Cigar Review: Viaje Fifty Fifty

Viaje Fifty Fifty
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Made In: Nicaragua
Size: 5 1/8 x 46 No.1
Price: About $9.25 per single

Cigar Background: This cigar was debuted at this year’s IPCPR 2009 Trade Show in New Orleans and is a cigar that immediately caught my attention when I first heard about it. Here is more information from the Viaje website

Fifty Fifty is a special project that took a great deal of time to perfect. The idea behind Fifty Fifty is to offer the ability to enjoy two different flavor profiles while smoking the same cigar. Fifty Fifty’s components are a closely-guarded secret, but two distinct blends were formulated to make up the cigar. Joining the two blends was a challenge that was difficult to perfect. Each cigar is carefully crafted taking triple the amount of time a normal cigar takes to roll. The cigar comes wrapped in a dark, oily Nicaraguan cover leaf with two binders holding the filler in place. Fifty Fifty starts out as a rich medium bodied cigar before transition into a bold, full-bodied smoke. This is a first for the industry we know you will enjoy.

Also be sure to check out Brian Hewitt’s Interview with Andre Farkas at Stogie Review.

Appearance & Construction: The Fifty Fifty is a nice looking cigar that looks like it was rolled to perfection. It is virtually seamless and has a beautiful triple cap sporting a pigtail. The wrapper is a nice dark brown color with a reddish hue and there are no lumps that appear on the cigar. The band is a nice classy looking white, gold and black band.

Smoking Characteristics: The Fifty Fifty has a nice free draw with a bit of resistance. The burn line is moderately wavy but still acceptable. The ash is a nice light white color that is nice and compact. The body starts out medium and end well into the full spectrum. The strength of the cigar is full.

Flavor: The cigar starts off with nice deep rich flavors of coffee and chocolate with a nice sweet earthy spiciness. The flavors are extremely full and complex to start, but after about a half an inch, the cigar really settles down to a medium body, medium flavor. At about the one and a half inch mark the cigar starts to take on some salty meaty notes along with a sweet flavor almost like a brown sugar flavor. I’m about half way into the second third and I notice the cigar starts to get a little creamier and a little more thick on the palate. At this point I’m not sure if this is the change that the cigar advertises or if it is just the way the cigar is smoking. Four puffs later I start noticing some more salty notes, is this the change? I’m now into the final third of this cigar. I am assuming the thicker feel and the sweet and salty notes were the change of this cigar, but it was not as abrupt as I thought it would be. As I progress into the final third, I can defiantly tell now that the flavor profile has changed, albeit not as much as I thought there was going to be.

Final Thoughts: Overall the flavors were very nice and extremely complex. The flavors were nicely balanced in the first half even more balanced in the second half. As you could tell I was a little unsure when the cigar was supposed to change and I was slightly disappointed that the change was not more abrupt and more noticeable, but I guess this is what the cigar is to be. This was the first Fifty Fifty that I have smoked but going forward, I know what to expect from this cigar and I think I will enjoy it much more now that I know what to expect. I also think that the change would be more noticeable in a thicker ring gauge because you have less of the wrapper in play because of the wrapper to filler ratio. When I get my grubby paws on a thicker ring gauge I will defiantly review it for you.

Worth a Shot: Yes, this one is for the full-bodied smokers, but have it in a larger ring gauge
Buy Again: Yes, probably in the larger ring gauge
Enjoyablity: Medium to High
Similar Cigars: Illusione, Tatuaje, Cruzado