TX Duo Review - Viaje Pina 2016

[Çnote]

@Capn_Jackson

My only new year's resolution is to smoke more cigars.

Cap'n and I have projected one a week for a year to do reviews on, so maybe some entertainment will happen.

This is technically a WLP from Viaje. From what I've been able to gather, this label was conceived in Hawaii and made in the DR at EPC. (I really don't care for EPC, I found my 1st few to be overly strong and have irritating burn issues. Chekhov's opinion? Maybe.)

For Cap'n and I, there is a personal connection as Viaje Pina is one of the 1st cigars we got to talk about as a shared experience, and I believe his 1st Viaje. 

This looks dark and rustic, especially with the WLP band. It immediately starts with tons of pink peppercorn and within a few puffs degrades into unami funk, beef jerkey, worcestershire, ketchup. It gets better drifting into burning leaves, borderline tire fire. Big nicotine, big tar. I take drastic measures and recut, this helps a little, but the burn is all over the place. I give it some time and a small mousehole forms. Still very savory msg, unami concept but the flavors are still in leaves and leather. 

Getting into the 3rd 3rd and removing the band seems to help, the flavors become more pleasant ideas of forest floor, saline mineral, hot sand. 

The nub is a different animal, Guinness foam, hazelnut cream, espresso with thick crema. Total shift. I am reminded of Bolivar and I'm willing to accept my own biases against the factory and blend, but i do remember liking the more recent release much more. We'll try that one next.

[Capn_Jackson]

Viaje Piña, 2016

“Here, smoke this.”

That’s what @Çnote said, nearly two years ago. I had wandered over to the bar after a Rangers baseball game, having had several beers, many of them IPA, and probably ballpark nachos (with jalapeños, of course!). Needless to say, my palate was fairly sullied, and I told him so. Hands me a cigar and says “Here, smoke this.” I remember a very interesting experience, going along great with the bitter hops and spicy notes I already had in my mouth. This morning, I’ve had no IPA’s, no jalapeños, just a typical oatmeal breakfast (with peanut butter and blueberries, of course!), coffee, and sparkling water. Ready to find out what this cigar is really all about on a clean palate.

Cold draw, lots of coffee and dark cocoa. First third opens to strong coffee notes, thick molasses, and hay. Notes of white pepper and coriander flit in and out. More than a little cocoa, and some kind of smoky, tangy bbq sauce. Notes of black currant in the long finish. The mouthfeel is very nice, liquidy more than creamy or oily. The age has treated this cigar very nicely, mellowing out some of the chargrilled meat notes I remember from the first one I had, which was not as well-rested.

Going on, bbq sauce morphs into something with more umami, maybe a smoky oyster sauce. Maybe a spiced beef broth. Currant has phased out and I can’t help but think, despite the name “Piña,” the only fruit I’m getting is more like persimmon. Syrupy, smoky, sweet, and yet earthy.

So much smoke output on this stick, very open draw, and a beautiful contrast between dark wrapper and pale ash. Heading toward the second act, the chargrilled meaty vibes come to the forefront, and what I’m tasting as an earthy, bittersweet mole sauce. 

Around the midpoint, losing sweetness but much more earthy here. Something like poblano liqueur… yes, that’s a thing… along with a bit of nutmeggy baked goods. This continues to be one of the more interesting blends of dried leaf that I’ve ever tasted. 

This ash must be trying to win a contest of some kind.

Last third becomes more sweet again, less spicy. Agave with a little dried stone fruit. Medium roast coffee with cocoa cream. That’s about how we finish, with just a hint of bitterness. Strength has hovered around medium, maybe a touch over, the whole way. Primary flavors throughout were coffee, poblano, umami, cocoa, and earthy fruits. Very enjoyable stick, just over an hour and a half.

[Çnote]

So, I tried this again, with a slightly deeper straight cut. Better out of the gate, but still burn issues. Much more spice and muted sweetness, leather instead of leaves and tires. Great cigar, but maybe not entirely to my palate.