigar should be balanced and this is not.
Sounds like that's the amount of time it needs. I'm guessing they dont have stocks of aged tobacco, if you believe their small scale production mentality. That's fine I agree in some ways, just not adding a high price tag to the cigar. Oh well great review sir.
Thanks Roman. I am also a big fan of Viaje Oro Reserva #5, 2010 release and Viaje Platino Reserva #6. These are the cigars made me a Viaje smoker but this cigar not even close to those. I missed the balance during the entire smoke. You should smoke it now and see. You may like it.
Trident:
Great review. I am a Viaje ****, but I haven't smoked this one yet. Maybe i will let it age until their 10 year?
Hi Jared, I believe Viaje is still remembered and respected by its fame of Oro Reserva # 5(the number 2 cigar of 2010). However, after that they came up with many blends but I keep missing the balanced and complexity. Well, many cigar makers use the small batch jab but a good cigar is always a good consistent cigar. A large scale regular production cigar can also be excellent- example many Padron cigar Cuban Cohiba Siglo VI. If Viaje keep producing $10+ full bodied and bold cigar under small batch marketing without consistency and quality then sooner or later many customer will start questioning about their cigars. It is just the matter of time. Many people already start questioning about tatuaje. Usually, I am careful with small batch, Limited Edition, Regional Edition hype. A good cigar maker always sticks with a core line so they can control the quality with consistency.
blurr:
Sounds like that's the amount of time it needs. I'm guessing they dont have stocks of aged tobacco, if you believe their small scale production mentality. That's fine I agree in some ways, just not adding a high price tag to the cigar. Oh well great review sir.
Herrman Upmann was a banker from Germany who admired Cuban cigars so much that he moved to Havana in 1844 where he worked as a banker and cigar producer since. His bank had to close down shortly after 1920s, but his cigars continue as an excellent example for a Habano of mild to medium strong taste. All leafs for the H. Upman cigars are grown in the tobacco region Vuelta Abajo. Besides Upman's signature, the cigar boxes are adorned with eleven gold medals gained at international exhibitions during the 19th century.
History of H. Upman brand:
In 1922 both the H. Upman Bank and the cigar business went bankrupt, the bank because of speculation in German marks and Mexican oil properties. A British firm, J. Frankau & Co., bought the brand name and continued production until 1935, when the company was sold to the recently established Men
Thanks Rain. I think they are still available. It was a slow sell in 2009 and 2010 then suddenly smokers started paying attention to it. Please contact Dustin he has good connection. I do not buy Cuban on-line so I have no idea. I bought this box in Cuba.
Rain:
4.3 X 48? YES PLEASE!!!!Rip, how hard are these to get ahold off?Thank you for another quality review.
Your reviews tend to rave on Cuban smokes. Is there a bad Cuban you could review for us. Just so we can get a not lopsided Cuban promoter viewpoint. I know that's what you like rip, but give me a bad Cuban review. Not quintero, something bad.
LOL...I only review what I smoke. I do not buy any cigar for review. That is the reason you will not see me reviewing Cuban Romep y Julieta tubos, Quintero, Troya, Gunateramera, Belinda and some others. It takes some effort to collect Cuban cigars so I am very selective. In fact, there are few non-Cuban cigars I reviewed are bad. My motto is life is too short and I try not to smoke bad cigar( in my standard). However, at the same time I respect others choice and you will hardly see me criticizing others choice. I remain silence. Finally, my review is my personal opinion and I do it for fun. I have preference and others have their own- that what make this hobby so interesting. However at the end- there is good, moderate and bad cigars. The choice is individual.
blurr:
Your reviews tend to rave on Cuban smokes. Is there a bad Cuban you could review for us. Just so we can get a not lopsided Cuban promoter viewpoint. I know that's what you like rip, but give me a bad Cuban review. Not quintero, something bad.
One more thing, this a reason I never score cigar rather than write up my smoking feeling. I believe I only scored twice and both were 98- Nicaraguan Padron Millennium and Cohiba Siglo VI.
rzaman:
LOL...I only review what I smoke. I do not buy any cigar for review. That is the reason you will not see me reviewing Cuban Romep y Julieta tubos, Quintero, Troya, Gunateramera, Belinda and some others. It takes some effort to collect Cuban cigars so I am very selective. In fact, there are few non-Cuban cigars I reviewed are bad. My motto is life is too short and I try not to smoke bad cigar( in my standard). However, at the same time I respect others choice and you will hardly see me criticizing others choice. I remain silence. Finally, my review is my personal opinion and I do it for fun. I have preference and others have their own- that what make this hobby so interesting. However at the end- there is good, moderate and bad cigars. The choice is individual.
blurr:
Your reviews tend to rave on Cuban smokes. Is there a bad Cuban you could review for us. Just so we can get a not lopsided Cuban promoter viewpoint. I know that's what you like rip, but give me a bad Cuban review. Not quintero, something bad.
