Im curious, So far i have a love affair with Viaje. Every cigar ive had has been amazing and they are not hard on the wallet compared to alot of others out there. Besides being pretty limited, with small batch releases.

Does anyone have any hate toward viaje? Seems kinda strange to ask, but i cant come up with anything to put in the negative side about viaje
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Had a 50/50 and a platinum. Didn't impress me much at all.

Got one holiday blend, will see what that does. I have hope from all I've heard.
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Smoked a 50/50 Red tonight and it was tasty. I had a DES a while back that was too harsh for my taste, but I smoked it right before coming down with a bug so I may have been getting sick and not realized it yet, thus coloring my experience. So far my impression has been that Viajes are a touch harsh for my tastes, but they have good earthy flavors and are quality smokes. If you like full bodied Nicaraguans they are certainly worth a try, and they definitely have a distinctive character as a brand.
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Devan, I'm curious about your question as well as other cigars that seem to be a hot commodity on this board. At my local shop, I'm the only person who has smoked a Viaje, let alone heard about it. Yet if you logged onto this website as a brand-new cigar smoker, you'd think it was one of the most highly sought after cigars on the market- but in Florence, Birmingham, Huntsville, and Nashville, I have rarely heard any BOTL at B&Ms mention it at all.

There are several other cigars that it seems everyone will jump on the bandwagon with here and it makes me curious as to why. Perhaps it's due to the fact that because of the generosity of the friends we have on here, some have been bombed back and forth with this stick until everyone has tried it and generally enjoyed it. Perhaps this is a case where we may not want to admit it, but our palate for cigars can often be heavily influenced psychologically through the praise of BOTL/SOTLs we sometimes hold in high regard.

In any instance, I thoroughly enjoyed the two I smoked earlier this year and would like it if my local shop carried the line. However...like many other cigars, it's hard to add it to my lineup when I have my standard faves as well as so many other new blends I've yet to try that I have to make time for as well.

I say all that to say this: I don't have anything negative to say about the line, but I sometimes think brands can be fallen in love with or written off based on the consensus of the inmates and how many hundred times you see it appear in the WTB thread. :-)

That's just my :-) and i'm getting so sick of hearing how good Gurkhas are, too! If Tom doesn't stop with his love-affair with Kaisad, I'm gonna swear he's working for them! :-) :-)
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No you're right Clayton the DES is a bit harsh. Probably the only Viaje I've had that was harsh IMO. I still enjoyed it a great deal, nubbed it. Then and again I've only recently hopped over on the CC boat. So far I can say it's been a lot mellower. So I can see why it might effect you a bit more.

Me and Devan we're talking about Viajes, and honestly for the $$ (IMO) it's hard to find better consistency and quality smokes. All of the Viaje's I've had have been burning perfect no touch ups, draw was always perfect got a good amount of smoke. They never went out. (I've found this problem in a few CC"s it's frustrating no doubt) I really cannot say that about any other cigars. I have also never put a Viaje down before reaching 1.5 inches left, think I got rained out once but that's about it. Also it's nice to see that most Viaje's can be had at $5-$10 a piece. :-)
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I have no hate for Viaje. I like to see these small companies get some rep. But before long we'll jump on some other brand I'm sure and ride that bandwagon off into the sunset. Happens every few months. Thats the great thing about cigars. Variety.
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So true, brother.....and never have we been blessed as we are now with so many blends in the market that are actually really really good, allowing some competition and opportunities for start-up companies to make a splash.
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Damn straight! :-)
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If you log onto a specialty forum of any kind you're not going to find the average, run of the mill consumer, you're going to find the die-hard fans, enthusiasts and connaisseurs, who are going to have a very different take on what is good vs. the average Joe off the street. Perhaps there is a little bit of the hype going on here when something new and good comes out, but in the end if the product sucked I think there would be enough of us that would come out and say, I had it and it sucked. Take any type of product with a vast array of selections like cigars, wine or beer and there are going to be the mass produced popular items that take the lion's share of the market, and then there will be any number of small scale, boutique producers that are lauded and sought after by those in the know.
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Steve (Ratters) loves Viaje. If you guys don't want yours send them to him. Stickers, apparel, cigars, he will take it all.

I actually really do enjoy them. My buddy Mark (NorCalMark) was probably one of the first shops to carry Viaje, so I have been very fortunate to try almost all the new stuff that comes out. They make a good stick, what can I say.
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I have smoked almost all the Viaje's out there including the limiteds. IMHO DES and TNT were pretty bad. I loved everything else which includes Satori, Holiday Blend (both releases), Skull & Bones 2010 release, 50/50 Black, Platino, and Oro.
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I enjoy Viaje very much. I do get frustrated by the hype around the limited releases. That does not mean I won't try and buy a few limiteds. I just won't go nuts trying to get them.
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Oro Is My Favorite So Far, Waiting To Try The 50/50 & Holiday Blends I Have Resting. Platinum Is My Least Fav. DES Tasted Fine To Me, But I Mostly Smoke Strong, Full Bodied Sticks.:-)
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Have not tried one yet because no one around me carries them. Once I come across a shop (or order from NHC again) I'll probably grab a couple of the standard lines. I agree with Bobby about the LEs. I think that their LEs are way to limited and I have given up on trying to get a hold of them online.
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I love most Viaje LE's. Their regular blends are OK.
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Quiet the response to this, and thank you everyone. This does explain why we all "love" them so much. I guess it didnt realize it might partly be because of the bandwagon affect.

Being a relative new comer to this, im glad to be blessed with such a wealth of good people around this board to learn from. Which has helped me very much picking up good stick and discovering great ones. Things i would have never heard of before. Thanks inmates!
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There's a saying...

"If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

I know a number of BOTLs who are less than impressed with and don't care much for the Viaje cigars.

:-)
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I don't know, Clayton...I ain't no connoisseur, I'm just an average run of the mill consumer from Alabammer who think the finer things in life are buffets and a good bowel movement afterwards. We ain't got much appreciation fer things of this nature in general....I just like them ceegars! :-)
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Sofaman and I smoked an OR Viaje a good while back, or at least I was under the impression it was original release. We both agreed they sucked. The fervor surrounding Viaje is a mystery to me, but it's like a wise man once said; "Smoke what you like, like what you smoke."
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I've torched almost all of the Viajes (LEs included). The Holiday Blend is my hands-down favorite (hell it is even in my top three all time sticks). Also really enjoy the Oro Reserva. Not a huge fan of the limited release and the whole "hunting" them down thing. I have only been disappointed by one stick the original release Exclusivo (from the pickle jar). But Scott said it best...smoke what you like, like what you smoke. :-)
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