Up for review this week is the Ashton VSG. This particular stick was requested for review a couple of weeks back. Being one of the first cigars I laid eyes on as I rummaged through my cooler, I decided it was about time I stopped looking at it and started smoking it.
During a quick pre light inspection I found the wrapper to be a consistent medium brown color with a few medium sized veins running throughout. When pinched I found the body to be slightly soft but otherwise consistent down the length of the stick. The aroma at the head and foot were both rich and very appealing as was the oily sheen which coated the wrapper leaf.
After a quick cut and light I had my VSG burning evenly and producing a good volume of flavorful smoke. The draw was free with little resistance and paved the way for a nice medium body to start. The finish was smooth and easy on the palate while the base flavor was Nutty with a mild coffee flavor. At this junction in the smoke, the most appealing thing was how clean and crisp the flavors tasted.
As I continued to smoke I found myself into the second third of my cigar. The draw was free and produced a large volume of thick and flavorful smoke. The body slowly began to creep towards the full range while the finish remained smooth and easy on the palate. The base flavor was now more along the lines of Wood and Leather as the original Nutty flavor faded.
As I reached the final third of my Ashton VSG I found myself totally engrossed by the smoke. The body continued to build and made a smooth transition into the full range while the finish remained smooth and enjoyable. The woody base flavor was beginning to fade and Leather was becoming the dominant component. In addition to the leather I was picking up a sort of Tangy like flavor, most likely due to the Sungrown Wrapper, that I found to be a really nice little change of pace.
Overall I think that this was a fantastic smoke. With a price point of about $8.00 and up, these sticks are out outside of my comfort zone (not to mention budget) but to me, are worth every penny. I was very impressed by the crisp and clean flavors of the smoke and definitely recommend them to anyone who enjoys a good sun grown wrapper.
Nice review.
Can you recommend a good Ashton? I am getting a fair amount of searches for “ashton”, but got nothing to offer 🙂
Nice review, Walt.
Good review Walt and cool story about the cigar bomb. I’ve just tried the Ashton Classic and thought it to be too mild for my taste. I think i’m ready to move up to something with a little bit more punch. I’ll have to put the VSG on my to do list.
Hey guys! thanks for all the great reviews and such wonderful things!
todaly is my 18th birthday and i thought i should thank you for all your great recomendations. i went to my local B+M today and bought some cigars based on your reviews and they turned out great! so thanks agian for the reviews and such htings! hope to see more soon! (oh and btw that cigar looks great!)
Great review Walt. I like the VSGs a lot too, I’ve had a hand full of them and I wish there were cheaper as well.
Anyway, Fuente don’t have seconds, they discard imperfect cigars. Tampas are apprentice rolled. I’m positive you know that, it probably just slipped your mind.
Happy belated birthday Kitt!
You will never, never discover the true identity of Smoke & Aces! Our cause will live forever!
Nice review, I enjoyed this smoke for the first time this week while on vacation. Very good smoke but like you it is out of my range to smoke all the time.
Yes, perfection comes at a price. I recently smoked an Ashton VSG “Tres Mystique” and found it of similar high quality. On the other hand, I’ve had 4-dollar cigars that come darned close, such as the Carlos Torano 1916 Cameroon corona.
i smoked the perfecto over the weekend. i dug it a lot. i was a bigger fan of the robusto size though. the head of this cigar tasted great. it had a great finish on it. ashton has the kind of impeccable quality that i come to expect. i only wish that they were a bit cheaper to get them into my rotation a little more often. in the chi suburbs they go for about 11.
With only about 30 sticks’ worth of experience, I am a real neophyte, so discount my opinion if you must.. But the an Ashton VSG Tres Mystique I just smoked is the finest cigars I’ve enjoyed. Walt’s review was dead on – I would add that the flavor of the last third had a pronounced spicy kick to it. As the flavor got bolder, the smoothness remained. This cigar is above me, but I can tell a damn good smoke and this is now my new standard for cigars in the VSG’s class.
I love the Ashton VSG,one of my favorites is the Spellbound!!
Hey man I just watched your review on this cigar. I think corona gordas are vastly under rated as a shape. What was that song at the end?
holy shit a bomb?
Thanks for the review, I really enjoy watching/reading them on your site. The Ashton VSG (wizard vitola) is one of my favourites. If you don’t have 90 minutes to enjoy one, try the enchantment, truly a flavor bomb, with the 60 ring size.
Yeah, they’re expensive but my job took me around the world to a not-so-nice place and cigars are one of the few luxuries I can indulge in so I don’t mind the $. Been smoking lots of different cigars but I have to admit, I keep coming back to Ashton, their aged maduro is also in the top-5.
Great review. I bought a 5 pack of torpedo VSG. A great, no fantastic cigar, I love this cigar. It definetly a higher end cigar. I ended up talking my buddy into going in on halves on a box. My half alone was $86. If you ever want to try one of these fine cigars its well worth it to save your lunch money, bus fair, or what ever else you can to try one of these gems. This is from the ashton web site:
“The VSG is blended exclusively for Ashton by Carlos Fuente Jr. using 4 to 5 year old aged Dominican tobacco taken from the finest and most fertile plants. The distinct flavor of VSG comes from its wrapper grown on a private estate in Ecuador owned by the Oliva family where this proprietary wrapper leaf is grown for the Fuente Family exclusively for Ashton VSG.”
I don’t understand a lot of these comments. It’s a good cigar, I have one in my humidor right now, even (found it just now when I was moving others around), but great? C’mon! Set the standards higher! I tend to favor Nicaraguan cigars in general, but there are a few of the Fuente OpusX’s that I like quite a bit. Still, the Ashton VSG’s are sort of like everyone’s introduction to really good cigars. Virtually all the shops carry them, and for many shops, they’re the most expensive cigar they carry, so they’re given the impression of being super fantastic can’t be beat cigars. Budgetman above says it’s definitely a higher end cigar. Sort of, but not really, I guess. A real high end cigar would be a Padron Serie Serie 1926 80th Anniversary or their Family Reserve No. 45 Maduro. I mean, given the choice between sex with Mila Kunis and box of No. 45 Maduro’s, I’d take the No. 45 Maduro’s. There are probably people out there who feel the same way about Fuente Fuente OpusX’s, but VSG’s will never be that good.
There’s not an Ashton product that remotely compares with a Padron anniversary or family reserve series cigar. The ESG’s are ridiculously overpriced and not remotely as good as the OpusX cigars. Giant disappointments.