Stogie_Bear
Chulo Savage
Review: Viaje Honey & Hand Grenades Shiv
Size: 6.25 x 50
MSRP: $10.15
Date: 25th day of January, the year 2015…..
Smoking Environment: Just a normal day. I woke up earlier than usual but refreshed. Decided to use the extra time to make some homemade croissants, eggs, link sausage along with some fresh oranges and a honey almond brie spread to die for. I meander out to the office to try and catch up on some reviews. It is a breezy and bright day, 61 degrees and not a single cloud in the sky. I open all the windows and doors in my office to let the sunshine and cool air in. I settle into the sofa chair and pick out a stick to review from Big Bill that I’ve been meaning to get around to. I pour a water and squeeze some fresh lime into the mason jar, open my dry box and select my prey. Nice, quiet Sunday morning smoke.
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Criollo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Appearance/construction: Fine looking cigar. Closed torpedo foot, which I have never seen before, and nice triple cap. Medium brown semi-oily wrapper with a medium tooth. Minimal veining and mostly tight wrap, only coming loose in one spot.
Aroma Pre-Light: Not a really fragrant cigar, but picking up some notes of light chocolate and wheat.
Cold draw: Same as the aroma, chocolate and wheat, with a touch of earthiness and cedar. Draw is a little tight.
Light: Lighting with a single torch. I clipped s quarter-inch of the foot off so that I could like the stick. It lit quickly and seems to be burning even right away.
First impression: This stick is incredibly smooth from the get-go. Without knowingly doing so, I may have crafted a breakfast that perfectly pairs with this post-meal cigar. No bitterness at all, it just hops right into the flavor. Draw has opened slightly, and will continue to open I assume due to the narrow foot.
Aroma Post-Light: Oak fire and dark citrus fruits.
First Third: I’m getting notes of sharp cheese, fruit, chocolate, and wheat bread. If you don’t retro, you need to on this stick. A wonderfully hidden secret profile of wood, steak, and white pepper lay waiting in the retrohale. The burn is progressing nicely and finally leveling out after the closed torpedo foot, staying mostly even. The smoke production increases in volume steadily and the ash falls gracefully after about ¾ of an inch. The flavors deepen as I near the second third, still holding true to the fruit and chocolate while the wheat notes are slowly fading, with a silky backdrop of silky sweetness. While it doesn’t necessarily taste like honey for me, maybe this is where the name came from.
Second Third: The draw has opened fully, but still with a desirable amount of resistance. The burn continues to be very even. The sharpness of the cheese as settled into a creamy sweetness paired with the chocolate that seems to be turning dark and the pepper and meatiness moving from the retrohale into the draw profile. Still a background of earth and pepper that sticks to the back of the palate as a lingering aftertaste. Very little heat on the draw in the middle of the second third, which is very pleasing. Smoke production is average. Moving into the final third….
Final Third: I’m picking up some spices… not only pepper, but also a green spice. Maybe fresh thyme or sage. It whisks in and out of the flavor profile, not staying long enough for me to identify it. I’m beginning to feel the sting of red pepper on the retrohale, and a slight increase in heat pushing its way through a curtain of complexity. Dark oak and cedar flavors unleash a flavor of grilled meat. There is still the occasional sweetness coming through in the aroma and tip of the palate. I’m in the nub, and although the heat is on, it has not grown more intense from its appearance until I am nearly burning my fingers.
Overall Impression/Final Notes: Good, complex cigar. Smooth flavor progression, with notes of fruit, cream, cheese, meat, chocolate, wheat, earth and hay through the entirety of the stick. Thanks to Big Bill for the smoke. This cigar has an appealing uniqueness that is hard to ignore, so points for that.
Smoke time: 1hr 50m
Scoring:
Appearance and Presentation: 18/20
Lighting and Burning Properties: 12/15
Construction Properties: 27/30
Taste Properties: 32/35
Total: 89/100
Author’s Note: As always, I welcome any constructive criticism so that my reviews can continue to grow in strength and depth. I will try my best to review sticks that have not been previously reviewed here and that are generally “available,” or that have been requested by fellow brothers. As a service to my brothers, I intend to write with as much detail as I can muster, and with an honest opinion. However, it is only MY opinion, so please try a stick before you buy a box if you have any intention of being fiscally responsible with this beloved affliction for fine tobacco that we all have. Also, all cigars are kept humidified at 68% and dry boxed if needed. Thanks for reading!
