There have been 5 White Label Project releases including this since the beginning of last year.  White label project cigars according to Andre Farkas, are experimental cigars that may or may not go into regular production.  These cigars are one time WLP releases that might get modified in some way according to consumer feedback.  Typical of the WLP releases, the winter classic also came in a newspaper bundle wrapped in cellophane.

3/9/2012

Viaje White Label Project (WLP) Winter Classic Review

Wrapper:  Nicaraguan Corojo

Binder/Filler:  Nicaraguan

Size:  4 1/2 x 48

Vitola:  Rothschild

MSRP:  $8-8.50

Smoke Time:  1hr 20min

Drink:  Water

Location:  Blowin Smoke

Construction/Appearance:

The Winter Classic has a nice light coffee roasted wrapper with some spotting throughout but I don’t notice any tears or actual holes on the cigar.  The WLP feels very firm when I tried squeezing it and definitely feels light which was not surprising considering the size.  It does have a nice appearance, the cap on the head looks nice and the band is typical of a WLP release.  While reviewing the cigar, the band did come off very easily without damaging the wrapper or performance.

Burn/Draw:

The cut across the head was clean and easy and the cold draw was somewhat light and loose.  Lighting the cigar went without any issues and having the windows open on one of the reviews actually made the flame a little larger than expected.  The ash was the typical Viaje color dark and gray lasting an inch while the cigar gave off a steady stream of smoke.  There was plenty of creamy smoke when taking draws which were “good” on this cigar.  The burn, for the most part was above average with some wavy lines and the Winter Classic needed a relight in one instance when I put it down for a few minutes but that’s not something I would consider a negative against the WLP.

Flavor/Aroma:

The aroma from the foot were notes of dark chocolate and mocha while the wrapper reminded me of cedar.  On the initial draw, I tasted some leather, earth and a blast of pepper immediately.  This lasted maybe an eighth or quarter into the cigar.  The first third continues with some creamy flavors, nuts and a peppery finish.  At this point the Winter Classic feels medium bodied and continues to ramp up the strength.

The second third still has a certain creaminess to it with notes of earthiness and wood followed by a fairly dominant peppery presence.  At times the WLP has some bitterness which doesn’t feel like it’s meant to be part of the flavor profile.  The flavors in the last third is leaving a dry feeling in my mouth.  I am still tasting some wood but that bitter note is still lingering.  With an inch to go, there is a certain sweet malty flavor with hints of espresso but this lingers only for brief moments.

Final Thoughts:

• Considering most of Viaje’s releases have been shipped wet, I was impressed that this cigar was ready to be smoked as was the Friends and Family
• While this cigar had some unique flavors, I enjoyed the 1st release WLP more so than this one.  Even though this is a test blend, this is one of Viaje’s best releases nor in the top 15
• With all the new releases coming out from Viaje in the past week or so, I feel that the Super Shot is priced well enough along with a solid flavor profile.
• The construction on this cigar was very good and I was also pleased with the draw and burn.  However, this cigar could have improved itself if the flavors in the last third  were more prevalent/dominant.