To celebrate Tower Cigars 45th Anniversary, Mark (owner of Tower Cigars) and Andre of Viaje decided to make a store release only Viaje for them. The blend used was the exclusivo and the the vitola was a box pressed robusto. Officially, only 98 boxes of 20 were made for the occasion. As is typical of Viaje releases currently, these sold out very quickly.
4/12/2011
Viaje Tower Cigars 45th Anniversary Cigar
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Criollo
Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 5.5 x 52
Vitola: Box Pressed Robusto
MSRP: $10.50
Smoke Time: 1 hr 10 min
Days In Humidor: 5 Days
Location: JR Cigars
Drink: Coke
Construction/Appearance:
I didn’t notice any tears or holes on the wrapper. The wrapper had a very smooth feel to it with minimal veins. I don’t believe this will be a problem at all with the burn. The cigar feels very light in my hand but well balanced and well made. The Viaje Tower Cigars 45th Anniversary passes the squeeze test with flying colors as expected.
There is spotting on the wrapper but it adds some character to the cigar. The wrapper is a beautiful light/medium color with a wonderful box press, essentially reminding me of a Padron Natural. I’ve always been a fan of the “exclusivo” band because of the colors and the 2nd band (Tower Cigars) compliments the cigar very well. While, the Viaje Tower Cigars 45th Anniversary doesn’t have a clean appearance, I feel the double bands complete the look.
Burn/Draw:
Using my trusty Xi2, I made a semi-clean cut across the head. I believe the box press had something to do with that. The cigar accepted the flame rather easily, giving off plenty of smoke. What I really enjoyed was the extremely smooth draw. If I had to make cigar with a “perfect” draw, it would be similar to the Viaje Tower Cigars 45th Anniversary. The burn throughout the smoke was very even, never needing a relight at all. The ash held for about 3/4 inch but looked fragile.
Flavor/Aroma:
Prelight Aroma gave off smells of cedar and a little cinnamon. This is reminding me of the other exclusivos blends that I have smoked in the past. The initial puffs absolutely reminded me of the Exclusivo Short. The flavor profile very similar. However, soon into the 1st third, I am picking up bitter notes with some woody flavors. Whatever I experienced in the initial few puffs has retracted completely. There is still a nutty/woody smell off of the head. Exiting the 1st third, the flavors start to smooth out and is starting to develop.
In the nd third, all I could think of was “BAM!” This cigar is moving into its sweet spot. I am detecting notes of cedar, earthiness with a small bitter finish which I enjoyed. The final third matches up similar to the previous third. I am tasting the cedar/earthiness following up with minimal notes of dark chocolate. I noticed spacing out the draws more than usual will help get the “exclusivo” flavor that we come to enjoy.
Final Thoughts:
As of right now, I believe this is an above average cigar. With another 4-6 months of rest, the flavors should marry a little more and smooth out. One thing I noticed is that this cigar burns very hot. I am a slow smoker and I had to space out my draws even more than normal (>minute). This allowed the exclusivo flavors to come out while minimizing the bitterness. This cigar will not need to be relight as I left it for a few minutes at a time and it still came back strong. Also, for a $10+, I expected a longer smoke even at my pace.
Rating: 88
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