Size: 6.25 x 50
MSRP: $10.15
Date: 25th day of January, the year 2015…..
Smoking Environment: Just a normal day. I woke up earlier than usual but refreshed. Decided to use the extra time to make some homemade croissants, eggs, link sausage along with some fresh oranges and a honey almond brie spread to die for. I meander out to the office to try and catch up on some reviews. It is a breezy and bright day, 61 degrees and not a single cloud in the sky. I open all the windows and doors in my office to let the sunshine and cool air in. I settle into the sofa chair and pick out a stick to review from Big Bill that I’ve been meaning to get around to. I pour a water and squeeze some fresh lime into the mason jar, open my dry box and select my prey. Nice, quiet Sunday morning smoke.
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Criollo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Appearance/construction: Fine looking cigar. Closed torpedo foot, which I have never seen before, and nice triple cap. Medium brown semi-oily wrapper with a medium tooth. Minimal veining and mostly tight wrap, only coming loose in one spot.
Aroma Pre-Light: Not a really fragrant cigar, but picking up some notes of light chocolate and wheat.
Cold draw: Same as the aroma, chocolate and wheat, with a touch of earthiness and cedar. Draw is a little tight.
Light: Lighting with a single torch. I clipped s quarter-inch of the foot off so that I could like the stick. It lit quickly and seems to be burning even right away.
First impression: This stick is incredibly smooth from the get-go. Without knowingly doing so, I may have crafted a breakfast that perfectly pairs with this post-meal cigar. No bitterness at all, it just hops right into the flavor. Draw has opened slightly, and will continue to open I assume due to the narrow foot.
Aroma Post-Light: Oak fire and dark citrus fruits.
First Third: I’m getting notes of sharp cheese, fruit, chocolate, and wheat bread. If you don’t retro, you need to on this stick. A wonderfully hidden secret profile of wood, steak, and white pepper lay waiting in the retrohale. The burn is progressing nicely and finally leveling out after the closed torpedo foot, staying mostly even. The smoke production increases in volume steadily and the ash falls gracefully after about ¾ of an inch. The flavors deepen as I near the second third, still holding true to the fruit and chocolate while the wheat notes are slowly fading, with a silky backdrop of silky sweetness. While it doesn’t necessarily taste like honey for me, maybe this is where the name came from.
Second Third: The draw has opened fully, but still with a desirable amount of resistance. The burn continues to be very even. The sharpness of the cheese as settled into a creamy sweetness paired with the chocolate that seems to be turning dark and the pepper and meatiness moving from the retrohale into the draw profile. Still a background of earth and pepper that sticks to the back of the palate as a lingering aftertaste. Very little heat on the draw in the middle of the second third, which is very pleasing. Smoke production is average. Moving into the final third….
Final Third: I’m picking up some spices… not only pepper, but also a green spice. Maybe fresh thyme or sage. It whisks in and out of the flavor profile, not staying long enough for me to identify it. I’m beginning to feel the sting of red pepper on the retrohale, and a slight increase in heat pushing its way through a curtain of complexity. Dark oak and cedar flavors unleash a flavor of grilled meat. There is still the occasional sweetness coming through in the aroma and tip of the palate. I’m in the nub, and although the heat is on, it has not grown more intense from its appearance until I am nearly burning my fingers.
Overall Impression/Final Notes: Good, complex cigar. Smooth flavor progression, with notes of fruit, cream, cheese, meat, chocolate, wheat, earth and hay through the entirety of the stick. Thanks to Big Bill for the smoke. This cigar has an appealing uniqueness that is hard to ignore, so points for that.
Smoke time: 1hr 50m
Scoring:
Appearance and Presentation: 18/20
Lighting and Burning Properties: 12/15
Construction Properties: 27/30
Taste Properties: 32/35
Total: 89/100
Author’s Note: As always, I welcome any constructive criticism so that my reviews can continue to grow in strength and depth. I will try my best to review sticks that have not been previously reviewed here and that are generally “available,” or that have been requested by fellow brothers. As a service to my brothers, I intend to write with as much detail as I can muster, and with an honest opinion. However, it is only MY opinion, so please try a stick before you buy a box if you have any intention of being fiscally responsible with this beloved affliction for fine tobacco that we all have. Also, all cigars are kept humidified at 68% and dry boxed if needed. Thanks for reading!
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