Viaje 15th Anniversary Gold Pt. II

In August 2012, Viaje commemorated its fifth year in business with—what else?—a new cigar: a singular 6 1/4 x 52 box-pressed perfecto vitola appropriately named 5th Anniversary. The Nicaraguan puro was limited to a total production of 7,500 cigars packaged in 25-count boxes and was made at the Fábrica de Tabacos Raíces Cubanas S. de R.L. factory in Honduras.

Five years later, the company introduced new cigars to celebrate its 10th anniversary, but this time, there were three different limited releases: the 10th Anniversary Black, White and the Limited Edition. While all three incarnations were made in the same 6 1/4 x 52 perfecto size, none of them were box-pressed and they were all packaged in 24-count jars instead of boxes.

Last August, Viaje decided once again to commemorate its anniversary with three different Nicaraguan puros, this time named 15th Anniversary Black, Silver and Gold. However, instead of perfectos sold in jars that made up the 10th Anniversary release, the trio of 15th Anniversary cigars were 6 1/4 x 52 torpedoes packaged in 25-count boxes. In terms of pricing, the Silver and Gold blends had an MSRP of $15.60 per cigar, while the Black featured an MSRP of $17.20 per cigar.

However, it turns out that Viaje was not finished: in August, the company announced an additional release made in a new 6 x 54 perfecto vitola named 15th Anniversary Pt. II to celebrate its 16th anniversary in business. The three blends named Silver, Gold and Black are Nicaraguan puros priced at $19.99 each and are packaged in 24-count ceramic jars, with just 315 jars being produced per blend.

According to Viaje, all three cigars incorporate a criollo 98 wrapper from Jalapa, and while the internal blends for each of the three blends are made up of tobaccos grown by AGANORSA, Viaje says that each blend is unique and that they were “put together specifically for this release.”

In addition, it turns out that Viaje also shipped a fourth release named 15th Anniversary Black Pt. II Limited Edition in the same 6 x 54 perfecto vitola that is also packaged in 24-count jars, but the company gave no information on either a blend or an MSRP for that cigar. All four of the newest versions are made at the same factory as the original trio from last year, AGANORSA factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

• Cigar Reviewed: Viaje 15th Anniversary Gold Pt. II
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: AGANORSA
• Wrapper: Nicaragua (Criollo 98)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 54
• Vitola: Perfecto
• MSRP: $19.99 (Jar of 24, $479.76)
• Release Date: August 2023
• Number of Cigars Released: 315 Jars of 24 Cigars (7,560 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

I always have loved how perfectos look, and the Viaje 15th Anniversary Gold Pt. 2 is a very nice example of the vitola. It has a medium brown wrapper that is both mottled and silky smooth to the touch, though each cigar has a multitude of small bumps just under the wrapper and is extremely firm when squeezed. Aromas from the wrappers include sweet cedar over earth, barnyard, nutmeg and dark chocolate. Scents from the feet are quite similar—mostly due to the small opening that is present as a result of the perfecto vitola—but I notice a bit more nuttiness that is creamier in nature. Finally, after straight cuts, the cold draws bring flavors of strong cocoa nibs, hay, coffee beans, black pepper, cedar and cookie dough sweetness.

As is the case with many of the perfecto vitolas I have smoked, it takes a bit more time to get the foot lit completely, but once that is accomplished, flavors of red pepper and strong cedar have no problems making themselves known. After about half an inch, a leather note joins the cedar at the top of the profile, followed by secondary flavors of powdery cocoa nibs, hay, bitter espresso, nutmeg, cashews and light citrus peel. There is a large amount of red pepper on the retrohale and a slight fruity sweetness that reminds me of watermelon, but the former easily overwhelms the latter note at various points. Flavor ends the first third at a solid medium, while the body and strength both reach a point just over the medium mark by the end of the first third. In terms of construction, I have no issues with the draws or smoke production on all three cigars, but the burn lines are a different story altogether, and all three cigars need multiple corrections with my lighter to stay on track.

While the strength increases quite a bit, there are not many changes to the flavor profile of the Viaje during the second third: leather and cedar easily remain on top, followed by familiar notes of hay, freshly brewed black coffee, cinnamon, generic nuts and very light citrus. There is still a large amount of red pepper on the retrohale, and while it has not increased substantially compared to the first third, it is still strong enough to dominate the small amount of watermelon sweetness that is still present. Flavor remains at a solid medium, but the body increases to medium-plus and the strength reaches medium-full. All three cigars continue to exhibit excellent draws and plenty of smoke production, but once again, all three cigars each need a couple of touch-ups.

There is a little more cedar in the profile of the Viaje during the final third, but the leather flavor that had accompanied it to this point in the cigar has been replaced by a generic earthiness. Secondary flavors of dark chocolate, leather, hay, coffee beans and light nuttiness flit in and out at various points, while the retrohale continues to be dominated by and even more red pepper note that easily overtakes the small amount of sweetness that remains. Flavor stays put at a solid medium until the end of the cigar, but both the body and strength increase enough to pass into full territory. In fact, about halfway through the final third, the combination of the red pepper, full strength and full body becomes so aggressive that I am left feeling a bit woozy. Finally, while the draws and smoke production remain trouble-free, the burn continues to be a major issue, as all three cigars need a couple of corrections each before I put the nubs down with about an inch remaining.

Final Notes

• The naming of this second version of the 15th Anniversary seems to be unnecessarily confusing for consumers: while it is true that the vitolas are different between the two releases, Viaje has confirmed to halfwheel that the blends for these cigars are “original and unique.”
• In addition, the “Pt. II” part of the second version is not printed on either the packaging or the bands of the cigars, meaning someone could potentially buy one of the versions when they wanted the other one, a scenario that could easily be avoided by simply using the name “16th Anniversary.”
• Having said the above, this is the same company that released a line named 10 Plus Two And A Half to celebrate its 12-and-half anniversary, so perhaps I should not be surprised.

• In the past, Viaje has had issues with some of its cigars packaged in jars being damaged while in transit—I’m looking at you, Viaje Exclusivo Double Edged Sword II—so it wasn’t surprising when I saw that the feet on two of the five cigars we purchased for this review had issues. Fortunately, these are minor issues that shouldn’t affect smoking, but it does seem like a price you pay for buying cigars packaged in jars.
• It may surprise you to learn that a long, long time ago, the original Viajes were actually made at Joya de Nicaragua.

• Although the draws and smoke production gave me no issues, the burn for each of the cigars I smoked was another matter altogether: each of the cigars needed at least one correction in each third, and all three cigars experienced what I could consider significant issues with the burn as you can see in the photograph above.
• The cigars smoked for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time averaged two hours and six minutes for all three cigars.
• If you would like to purchase any of the Viaje 15th Anniversary Gold Pt. 2 cigars, site sponsor Atlantic Cigar Co. has it for sale on its website.