Johnathan Drew did a fly-by in this forum and asked if anyone had tried his Undercrown Corona Viva!s
A dealer sent me a couple as a bonus sample with my order. I lit one up last week. It shares the positive qualities of the other smokes in the Undercrown line: easy light; crisp burn, beautiful construction, balanced flavor.
But unlike the others, the Viva! is aggressively full bodied from the start and the pepper and spices dominate the creamy base for the duration of the stick. But nothing is free in engineering. The Viva! lacks the subtle flavor profile crescendo present in its siblings.
Which is better? IMO, that would be determined by your taste. Fortunately, we don't have to choose. I would smoke the original Undercrowns in the morning or as the first smoke of the day. I would smoke the Viva after dinner or anytime I wanted a more full bodied smoke.
I've recently started to buy smokes based on how they might best balance or compliment the stock in my humidor. Most were very full bodied smokes. I'm now buying a few mild to medium boxes, e.g., Oliva Serie G and O; AB Prensados (which taste damn good although the burn is always a bit ragged).
Cabaijuan gifted me with a La Aroma de Cuba at our Herf Friday night and I was very impressed with it. I plan on trying one or two more and see if they taste as good as I remember.
A dealer sent me a couple as a bonus sample with my order. I lit one up last week. It shares the positive qualities of the other smokes in the Undercrown line: easy light; crisp burn, beautiful construction, balanced flavor.
But unlike the others, the Viva! is aggressively full bodied from the start and the pepper and spices dominate the creamy base for the duration of the stick. But nothing is free in engineering. The Viva! lacks the subtle flavor profile crescendo present in its siblings.
Which is better? IMO, that would be determined by your taste. Fortunately, we don't have to choose. I would smoke the original Undercrowns in the morning or as the first smoke of the day. I would smoke the Viva after dinner or anytime I wanted a more full bodied smoke.
I've recently started to buy smokes based on how they might best balance or compliment the stock in my humidor. Most were very full bodied smokes. I'm now buying a few mild to medium boxes, e.g., Oliva Serie G and O; AB Prensados (which taste damn good although the burn is always a bit ragged).
Cabaijuan gifted me with a La Aroma de Cuba at our Herf Friday night and I was very impressed with it. I plan on trying one or two more and see if they taste as good as I remember.