Viaje

Vulchor

So I live in an area where I am lucky enough to get some sticks that are harder to find for a lot of folks. One of these is the Viaje brand. After last night I have now tried.....Skull and Bones (red), Skull and Bones (black and white), Oro Platino, Fifty Fifty Red, and 2011 Seasonal------I have the 2011 Holiday Blend in the Humi

So here I go for another brand....but am I again the only one that doesnt get the hype???? They are decent, even nice sticks....but nothing more. I dont see the high ratings or push to get them. I have a similar issue (I realize it may be me) with a lot of Pete Johnson's stuff. And I know of course everyone's palate is different, and I really want to like these sticks...I do. However-------They just seem like another over hyped decent stick to me that make me appreciate a regular old LFD, Padron, or Camacho more than I already did.....................Thoughts?

bigharpoon

I read more banter about how to find them, how many were made, who can get them, what his business model is, how his business model is genius/annoying/sucks, better get 'em - last chance before they're gone forever, etc. etc. than I do people bantering about how tasty and incredible they are.

kuzi16

ive had several. they are good but once you factor in the effort to get them, they are not worth it. they are just another cigar to me. i dont feel that they stand out from the crowd. so... whatever.

big chunks

i was wondering about viaje's, ive been trying to find info on them and by the time i want to get some they are sold out. but there seems to be a lot of borrowing of ideas from this brand, like the "late harvest" is kinda Tatuaje idea for la verite, and his wlp candela is like illusione candela and i think they are from the same company. anyway thats just my 2 cents. i would still like to try some but i dont think im gonna hunt them down

Ken Light

I could be wrong, but I think in this case you're mixing up two markets. I think there are collectors, who will chase down very hard to find cigars and for them I believe the chase, the purchase, and admiring the cigar in their humidor are all more gratifying than lighting the thing up. They might even have a bit of remorse after the fact when they do finally light one up. Then there are smokers, for whom the chase, the purchase, and staring at the thing (maybe waiting for it to age to the right level) are all really a sometimes annoying prelude to the real experience, lighting up the perfect smoke in the perfect environment and savoring every last puff of it, possibly picking apart and noting down every last flavor in a journal so at the end the cigar is gone but never forgotten.

I also realize that both of these types reside inside me, in nearly equal parts, and they probably do within all of us at least to some extent. Maybe not, though, maybe there are nearly pure smokers. I doubt there are nearly pure collectors, but who knows?

Finally, the logical part of me knows that one cigar will very rarely satisfy both of these markets. Exept in the cases of tobacco that is both rare and limited AND really good, a really good smoke will sell well to a wide market and very likely be readily available, at least eventually. And why should a rare cigar be any good? A collector probably just wants to stare at it anyway. Nobody cares much that beanie babies aren't particularly cuddly as teddy bears either or that baseball cards don't have particularly great photographs of the players on them.

DSWarmack

Ken Light:

I could be wrong, but I think in this case you're mixing up two markets. I think there are collectors, who will chase down very hard to find cigars and for them I believe the chase, the purchase, and admiring the cigar in their humidor are all more gratifying than lighting the thing up. They might even have a bit of remorse after the fact when they do finally light one up. Then there are smokers, for whom the chase, the purchase, and staring at the thing (maybe waiting for it to age to the right level) are all really a sometimes annoying prelude to the real experience, lighting up the perfect smoke in the perfect environment and savoring every last puff of it, possibly picking apart and noting down every last flavor in a journal so at the end the cigar is gone but never forgotten.

I also realize that both of these types reside inside me, in nearly equal parts, and they probably do within all of us at least to some extent. Maybe not, though, maybe there are nearly pure smokers. I doubt there are nearly pure collectors, but who knows?

Finally, the logical part of me knows that one cigar will very rarely satisfy both of these markets. Exept in the cases of tobacco that is both rare and limited AND really good, a really good smoke will sell well to a wide market and very likely be readily available, at least eventually. And why should a rare cigar be any good? A collector probably just wants to stare at it anyway. Nobody cares much that beanie babies aren't particularly cuddly as teddy bears either or that baseball cards don't have particularly great photographs of the players on them.

Wow, well stated.

KCW

DSWarmack:

Ken Light:

I could be wrong, but I think in this case you're mixing up two markets. I think there are collectors, who will chase down very hard to find cigars and for them I believe the chase, the purchase, and admiring the cigar in their humidor are all more gratifying than lighting the thing up. They might even have a bit of remorse after the fact when they do finally light one up. Then there are smokers, for whom the chase, the purchase, and staring at the thing (maybe waiting for it to age to the right level) are all really a sometimes annoying prelude to the real experience, lighting up the perfect smoke in the perfect environment and savoring every last puff of it, possibly picking apart and noting down every last flavor in a journal so at the end the cigar is gone but never forgotten.

