Cigar Review: Viaje Oro Reserva VOR Aficionado

Many people first heard of the Viaje Oro Reserva, better known as the VOR, when the No. 5 size was named the number two cigar on Cigar Aficionado‘s top 25 list of 2010 (behind only the Cuban Cohiba Behike). That’s understandable given the extremely small production numbers of that first VOR; most probably never saw the cigar in any cigar shop near them.

With a name clearly evocative of that acclaim, Viaje recently rolled out this new Churchill (7 x 50) size of the VOR blend dubbed Aficionado. (The added marketing benefit is when you Google the cigar’s name, the top hit is that CA rating.)

The Viaje Oro Reserva line features the same basic ingredients as the regular Viaje Oro line: a Niacaraguan Corojo ’99 wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler. The difference is the Reserva edition fine tunes the blend with more aged ligero filler, and it is made by the most experienced rollers at the Raice Cubanas factory in Honduras in box-pressed sizes.

The triple-banded VOR Aficionado sells for around $11 each, or $280 for a box of 25. The reddish brown Corojo wrapper is nearly vein-free and the VOR features inviting pre-draw flavors with sweet spice, like a graham cracker pie crust.

Once lit, the spice-forward theme continues. There’s a molasses sweetness to the cigar along with baking spices, leather, and a powdery mouthfeel. Also evident are subtle fruit undertones and a long cocoa finish.

It starts out just a bit under full-bodied, but gradually eases back to a medium-bodied cigar, although the spice never really fades. The VOR features immaculate construction, from the razor-straight burn to sturdy ash to easy draw.

Thinking back on the Viaje cigars I’ve smoked, I often find them to be very good. But few are true standouts, especially given the price and trouble to track them down (since they aren’t carried by many shops). The VOR Aficionado, however, is a special spice-forward, interesting cigar worth finding. It’s enough to earn the Viaje Oro Reserva Aficionado a rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys