Ashton VSG Sorceror

[BlackIrish]

The cigar: Ashton VSG Sorceror

Nutritional information:
Vitola: 7 x 49 double corona
Origin: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Binder: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuador sun grown

The marketing:
From the manufacturer: For those who desire a powerful and intoxicating flavor with a complex rich finish, look no further than the Ashton VSG. The VSG is blended exclusively for Ashton by Carlos Fuente Jr. using 4 to 5 year old aged Dominican tobacco taken from the finest and most fertile plants. The distinct flavor of VSG comes from its wrapper grown on a private estate in Ecuador owned by the Oliva family where this proprietary wrapper leaf is grown for the Fuente Family exclusively for Ashton VSG. The leaf is taken from the higher primings and matures slowly by sunlight filtered through the region¹s natural cloud covering. The result is the rich intoxicating wrapper which has made the Ashton VSG the most in demand cigar on the market today.

From Cigar.com: Rare and full-flavored, Ashton VSG is a top-rated brand regarded as one of the world’s finest cigars ever made.

Ashton VSG (Virgin Sun Grown) is the prized blend in the Ashton portfolio. Rolled for the first time in the late 1990s, VSG was one of the first cigars to feature a square press. To create this magnificent blend, a rich Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapper is balanced with the finest filler and binder tobaccos at Chateau de la Fuente. Extra aging and fermentation allows for a rich and full flavor with a strong body, while maintaining an incredibly smooth character. Ashton VSG is consistently rated incredibly high by industry publications and continues to be among the 10 most rare, sought-after cigars in the world.

Demanded by many and enjoyed by only a few due to its limited availability, Ashton VSG is a connoisseur’s cigar. The complexities and aromas surrounding the smoke are multidimensional, making this blend a treat for the most distinguished aficionados. The peppery and peaty nuances are so unique; it has yet to be replicated by any other cigar manufacturer. Also unreplicated, is the huge success this brand has seen over the past several years. Ashton VSG is, without a doubt, one of the world’s finest cigars ever created.

Prelight: This double corona looks fantastic, with deep brown, oily wrapper and a slight box press. The elegant white, black, gold, and red band adds to the visual appeal. The feel was great, too: solid but not heavy, firmly packed, no soft spots, and a perfectly applied cap. I detected some rich, spicy notes from the foot. The cut was clean and the draw just right.

Construction and burn: The structural qualities were every bit as good as you'd expect - and demand - from an ultrapremium cigar. The light came easy, the burn was perfect, the ash was very solid, the draw was excellent, and the smoke was aromatic and plentiful. I enjoyed two hours of smoking pleasure without giving a single thought to construction, draw, or burn.

Flavors: Rich earth and smooth dark mocha flavors greeted me at the start. The flavors remained deep, dark, and roasted, with some warm, barely sweet sungrown spiciness. The smoke was full-bodied and full of flavor, with a long, lingering finish. There's good power in the smoke, but it's always smooth, smooth, smooth. The intensity picked up in the last third, with the hints of sweetness receding and the earth and leather dominating, leaving a touch of peppery heat on my lips and tongue as I took it to the nub.

This is a cigar to mark a special occasion or to make any smoking occasion special. The only knock, and it's not a big one, is that the cigar I smoked didn't have the sublime complexity that makes a cigar truly exceptional, but it is one of the few that lives up to the marketing hype. I would happily smoke it again and again and again.