Viaje TNT

Yep, it’s a scorcher today with temps in the high nineties and humidity really kickin’, but as usual its not so bad under the walnut tree with a nice breeze blowing. I decided to put fire to a Viaje TNT, rolled like a stick of dynamite with fuse from the head and closed end foot, another seasonal release specifically for July 4th. The Nicaraguan wrapper is a dark brown with noticeable oil, small tooth, and small veins throughout. It feels a bit light in the hand for its size, and after punching the well constructed cap I find the draw quite open, even with the closed end foot.

After torching the foot, I take several good puffs and again find the draw wide open with a huge amount of bluish white smoke flowing through. My first draw brings a good amount of white pepper spice on the tongue and throat, however not too overpowering, with the smoke medium in strength. There’s not much by way of flavor other than what I would describe as a very clean taste.

A third in and the burn is sharp with a whitish gray ash forming that holds well. Although the draw is quite loose, it is still working really well with the medium strength of the smoke coming through. The peppery spice has subsided to more of a mild, and the flavor has picked up with taste of a muted sweet dark brown sugar and earth, the finish semi-lasting on the palate.

Halfway and everything is pretty much consistent; sharp burn, good draw (although loose), medium strength, and semi-rich flavor that leaves a rather short finish on the palate. It did seem to get slightly bland towards the end with not much finish left.

Although good, it didn’t really blow me away and going for $10 a stick, I expected to get a bit more from it. Still, it was a decent enough smoke.

Nice review ... I've got one of these wating for the right moment to smoke it.

Observation ... and quick question for you.

In your review pics, you always look to get a nice clean punch ... I don't always have such good results with my punch (so I've been sticking with my cutter lately) ... is yours just really sharp, or am I missing the technique?

Threadjack off...

C...

I asked that about a year ago...still can't get it done right!

fourthrail said:

Nice review ... I've got one of these wating for the right moment to smoke it.

Observation ... and quick question for you.

In your review pics, you always look to get a nice clean punch ... I don't always have such good results with my punch (so I've been sticking with my cutter lately) ... is yours just really sharp, or am I missing the technique?

Threadjack off...

C...

Click to expand...

It could be that I do try to keep mine sharp at all times. I simply lay the ring on the cap as close to center as possible, push down with only a little pressure, and then twist with both knife and cigar. Sometimes it takes only one or two twists as there's only one or two layers of thin tobacco; however if the layers are really thick, I'll let the cutter get about halfway in to make sure I've broken through the top layers, then put extra pressure and make sure the punched tobacco is moving with the knife before I stop. Of course, there are times when the cap will simply bust all to pieces, which I'll simply go get the Palio and clip the mess. Other times the cap may be so deep/thick that the ring doesn't reach all the way through, and I'll use my fingers/fingernails to pull it out.

I think the key for me having good cuts is that I keep my cigars at a higher RH, so the tobacco is fairly soft. If the cigar is dry, it's more than likely going to bust/crack unless the layers are very thin. If I know a cigar is really dry, I'll moisten the cap and let it sit for a minute or two, then punch it.

Thanks for keeping me from being tempted into wasting another $10!

I've liked a couple of their blends but thought them a sub-par value. Not enough bang for the buck. Maybe just not my cup-o-tea?