Your reviews tend to rave on Cuban smokes. Is there a bad Cuban you could review for us. Just so we can get a not lopsided Cuban promoter viewpoint. I know that's what you like rip, but give me a bad Cuban review. Not quintero, something bad.
i haven't had many bad Cubans really. I've had some that had construction issues, too young, or I didn't like the profile. But I've yet to have one that I'd call a bad smoke, while I've had plenty of bad smokes from other regions.
Dustin, you hit the nails on the head. I try to be little more diplomatic. I try not to argue about the issue. It requires some time and smoking experience to understand the differences.
catfishbluezz:
blurr:
Your reviews tend to rave on Cuban smokes. Is there a bad Cuban you could review for us. Just so we can get a not lopsided Cuban promoter viewpoint. I know that's what you like rip, but give me a bad Cuban review. Not quintero, something bad.
i haven't had many bad Cubans really. I've had some that had construction issues, too young, or I didn't like the profile. But I've yet to have one that I'd call a bad smoke, while I've had plenty of bad smokes from other regions.
You mean the entire box got blue mold? Man you need to check the entire humidor.
catfishbluezz:
Havent had this yet, had on resting that was in a box that got bit by blue mold. Guess I need a box lol
long story, but I'm good. I did loose a good 15-20 smokes, it was like nothing I'd ever seen. I have pics saved. The consistency was very sticky and stained the wrappers if it came off, nothing like white mold. I still have some of them in a bag somewhere, need to toss them as Im afraid to smoke them really.
And it wasnt my humi, was storing them elsewhere, it was a bummer.
Dustin, you hit the nails on the head. I try to be little more diplomatic. I try not to argue about the issue. It requires some time and smoking experience to understand the differences.
catfishbluezz:
blurr:
Your reviews tend to rave on Cuban smokes. Is there a bad Cuban you could review for us. Just so we can get a not lopsided Cuban promoter viewpoint. I know that's what you like rip, but give me a bad Cuban review. Not quintero, something bad.
i haven't had many bad Cubans really. I've had some that had construction issues, too young, or I didn't like the profile. But I've yet to have one that I'd call a bad smoke, while I've had plenty of bad smokes from other regions.
i even like some of the short filler stuff. Even though they burn funky, they still have a decent finish.
It is risky to smoke them. Just forget about them though I know it's hard. Hey if you can't find the Upman LE 09 let me know. I really want you to smoke one. it is very different than as usual Cubans. It reminds me little bit of the Paratags Series E no. 2 which also has completely different flavors and complexity. Kyle, Chris and Alan smoked with me when they were in my place.
catfishbluezz:
rzaman:
You mean the entire box got blue mold? Man you need to check the entire humidor.
catfishbluezz:
Havent had this yet, had on resting that was in a box that got bit by blue mold. Guess I need a box lol
long story, but I'm good. I did loose a good 15-20 smokes, it was like nothing I'd ever seen. I have pics saved. The consistency was very sticky and stained the wrappers if it came off, nothing like white mold. I still have some of them in a bag somewhere, need to toss them as Im afraid to smoke them really.
And it wasnt my humi, was storing them elsewhere, it was a bummer.
Comments
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
Carlos Tora
From all the pictures I've seen do you have a dedicated room for your cigars?
What is Viaje? I get asked this question a lot. Viaje is a boutique cigar company specializing in the small batch approach to cigar making. Viaje represents the idea that quality is better than quantity. That small is better than big. That few are better than many. Why small batch? Well, there are many reasons. Quality, consistency and most importantly, this is where I get my inspiration. If you enjoy mass produced cigars, you are in the wrong place. We use tobacco sparingly to execute our vision of what a cigar should look and taste like. Viaje represents the boutique in every sense of the word. This is what I enjoy, this is what I provide, and this is my promise. Join us in the revolution against mediocrity. Andre Farkas, President, Viaje Cigar Co. [Source: Viaje cigar]
It is a box pressed perfecto shaped cigar. The interesting part is the embossed white band- very difficult to take a picture without light from the right angle. It is more difficult in the night time. I am not going to wait until the day light for the perfect shot because I want to smoke it now. The wrapper is very dark roasted coffee bean color, smooth in touch with rough appearances. It has some lumps here and there with many visible veins. The cigar feels really good in hand. It has dry leather, hay and barnyard scents. The cold draw has cinnamon, pepper, sweet tobacco and tangy aroma. The draw is good with some burn issues. It is straight a full bodied cigar. It has rich and complex aroma but it has overpowering strength and spice. It also has the metallic finish. The flavor and aroma profile is the combination of grass, leather, hickory wood, cocoa, dark bitter chocolate, Italian press espresso coffee shot, cinnamon, nut(peanuts), black pepper with wold floral note and caramel sweet and mint finish to it. It is very rich in flavor but at the same time powerful and complex with long finish. The smoke is lush and thick. The rehtrohale has a ginger like spice through the nose.
