Good Fellas Cigars

14th Mar2012

Viaje White Label Project Winter Classic

by GoodFellasCigars

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Criollo

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Shape: Rothschild

Size: 4/12 x 48

Country: Honduras

Strength: Medium

Production: 250 Bundles of 25 Cigars; 6,250 Total Cigars

Price Range: $8.00; $200.00 for a Bundle of 25

The Viaje White Label Project Winter Classic is the first of Viaje’s White Label Project for 2012 and the fifth installment for the line overall. Viaje created the White Label Project to give Viaje customers a glance at what may be to come from Viaje as well as test those cigars with customers. These cigars with their unique and sometimes unique sizes would otherwise not be made available to the public. So it is always a treat smoke a new White Label Project.

The Look: The Viaje White Label Project Winter Classic is 4/12 inches by 48 ring gauge Rothschild with a lightly veined light brown wrapper with some darker brown spots. The Viaje White Label Project Winter Classic like the previous White Label Project is fitted with a white band with the word Viaje printed in black. The pack is firm with some depressions. The depressions concerned me slightly as I didn’t know if that would be an bad omen for the quality of smoking enjoyment that I may get from this cigar.

The Start: The foot of the Viaje White Label Project Winter Classic had an aroma of light spice and barnyard and, the wrapper gave off an aroma of light musk. The pre-light draw had a flavor of light black liquorish. The initial draw contained flavors of dark liquorish, oak wood tones, and light spice.

The Beginning: Going more into the first third of the Viaje White Label Project Winter Classic the smooth flavor profile consisted of oak wood, dark liquorish and, creamy chocolate. Following the flavors that came shortly after puffing on this cigar, the finish was made up of semi-bitter caramelized sugar, light pepper, and an oak woodiness. The draw was great and the burn was very even. The ash had light to medium gray coloring and held well to the cigar. While I was enjoying smoking the Viaje White Label Project Winter Classic I was also outside enjoying the nice weather. As I was doing this I noticed the sun shine highlighting smoke white-blue that came off the cigar. This is not remarkable in any sense but it was nice to witness the sunny side of mother nature while finally getting to enjoy a cigar in the warm open air after months of smoking in doors. So far this was a great start to this cigar.

The Middle: In the second third of the Viaje White Label Project Winter Classic, the flavor profile shifted but only slightly. The oak was replaced by mahogany, the dark liquorish went away but, the creamy chocolate remained. On the retrohale spice and pink pepper were present. The finish had bitter caramelized sugar, sea salt, and a bit of tanginess that could perhaps be described as mango. The draw still quite good but the burn was slightly uneven. At rest the smoke that exuded from the Viaje White Label Project Winter Classic carried an aroma of warm wood .

The End: The final third saw the flavors become over all become bolder. The flavor profile here was still very smooth while the woody flavor of dark mahogany came to the forefront and a creamy dark chocolate was also present. The finish was a bit spicy consisting of a spicy black pepper, and the slight tang from the second third. The draw was yet again still quite excellent, while the slightly wavy burn started to correct itself from the second third. Here in the final third ash seemed to be not as strong as it was in the first third. I stopped smoking this cigar nearly at the start of where the band was as starting to get harsh.

Final Thoughts: The Viaje White Label Project Winter Classic was overall a very enjoyable cigar with an interesting yet most smooth flavor profile. I would love to smoke this cigar in front of a fire place with a good beer or now that the weather is nice again, by a bonfire again with a good beer. I would not mind if Viaje produced this cigar again but maybe this time without the white band.

Category : viaje

Tags : $200.00 for a Bundle of 25, Binder: Nicaraguan, classic, Country: Honduras, Filler: Nicaraguan, label, Price Range: $8.00, project, review, Shape: Rothschild, Size: 4/12 x 48, Strength: Medium, viaje, Viaje White Label Project Winter. Classic, white, winter, Wrapper: Nicaraguan Criollo

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16th Feb2012

Panacea White Corojo Torpedo

by GoodFellasCigars

Wrapper: Corojo
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Nicaragua/Dominican Republic
Shape: Torpedo
Size: 6 by 52
Country: Dominican Republic
Strength: Medium to Full
Production: Full Production
Price Range: $7.00 to $8.00
Appearance: Semi-thick veins, small bumps near the top of cigar, firm pack with no give to it, wrapper and foot have virtually no smell
Flavors:
• Beginning: Brunt cedar spice, even profile here nothing to unique
• Middle: Underlying dry mixed fruit, light earth, mild spice
• End: Spice warming up more, burnt cedar, salt and pepper nut
Draw/Smoke: Smooth, big white clouds, burnt and roasted smoke that give a warming sensation to the palate
Burn: Razor sharp all the way with no complaints
Ash: Not flaky and stays firm for about an inch, white peppered with some black
Other Comments: Pleasant easy going smoke that is nice to sit and watch the game with

Category : Panacea

Tags : bed, cigars, company, corojo, flat, label, Panacea, quickie, quickies, review, Torpedo, white

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17th Jan2012

Panacea Green Broadleaf

by GoodFellasCigars

Wrapper: Pennsylvania Broadleaf

Binder: Dominican Habano

Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan

Shape: Toro

Size: 6 x 52

Country: Dominican Republic

Strength: Full

Price Range: Approx $6.40

The Panacea Green Label uses a Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper and the filler is a triple ligero so from that I can tell this cigar is going to pack some punch! The leaves they use for this cigar are fermented in Bucks Country, PA. Here is more information on the company itself if you would like to know –> Flatbed Cigar Company. The wrapper on this cigar is a chocolate brown with peppered dark spots and some thick veins running up and down the length of the cigar. It also has a clean cap and an oily sheen to it.