I also realize that both of these types reside inside me, in nearly equal parts, and they probably do within all of us at least to some extent. Maybe not, though, maybe there are nearly pure smokers. I doubt there are nearly pure collectors, but who knows?

Finally, the logical part of me knows that one cigar will very rarely satisfy both of these markets. Exept in the cases of tobacco that is both rare and limited AND really good, a really good smoke will sell well to a wide market and very likely be readily available, at least eventually. And why should a rare cigar be any good? A collector probably just wants to stare at it anyway. Nobody cares much that beanie babies aren't particularly cuddly as teddy bears either or that baseball cards don't have particularly great photographs of the players on them.

Wow, well stated.

+1

415

well i cant say ive had too much trouble getting my hands on 95% of the sticks that viaje makes. there about half a dozen of them that i find myself smoking often. i do wish they would stop the limited realease thing because im sick of watching people buy multiple boxes then turn around and sell them days later for a lot more than they paid for them.

lcpleel

Story of any boutique blend (micro batch)

docbp87

415:

well i cant say ive had too much trouble getting my hands on 95% of the sticks that viaje makes. there about half a dozen of them that i find myself smoking often. i do wish they would stop the limited realease thing because im sick of watching people buy multiple boxes then turn around and sell them days later for a lot more than they paid for them.

According to Andre, the original plan for the brand was to be 100% small batch. In fact, as of a month ago or so, they have announced that Viaje IS going all small batch.

415

docbp87:

415:

well i cant say ive had too much trouble getting my hands on 95% of the sticks that viaje makes. there about half a dozen of them that i find myself smoking often. i do wish they would stop the limited realease thing because im sick of watching people buy multiple boxes then turn around and sell them days later for a lot more than they paid for them.

According to Andre, the original plan for the brand was to be 100% small batch. In fact, as of a month ago or so, they have announced that Viaje IS going all small batch.

i had herd that.
i dont really smoke the core blends that often anyways.
just wish the DES was a bit easier to find. but at a run of only 125 boxes no such luck

rzaman

The brand might be overhyped but the Viaje oro reserva no.5 is a great cigar. The taste profile can get close to the Padron 45th Maduro. They extended the line but none of them get close to no.5. I am not easily convinced with hype but I do enjoy no.5. If you can get some of the Oro no. 5 just give them six months of aging.

jsnake

I am a Viaje Whore and everyone above has made very good and valid points. Sometimes the chase and being able to snag a bunch is awesome. I love the way they all look in the humidor. I love my huge collection of them. The most important thing is I absolutely love smoking them. My favorite is the Holiday Blend. I quite chasing them though to focus on my court case and to start working off some debt including attorney fees. I am on a buying freeze and it is killing me. I know they are out there and I want nothing more to find and get all the new ones.

If you wait you can usually find them. Guys buy them all up and later on they decide they need to sell. Some guys go nuts price gouging but most guys are cool about it. I have a couple regular guys that help me out and I have helped out many people as well. I can get just about any of them on a regular basis.

zeebra

Viaje to release the new "Gun Powder" end of the year in limited quantities. It will be in a short 1" tube, you have to pour out the "gun powder" and lay it across like you are about to do a line. Light it up and smell the aroma of our limited production new line. Only $9.95 per tube.


On a serious note, I've had a lot of them and they are good, but I'm done with the chase and paying the high dollar price tag when I can get a Cohiba, Vegas Robania, Bolivars for around the same price, but much better. My favorite is the DES though and it is a great smoke!

joshvoigt

Original Viajes were much better. The last year or so they have been rushed and need quite a bit of downtime to enjoy. That being said I've moved on from most of them except the Exclusivo blend is still awesome.

Diamondog

I am a collector and a smoker...I buy lots to smoke but I only "collect" cigars that are stunning to smoke.

Vulchor

All this said-----what I did leave out is how nice the SATORI looks and how much I want to give it a whirl......It seemed to smell like a very different profile than alotof other cigars Ive tried and was much more oily than most Viaje's Ive seen-----------Thoughts?

DSWarmack

I LOVE Viaje smokes! This is the caveat to that statement: I am not running around with wads of cash and I don't necessarily want to 'search' for a great smoke. That being said when I get them I savor them and hold them for special occasions much like some here will hold a GOF or something similar. They are nice to have but I just cant see searching for a cigar to spend that much on.