Viaje Circa 45 Robusto

[Don Fernando]

Now here is a cigar I know nothing about, well, almost nothing. All I knew was what Andre Farkas told me when he gave me this cigar at Intertabac 2016 and that was that this cigar is made for the European market and that it’s made by PDR in the Dominican Republic. Thank goodness for my (little yet sufficient) understanding of the German language and the cigarworld Dusseldorf website so I can provide some information on this cigar. The blend is named Circa 45, I don’t know if I would mention 45 in a cigar that is mainly for the German market but thats just me, and that it consists of a Ecuadorean Corojo wrapper, an Indonesian binder and Dominican fillers and that the line consists from 3 vitolas, of which I’m smoking the 5×52 No.1.

I met Andre a few years ago, when he came to The Netherlands to promote the Viaje brand and I was working for what was then his importer/distributer. That relationship well through, Viaje is no longer available on the Dutch market, but I still hang out with Andre for a bit when we run into each other at the Intertabac trade show in Dortmund. I know Viaje is available on the German market, I have no idea what other countries carry Viaje. The wrapper on this Circa 45 isn’t the prettiest, the color is a bit pale brown and it has a big ugly vein on the side of the cigar, the triple cap is nice though. The band is simple, it doesn’t distinguishes the cigar, at first glimpse I thought it was a Jose Marti or Punch, while the sides and the back are a copy of a Cuban Bolivar ring. I’m used to better rings from Viaje. The construction feels good, not soft spots, no knots and the aroma is a medium strong ammonia.

I used my butterfly cutter from Xikar and that created a loose cold draw without a lot of flavor. I lit the cigar with my soft flame. I taste a nice, strong espresso right from the start, slightly bitter on my tongue. After a centimeter I taste wood with a little lime on the roof of my mouth. I also taste a very mild creamy chocolate flavor. The chocolate disappears quickly and I now taste dry spices like nutmeg with some wood. It bites a bit in the back of my throat and makes my mouth very dry.

Past a third the cigar turns sour and bitter and it’s because I’m reviewing the cigar otherwise I would have put it away. I think Andre had an off day when creating this blend, this is so sub par for Viaje. The bitterness disappears halfway while the sour flavor tones down. Now it’s wood with some lemon. After two thirds I taste some charred wood with the lemon flavor that is gaining strength again.

The smoke is thick and there is a lot, the color is off white. The draw is a bit loose. The ash is light gray with black stripes and clearly layered. It is still firm though. The burn is great on this medium bodied, medium flavored stick. The cigar does has evolution and the ratio is oke. The smoke time is about an hour and fifteen minutes.

Would I buy this cigar again? No, I had many great Viaje cigars that I would love to smoke again but this isn’t one of them.

Score: 83

Review including pics: https://cigarguideorg.wordpress.com/...circa-45-no-1/