The foot and wrapper to the Green had a strong smell of spice to it. As for the pre-light draw it really had no flavor to it and the draw itself took pretty much no effort, very smooth. Which kind of made no sense because this is a triple ligero. The initial draw was a different story though. It had a mild tobacco as the base flavor and prominent leather as the main flavor. The draw really required little to no effort still and when resting in an ashtray it produced a decent amount of smoke.

Going through the first third each draw produced a good amount of smoke and the strength in flavors begin to ramp up and tingle the tongue. A spice is introduced during the first third that is really strong when retro hauling. Also I begin to pick up a lite amount of vanilla bean along with the main leather flavor, which I can tell is on the up rise. The ash on this stick is for the most part black, firm, and stays on for quite some time.

The second third is where you really notice changes. The smoke here begins to become alot more creamy with the vanilla becoming alot more noticeable and the leather smoothing out along with it aswell. Only down part here is I needed to correct the burn because it became really jagged. Overall I’m really enjoying this stick, it has an excellent blend of spice, vanilla, and leather that makes for a very creamy smoke. Plus I think this is the first time I’ve ever had Pennsylvania Broadleaf as a wrapper on a cigar…usually not that common and also stating what I stated before it’s made in the US which is another plus. This cigar would also compliment a nice, rich coffee.

Approaching the final third the vanilla is taking on a small amount of bitterness, which is a sign it’s starting to die down. While going making my way threw the final the vanilla continued to go down in exchange for the spice which was going up. The leather still remained the main flavor though. The burn was still up and down but, didn’t get to the point where it needed corrections again. As for the finish it was leather follow by spice. In total the Panacea Green Broadleaf was an excellent smoke especially those out there that are looking for a strong smoke that will give about and hour and a half of enjoyment.

Category : Panacea

Tags : broadleaf, cigars, company, flatbed, full, green, label, made, Panacea, pennsylvania, review, reviews, usa

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14th Nov2011

Viaje Fifty Fifty Red Label No. 2 (2011)

by GoodFellasCigars

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Shape: No. 2

Size: 6 x 50

Country: Nicaragua

Strength: Medium to Full

Price Range: Around $13.00

After bringing you the review of the Black Label here is our take on the second half of the Fifty Fifty Series but, first I will recap. To start off I will say a little background to what the Viaje Fifty Fifty series is about. It first made it’s debut in 2009 and after that it was meant to be an annual release for Viaje. The thing that sets these cigars apart is that they involve taking two different blends which they then combine into a single cigar. Overall this is a unique concept developed by Andre Farkas and his crew at Viaje. The Fifty Fifty series has always a pair of two when released, one Black, and one Red. The difference is usually the Black Label is to be considered a more full-bodied smoke referring to the body and strength. The Fifty Fifty is usually available in 3 sizes which are:

No. 1: 5 5 /8 x 46
No. 2: 6 x 50
No. 3: 7 x 47

And now to the cigar itself. The Viaje Fifty Fifty Red Label has a little pig tail just like the Black Label, a firm pack near the foot and a softer pack near the cap with overall smooth construction, and light amount of veins. The wrapper/foot had a woody smoke smell along with some sweetness. Then the pre-light draw was a lot smoother than what I experience with the Black Label and the pre-light flavors were a sweet and spice mix of tobacco.

Upon first light the smoke entered giving the palate a tingling, warming sensation that gave flavors of pink pepper, a spice that is spicy but, not overwhelming to the point of its an ass kicker. Along with the initial light the smoke gave the aroma of a pungent campfire smell which reminded me of the smell the foot and the wrapper had.

The first third of the Viaje Fifty Fifty Red Label kept the spice from the initial draw but, not as strong and along with the spice is a dark cocoa. The aroma coming off is of a rich, warm tobacco. The main profile of the first third though stays consistent with a spicy, musky, barnyard earth flavor having a decent amount of smoke come off with each draw. As for the ash it is black/dark grey just like the Black Label but, the draw is smoother here than the Black Label. The burn on the other hand is becoming jagged at the transition point in the second third.

Traveling through the second third I begin to noticed the spice going down which is making me think that were beginning to transition. I was sure right just before the half way mark I begin to pick up flavors of a mild peanut flavor that begin to make the smoke really creamy. At this point too the spice tone reminded me of a burning cedar that was great! It made a great, full, warm smoke on the palate. Going past the halfway point the burn started slowly correcting itself but, the ashy was still loose at flaky just like the Black Label.

The final third has the spice go down a little bit more where it becomes a underlying tone kind of like it comes around after each finish of a draw. The main profile here is a big mix though, starting with the warm nut with a tad bit of musky. As I get more into the final third the full transition becomes apparent with the profile being bitter espresso that is decently strong with some bite to it on the tongue. Along with all this is a dry earth flavor and as always the underlying spice that’s still kinda there. More bitter than spice though at the end. The tobacco loosens up too making the draw even easier and the burn also evens out more too.

The finish is slightly dry, mainly being bitter along with a earthy nut and lastly with the underlying spice being there. Overall the Viaje Fifty Fifty Red Label profile was great going from spicy to creamy to finally a bitter, nutty earth flavor. The only downfall was the same ones as the Black Label being the jagged burn and flaky ash except, the Red Label had a better draw. I suggest people still try this Viaje because it’s a great concept having a cigar that has a beginning that’s totally different from the end.

Review on the Viaje Fifty Fifty Black Label No. 3 (2011)

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