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The Vitasea Project, Cigars 1-5

I also lit up the "flying pig" today. I will correct one thing Wilkey said, this size cigar has and does come out of Cuba, albeit not too regulary. The master roller Hamlet rolls flying pigs that are awesome and the flying pig was an actual production cigar back in the 60's. They were H. Upmann's and are very rare.

Now onto the comparison review. Mine was very similar to Wilkey's, though I believe it to be a very similar blend to the robusto (that had the Cohiba band on it), though with much less ligero leaf. The taste was similar, though like Wilkey said, less harsh and milder. The construction was very good. Draw was nice and the burn was very even. The aroma was typical Cuban leaf. I smoke until there was only about 3/4" of an inch left. IMO, not a bad cigar, though a bit bigger than I really care for.

So far, of the two "vitasea" cigars, they were both well-constructed and while the blends are a bit one-sided, they are made with premium tobacco. It could use some more age before rolling, to get rid of that harshness, but all in all these have been decent, custom/home rolled Havanas. If vitasea is indeed paying the prices he is alluding to, he is being taken for a ride as similar cigars of this type are sold in Havana in the $5-$7 range and that is by somewhat well-known rollers.
Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with Wilkey and compare alongside with him on the next three smokes.
 
So now we know what you'll be smoking in the next ash stand contest. If you survive the next 3 that is.
 
Matt R said:
I also lit up the "flying pig" today. I will correct one thing Wilkey said, this size cigar has and does come out of Cuba, albeit not too regulary. The master roller Hamlet rolls flying pigs that are awesome and the flying pig was an actual production cigar back in the 60's. They were H. Upmann's and are very rare.

Now onto the comparison review. Mine was very similar to Wilkey's, though I believe it to be a very similar blend to the robusto (that had the Cohiba band on it), though with much less ligero leaf. The taste was similar, though like Wilkey said, less harsh and milder. The construction was very good. Draw was nice and the burn was very even. The aroma was typical Cuban leaf. I smoke until there was only about 3/4" of an inch left. IMO, not a bad cigar, though a bit bigger than I really care for.

So far, of the two "vitasea" cigars, they were both well-constructed and while the blends are a bit one-sided, they are made with premium tobacco. It could use some more age before rolling, to get rid of that harshness, but all in all these have been decent, custom/home rolled Havanas. If vitasea is indeed paying the prices he is alluding to, he is being taken for a ride as similar cigars of this type are sold in Havana in the $5-$7 range and that is by somewhat well-known rollers.
Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with Wilkey and compare alongside with him on the next three smokes.
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Good observations Matt.

Both you and Wilkey have good things to say about the cigars tested, albeit the sticks are fakes.

Maybe Vitasea was for real, just so far removed from a regular person's way of thinking that we all discounted him. Whereas, in his mind he believed that he was not doing anything wrong.

Brian
 
Let's clarify things a bit..... these particular cigars that Wilkey and I are smoking, are not fakes. They were not represented as something other than what they are either. The past cigars that vitasea was sending out, were represented as something other than what they were, these were not. That is why I wish he would just call then what they are, custom rolled Havana cigars. Whatever blend they are made of, whether similar to a Cohiba, Punch, Partagas, etc., it doesn't matter, as they are NOT production Havana cigars.

The blends being put into these cigars are of good tobacco and not what a typical fake made in Cuba would consist of. The extra fermentation, if it is indeed happening, could account for the profile, but I think it's more the entire blend and the quality of the tobacco available to this roller.

What vitasea did in the past, was to represent cigars as something that they were not and that should not be discounted. Our reviews of these cigars should not be taken as an endorsment to purchase from him either. These last two cigars were well-made, farm rolled Havana tobacco cigars. They were not production cigars and while he did say that the blends were made to represent a certain brand, that didn't actually pan out, IMO. There's been no mention of the exact price that he paid for these, or would be paying, except that it was more than what I would expect a cigar of this type to cost. Custom rolled Havanas can be bought for anywhere between $5-$25 a piece, depending on the roller and the situation as far as the individual having them made.

If vitasea's relationship with a particular vendor is indeed valid, then some of you are already dealing with him and may not even know it. The said vendor is well-respected and as far as I knoiw never had any problems in the online cigar forum(s). Why he has aligned himself, if this is indeed true, with vitasea is not any of my business, but I would assume he would not want to do anything that would harm his reputation.

I'm trying to stay as neutral as possible on this, because while I think what happened originally, with the misrepresentation of branding, was wrong, no one was put out financially. I know there were offers made, though I don't believe anyone fell into it. There's plenty of places to buy cigars online and elswhere and everyone needs to decide on their own what risks they are ready to take as far as who they buy from. The forums are here for guidnace and in this case I think they worked in that regard.
 
Great reviews both Ginseng and Matt. I look forward to the last 3 reviews.
 
I don't remember what we have?? Is there a "Partagas" salamones??? Two others, right??? What is the smallest one???
 
Matt R said:
I don't remember what we have?? Is there a "Partagas" salamones??? Two others, right??? What is the smallest one???
Click to expand...

The Salomone is slightly longer and fatter than the "Cohiba Esplendidos". And then there is the "Hoyo de Monterrey" double corona.

So, the "Esplendidos" is the smallest one.

Wilkey
 
Great reviews Wilkey :thumbs:, I think I'll let that Flying Pig rest for a while longer before burning it.

Did you guys get one of the Robaina Farmies as well?

:cool:
 
Let's do the "Hoyo" DC.... I've recently smoked one from '96 that was out-fin'-standing.....
 
T-11 hours until the "Hoyo de Monterrey" double coronas goes under the flame.

Will it surprise and delight like the previous samples? :D

Will this be the stick that makes me scream uncle? :0

We will find out tomorrow morning. ???

And Matt, if you've smoked yours already, feel free to post away.

Wilkey
 
Another entertaining and well written chapter.

Thanks Wilkey.

Brian
 
I was finally able to grab some time last night and smoke this cigar. My opinion is pretty much online with Wilkey's though I didn't smoke the entire cigar. Beer drinking got in the way, LOL. There were some nice subtle flavors in this cigar, but a bit too mild. Construction was top notch, though a bit tight on the draw. Burn was even throughout and I was even able to set it down for 5-10 minutes and pick it up, not having to re-light. Flavors were mostly sweet tobacco and tea, but quite muted. Not one I would really seek out again, mostly because I don't smoke a lot of big cigars anymore, but also because it was just a bit too mild.
 
Great reviews, guys.

BTW Wilkey, good book you're reading. Thorougly enjoyable, but I should tell you that Snape kills Pi in the end.
 
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