A good friend of mine does plenty of traveling for business. In his travels, he has hooked up a friend of his with me for a review I’ve done in the past. This friend of his is Hal Rubin of Empire Cigars. If you recall, I reviewed his house cigar, the La Flor Dominicana Cheroot, last year.
Since that review, Hal and I have exchanged pleasantries between this mutual friend of ours. A couple of weeks ago the pair got together and Hal was kind enough to send a package back for me. Inside the package were two cigars, the Viaje Reserva Platino and Viaje Reserva Oro.
It was explained to me that both cigars are in the early stages of production and Hal wanted to get my input on the two lines while he had some of his original samples left. A few weeks after the samples made their way to me, I decided it was due time to light one up and see what it was all about.
Viaje Cigars are a boutique operation that deals in limited production lines. I was first introduced to Andre Farkas and his line during the 2009 IPCPR convention in New Orleans. Since the trade show I’ve heard many good things about the boutique line but haven’t had the pleasure to try much of it.
With that said, I went into this First Impressions review with virtually no experience with Viaje product. Before lighting my cigar, I gave it a quick once over. Having no band or fancy packaging, there was nothing to distract me from taking in all the visual appeal of the cigar. The wrapper was consistent in color with small veins and a rich oily sheen.
Despite being firmly packed, the draw was good. I experienced a slight bit of resistance but when lit the cigar produced plenty of dense and flavorful smoke. I don’t know for sure how long it took me to smoke through the entire cigar, but I do know it was a substantial amount of time. My Toro (50 x 6.00) vitola produced a fairly dark ash which was solid and flake free.
The flavors didn’t change much throughout the smoke. The main flavor I noticed was a rich natural tobacco taste with an inter-weaved woody flavor. Every now and again I noticed a malty sort of flavor that made me think of Scotch. The finish was fairly easy on the palate although it seemed a bit acidic.
When it was all said and done, I was impressed with my single Viaje Reserva Platino sample. Being a boutique cigar, I’m sure the price point on this stick is outside of my normal comfort zone. Even with it potentially being pricey (I would guess around $10.00), I wouldn’t hesitate to pick one up on occasion, given the opportunity to buy locally.
Sounds like another nice cigar from Viaje!
I’m guessing this is the same cigar you can buy at New Havana Cigars. From N. H. website: ” Being introduced in 2010, the Reserva line will be rolled twice a year in limited production. Using aged ligero from Esteli and tobaccos with much more age on them than their production counterparts, these cigars are even stronger and richer in flavor.”
Hope this info helps.
Excellent information, thanks!
Nice review and grooming LOL
I agree about the price. If this is in the $10 range, I doubt I will pick any up. Well I wont pick any up at a frequent rate. I may snag a couple to try sometime but I can find so many cigars for a lower price point that I truly enjoy, I won’t go out of my way to search for stuff like this anymore.
Mike
Mike,
I was going to edit that out but decided to just leave it in…. LOL
Empire Cigars (although about an hour away) is what I consider my local B&M. Since my true local B&M doesn’t carry much more than Oliva, Padron, Fuente, some Rocky Patel and a small few CAO’s.
If I ever see these in stock on my regular pilgrimage to Empire I will probably try a couple. Sounds right up my alley, right down to the slight press.
Any smoker in or passing through Raleigh should swing by Empire and check em out… it’s a great shop!
Ryan,
From the letter I got from Hal, it sounds like this is something he will be bringing into the shop. He also made mention that he will be one of very few retailers to carry another new Viaje Cigars product, however I have no information on what that cigar is (I think it may still be in the works)
Although I have a great appreciation for boutique cigars such as these, I am having a hard time finding brands like this locally. I guess, I’ll put this on the “if I ever see it in a shop I’ll pick some up” category. Thanks for sharing your first impressions of this.
Jimmy,
That is one of the downsides to boutique cigars. They are generally unique and appealing to a large segment if the cigar market but distribution is limited due to the small production. You almost need to goto a shop that is out looking for unique stuff like this, otherwise it is difficult to find them.
Where is Jerry…I really miss his to the point reviews.
Martin,
Jerry has been swamped with his day-job. He should be making a return shortly.
Picked up five of the #5 Oro from Empire this afternoon….
$10.50 is a big price tag, but if any smoke is worth it…. this is it.
Thanks for the heads up on this one Walt.
Great review, and a great cigar. I’m smoking one as I write, and I’m loving it. I’m picking up a hint of toast to it… it’s good.
Thanks again for the review.