A new cigar from Viaje will be showing up at retailers in the coming days, as the company has announced that it is shipping Hamaki to its accounts this week.

It’s a bit of a departure from the usual Nicaraguan blends that the company has become known for, though the details will seem familiar to those who follow the brand. It’s an all-Dominican blend, finished with a negrito wrapper which results in a full-bodied blend according to the company. It’s being made at the Quesada factory, also in the Dominican Republic.

The Viaje Hamaki is being released in a 6 x 54 box-pressed toro vitola priced at $9.50 per cigar.

This is the second time that Viaje has worked with the Quesadas, as in 2016 the Juntos project was released, which featured a pair of cigars that were also Dominican puros made at the Quesada factory and released as part of what was originally known as the Viaje Collaboration series, though that name had to be scrapped due to a trademark issue. Juntos is Spanish for together.

As for the name, that doesn’t come from the Dominican, but rather Japan, as hamaki is the word for a cigar in that country.

The cigar will debut as part of the company’s White Label Project (WLP), which debuted in 2011 as a vehicle for the company to release “experimental blends, shapes, mash ups, factory errors, etc.,” according to company founder Andre Farkas. However, it won’t stay as part of the WLP series, as Viaje has already announced that it will soon be its own line with an update to the bands.

Avatar photo

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.