What's In Your Humidor: Andre Farkas of Viaje Cigars

[OHRD]

Today we are joined by Andre Farkas, of Viaje. Viaje is known for their seasonal and limited production releases, focusing entirely on small batch runs. To learn more about Viaje, be sure to visit them online.

What’s in your humidor currently?
One of my passions is blending. I’m constantly tinkering with tobacco trying to formulate new and better blends. My humidor is full of samples.

What kind of humidor (and size) do you use for personal storage?
I have a Prometheus that holds around 50 cigars.

How many cigars are in your humidor right now?
I’d say there are about 25 sticks in there.

Are you currently testing any new blends for your company? Any details?
Always testing. I don’t really smoke anything else because there are so many samples to get through. Like I said, this is one of my passions. I just approved the final blend for Late Harvest, which is a project that will be released at the IPCPR this year. All I’ll say now is the wine industry has used late harvest techniques to make spectacular wine. Now we will have the equivalent for the cigar industry. This is the first I’ve talked about it so there’s your exclusive.

How many cigars do you smoke in a typical day, when your not blend testing?
When I’m not testing? That’s hard to say because I’m tasting samples almost every day. Less than you’d think. I like to keep my palate fresh, so I try not to smoke more than 1-2 a day. When you’re blending, your palate needs to be receptive to all the subtle flavors the tobacco offers. I find if you smoke nonstop you can burn yourself out.

What are some of your all time favorite cigars?
I gotta go with Padron here. The heritage, the history. Great smokes.

Viaje focuses on limited production runs and many of your cigars have been very highly rated. What is your production strategy?
I keep it small batch. This is where I’m comfortable. I can keep my eye on quality which is a priority. It allows me to go from concept to cigar in a very short time which I enjoy. I also enjoy working with a small select group of retailers that understand the concept behind Viaje.

When you are working on a new blend, what factors do you most highly take into consideration?
Balance. I think balance is what makes a great cigar. I go through countless samples before the final blend is approved. I think when the balance is right the cigar shines.