Viaje Private Bale Bird on a Branch Pajarito

In July, Viaje announced it was shipping the first cigars in a new line of blends based on aged tobacco. According to a post on Viaje’s Instagram account, Private Bale Bird on a Branch took eight years to develop and involved a more rigorous tobacco selection process than the company’s other creations.

“The tobacco selection process is different for this project,” the company wrote in a social media post. “First, only the oldest tobaccos are chosen, but bales aren’t simply selected. Each bale is pulled apart and inspected for quality. Leaves that don’t meet the criteria for Private Bale are set aside. This is a rigorous process, but necessary to produce a blend of superior quality.”

Blend-wise, the Private Bale Bird on a Branch is made with an Ecuadorian habano wrapper covering two Nicaraguan corojo 99 binders from the Jalapa region and filler tobacco from Nicaragua’s Estelí and Jalapa regions. Viaje also states that once they were rolled, the finished cigars undergo a nine-month rest process before they were packaged in boxes.

The new line is being made at the Aganorsa factory in Estelí, Nicaragua and There are two different vitolas, each packaged in 34-count boxes.

• Cigar Reviewed: Viaje Private Bale Bird on a Branch Pajarito
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Aganorsa
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano)
• Binder: Nicaragua (Corojo 99)
• Filler: Nicaragua (Estelí & Jalapa)
• Length: 5 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $12 (Box of 34, $408)
• Release Date: July 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

Visually, the Viaje Private Bale Bird on a Branch Pajarito is presented nicely, with a simplistic band and sheath that runs from the bottom of the band to the foot of the cigar. After removing the sheath, I can see that two of the cigars are covered in milk chocolate brown wrappers that feature some noticeable tooth and obvious oil, although the last cigar’s wrapper is extremely slick to the touch. All three cigars have extensive mottling and are extremely firm when squeezed, but I find a large soft spot in my second cigar located just under the band. Creamy woodiness leads the aromas emanating from the wrappers, followed by milk chocolate sweetness, barnyard, chalk and sweet breadiness. The scents emanating from the feet are quite different from those from the wrappers, as a significant leather and dry dirt combination all but overwhelm lighter notes of cedar, hay, cinnamon and generic nuttiness. After straight cuts, the cold draws are full of powdery cocoa nibs, peanut shells, coffee beans, earth, nutmeg and light honey sweetness.

The cigars start off with flavors of burnt bread and espresso beans combined with some overt spice but the profile quickly transitions to include main flavors of creamy cedar and sourdough bread. There is a distinct red pepper flake note present on the retrohale along with some rich raisin sweetness, but the former is definitely outpacing the latter, at least at this point in the cigar. Secondary flavors of leather tack, gritty earth, pencil lead, coffee beans and cinnamon flit in and out, and the amount of spice on my lips and tongue does not seem to be receding anytime soon. The flavor ends the first third at medium-full, the body is at medium and the strength is at medium-plus. Other than some moderately wavy burn lines, there are no issues when it comes to construction on any of the three cigars so far.

A new mineral saltiness shows up on my lips for two cigars during the second third—my last cigar is missing it completely—but the main flavors for all three cigars shift to a combination of charred meat and gritty earth. Additional flavors of cedar, dark chocolate, cinnamon, dried tea leaves, dry straw and toasted bread make themselves known at various points, while the red pepper on the retrohale has receded slightly, allowing the raisin sweetness to become a larger part of the profile. Flavor is at full, the body bumps up to medium-plus and the strength increases to land at medium-full. All three cigars run into burn issues that necessitate two corrections with my lighter, but the draws remain excellent and there is more than enough smoke emanating from the feet.

While two of the three cigars—especially the first and second ones—continue to feature gritty earth and charred meat as the main flavors, my final cigar bucks the trend and ends up with a combination of bitter espresso and cedar. Secondary flavors include cinnamon, sawdust, barnyard, burnt bread and chalk, along with just a touch of mineral saltiness on my lips left over from the second third. Unfortunately, the red pepper on the retrohale has increased again, all but overwhelming the raisin sweetness that makes a valiant but futile attempt to break through and become a more significant part of the profile. The strength increases to full on all three cigars—which throws the balance off—while the body ends the cigar at medium-full and the flavor drops to medium-full. Two of the cigars need corrections with my lighter—a single touch-up for one and two for the other—but there are no issues with the draws and the smoke production remains copious until I put the nubs down.

Final Notes

• While Viaje describes the fillers as being aged, the company did not specify their specific age.
• The combination of the band and the sheath takes up about three-fourths of the cigar wrapper’s total real estate. Interestingly, the sheath is made of a sort of slick wax paper instead of the more traditional tissue paper that is normally used.
• Viaje also shipped the Furiosa Imperator to retailers at the same time as the Private Bale Bird on a Branch.
• According to a story posted on Cigar Aficionado, the Private Bale Bird on a Branch line was inspired by a drawing of a parrot made by the five-year-old son of Andre Farkas, the company’s founder.
• Somewhat confusingly, Viaje has another line with “Private” in the name: Private Keep.
• The cigars smoked for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• These cigars are officially listed as 5 x 52 cigars, but none of the three I smoked for this review hit those numbers exactly.
• The final smoking time for all three of my cigars averaged out to one hour and 56 minutes.
• If you would like to purchase any of the Viaje Private Bale Bird on a Branch cigars, site sponsors Famous Smoke Shop and Smokingpipes have them for sale on their respective websites.