Wrapper/Binder/Fillers: Nicaragua
1/3: It starts with a blast of black pepper, grass, dry leather flavor with a wild floral note at the back. It also has a caramel sweetness at the back. It is a powerful smoke from the start which turns me off a little. During retrohale I can feel the spicy pain through the nose. The top of my tongue has a strong zing of black pepper, the middle of my tongue can feel the lush, thick smoke but not buttery or creamy because of the overly powered spice, the back of my tongue can feel the metallic harshness. At the same time, it completely woke me up. It is like when we are almost in deep sleep and suddenly wake up with a sound of crying baby- Sh*t. Within 8-10 puffs the power and painful spice settled down a little with more caramel sweetness but rethrohale is still painful with strong black peppery spice. I am also detecting dark bitter chocolate, dark Japanese soy sauce(has a tiny pungent bite of herbs) flavors are coming up front with a nice mild aromatic wild floral note at the back. I don't know if I dislike it but my brain is little busy with different flavors here but I am not happy either. Well, I really don't know what to say but I hope I am able to describe my feeling.
2/3: The overpowering strength settled down with more bearable spiciness at 2/3. The cigar is interesting now. I think I know what happened at the 1/3 mark. All the above flavors and aroma got locked in a small area and I was too busy to identify them individually because of the strength plus the strong black pepper spice and harshness at the back throat. That means the cigar was rich but not balanced. The flavors should be easy to feel with layers and layers but overpower takes away that charm. Now the dominant flavors are sweet leather, hickory wood, grass, Italian press espresso shot, Japanese dark soy sauce, cocoa powder with caramel sweetness at the back. The wild floral note is gone but taken over with aromatic cinnamon. There is also a nutty (peanuts) finish and thickness to the smoke. The metallic harshness is moderately mild at the back of my tongue. The top of my tongue has the black peppery spiciness and middle of my tongue has thick smoke with above flavors and aroma. The draw is great but I am having little burn issue. I had to torch up three times to keep the burn straight. This wrapper is definitely from Esteli tobacco- spicy and powerful. There is also Jalapa's sweetness to it. The cigar is rich in flavors and aroma with long finish but still not balanced. The strength is not bad. Interestingly I am able to retrohale now and enjoying the ginger like spiciness through the nose. Ginger is an interesting spice which has slight vegetal, floral and spicy taste. The cigar definitely adds points for rich complexity at this stage. I am missing Nicaraguan zesty-sweet mocha flavor here. This is blend is mix of aged and new tobaccos. I believe there is at least 60% ligeros in it. The strength is full bodied and bold. I forgot to take a picture of 2/3.
Final/3: As I moved to final/3, the cigar has a up front Coca Cola flavor. Again, another twist in complexity. The dominant flavors are Coca Cola, aromatic cinnamon, Italian press espresso shot, black pepper, sweet dark chocolate with caramel sweet finish at the back. There is also a refreshing minty finish at the back, another twist. This is an interesting smoke. Though it is 100% Nicaraguan puro but it has her unique appearance. This is where this cigar is interesting. The top of my tongue got a spicy frozen feel, the middle of my tongue is full of thick texture and my back of my tongue has medium young tobacco harshness. The cigar is definitely rich and complex but it is not balanced at all. The overpowering strength and spiciness is really bothering me and I am not going to finish the smoke. Cigars supposed to be relaxing but definitely I am not having a relaxing feeling here.
Final thought: I know people love or hate Viaje cigars. I am a huge fan of Viaje Oro Reserva # 4 and Viaje Platino Reserva #5 but they are very balanced. My personal opinion is Viaje failed to release a proper and balanced 5th Anniversary cigar. However, I do understand that this cigar has aging potential. Usually, cigar makers try to use their best tobaccos to their anniversary releases. I also believe, I am not going to search for this cigar in the future because there are many excellent balanced Nicaraguan Puros in the market. A $14 cigar should be balanced and this is not.
Your cigar man-house is amazing!
Herrman Upmann was a banker from Germany who admired Cuban cigars so much that he moved to Havana in 1844 where he worked as a banker and cigar producer since. His bank had to close down shortly after 1920s, but his cigars continue as an excellent example for a Habano of mild to medium strong taste. All leafs for the H. Upman cigars are grown in the tobacco region Vuelta Abajo. Besides Upman's signature, the cigar boxes are adorned with eleven gold medals gained at international exhibitions during the 19th century.
History of H. Upman brand:
In 1922 both the H. Upman Bank and the cigar business went bankrupt, the bank because of speculation in German marks and Mexican oil properties. A British firm, J. Frankau & Co., bought the brand name and continued production until 1935, when the company was sold to the recently established Men
And it wasnt my humi, was storing them elsewhere, it was a bummer.