Pre-light Experience

The wrapper on the Viaje Birthday Blend Gold 2022 is a dull medium brown that has a network of lightly raised veins that carry a lighter color to them. The seams are smooth while the tapered cap has some raised edges. The band is white and holographic silver and carries the company and line names. The aroma from the wrapper is a light wood note, while the foot brings sweet cedar and earth. The pre-light draw is a mellow mix of cedar and earth.

First Third

The cigar begins with toasted cedar and sharp baking spices. At a quarter inch in, some light earth joins the profile. At a half inch in, the baking spice settles down a bit and a light mustiness joins the profile. The retrohale is zingy baking spice and toasted cedar with light earth and mustiness. At an inch and a quarter, the cedar transitions to oak. As the third comes to a close, the earth picks up a bit and the profile is toasted oak up front with earth and punchy baking spice a bit behind with light mustiness in the background. The strength was slightly above medium.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the baking spice loses its punchiness. At a half inch in, the earth increases and is now even with the toasted oak up front. The retrohale is now toasted oak, earth and black pepper with light mustiness. At an inch in, the baking spice transitions to black pepper. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak and earth are even up front with black pepper in the middle and light mustiness in the background. The strength remains at slightly above medium.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the oak takes on a lightly stale profile. At a half inch in, the toast level increases a bit. The retrohale is now just toasted oak and earth. As the cigar wraps up, the profile is heavily toasted and slightly stale oak even with the earth, black pepper in the middle and light mustiness in the background. The strength in this third bumped up to medium-full.

Burn

The burn was straight throughout and the ash held on in inch and a half increments.

Draw

The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.

Overall

The cigar began with toasted cedar and sharp baking spices. Some earth joined fairly quickly and some mustiness a bit later. The cedar then transitioned to oak. The second third saw the baking spice mellow and later transition to black pepper. The final third saw the oak become a bit stale and the toast level increased. The construction was absolutely perfect. The Viaje Birthday Blend Gold 2022 started well and I was enjoying the punchiness of the spice. In the second third, when the spice mellowed and the earth gained a bigger role, the profile dropped a level and maintained that the rest of the way. This cigar is a step up from some of the more recent Viaje’s I’ve smoked, but still not a level of something I’d come back to all that often.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$2.24

Scoring System

Personal Cigar Review: Viaje Birthday Blend Gold 2022