A little while back we received an email from Kevin over at Ventura Cigar Company. Kevin wanted us to check out their Project 805 Andullo line. We were happy to take them up on the offer and a couple of samples were sent our way for review.

In the sales literature provided with the Project 805, the focus was put on Andullo. It is explained that this is the mystery tobacco that gives the Dominican Puro its soul. When you pull the cigar out of the cellophane and smell it, it has the same sort of sweet and smokey aroma that comes from Fire Cured tobacco.

The sweet and smokey aroma comes through on the cold draw but doesn’t seem as prominent. When lit, that same aroma becomes even more muted, however, it is a nice little touch through the sinus. As interesting as the aroma is, it seems to come with a drying effect on the palate which I’m not crazy about.

The flavor profile of the Project 805 Andullo is medium in intensity and produces some nice woody tones with a bit of spice in the background. Early on there is also a very pleasant maple syrup sort of sweetness that comes and goes. The further you smoke, the more intense the flavor becomes.

The drawback of this cigar comes in the form of a mineral after-taste that becomes prominent in the last third. By the time I popped the band off, the mineral taste turned chemical and was very off-putting. Everything up to that point was solid.

Construction on the Project 805 Andullo was excellent. The appearance was top notch as was the burn qualities. The burn line was thin and even while producing a nice, white ash. The finish was dry from start to finish but never became too much for me.

In the grand scheme of things, I thought the first two-thirds of the cigar were solid. The last third, however, was rough, to say the least. This isn’t something I’m eager to run out and buy but I wouldn’t turn one down if one were handed to me. If you are into medium bodied, medium flavored cigars, I would suggest giving the project 805 Andullo a try.