http://www.examiner.com/cigar-in-national/first-smoke-review-viaje-skull-bones-2-review
First smoke review - Viaje Skull & Bones #2
When it comes to hype about micro-batch releases, Viaje seems to corner the market at the moment. Between the original release of their Skull & Bones and the Double Edge Sword, Viaje seems to be both the most sought-after and the most frustrating brand of cigars on the market right now. There are stories of people calling shops across the country in search of these limited edition sticks, and retailers being sold out well before they ever release them thanks to buzz on Twitter and cigar message boards.
While the release of a second Skull & Bones had been rumored on the internet and subsequently confirmed by a retailer in California, it was a surprise text message from a retailer in Phoenix that was the alert that the cigar was actually available. A box was quickly reserved and picked up, and the following review is based on a cigar pulled from that box.
Following the purchase of a box of Skull & Bones, the box of 25 got a rest in a Coolerdor for probably 30 hours or so before firing the first one on a cool, windy Phoenix evening with a Ti'Punch cocktail to accompany the cigar.
The pre-light aroma is suprisingly mild, given the dark, rich and oily color of the cigar. A dark, veiny and toothy wrapper with a handsome cap that was cut with a double guillotine graced the cigar, it was firm to the touch but surprisingly squishy.
The cold draw was easy, even with the wrapper covering the foot of the cigar. No predominant flavors seemed to present themsleves, leaving the flavors of the cigar a bit of a mystery as the torch was fired up.
The first puffs were fairly mild albeit a bit zingy but not overly peppery or spicy. If anything, a nice, meaty flavor comes out.
The burn is very good - there were no problems with the draw and the cigar burns evenly through the first three quarters of an inch.
The Skull & Bones 2 is a fairly smooth cigar up until the midway point, when a bit of harshness entered the equation. It dissipates fairly quickly, though, and returns to the flavors found earlier.
Is the Skull & Bones 2 good? Yes. But is it mind blowing? No. If anything, it suffers from that which makes it desirable - its limited availability. Finding just a single stick can be such a challenge that it places seemingly unreachable expectations on the cigar. As the hype dies down with time, it will be interesting to return to this cigar and see how it smokes with a bit less pressure on it.