Viaje Slates Holiday Blend 2016 for Christmas Release, Teases Candy Cane

Viaje will close out 2016 with a new size and blend in its Holiday Blend series, a 5 x 58 that will bear an Edición Limitada band for the first time, meaning that this exact cigar—blend and size—won’t ever be produced again.

The company announced the cigar via its Facebook page on Tuesday, noting that only 200 of the 20-count bundles are being produced but not disclosing the blend details or price. The 58 ring gauge makes it the second thickest installment in the Holiday Blend line’s history, having only been outsized by 2013’s Christmas Tree edition, a 60 ring gauge. It’s also a change from boxes to bundles for the line.

In previous years, the Holiday Blend has been a Nicaraguan puro, using a criollo leaf for the wrapper and with production handled by Raices Cubanas in Honduras. In 2015, production was shifted to PDR Cigars in the Dominican Republic, and the blend changed to feature a Brazilian arapiraca wrapper, with the cigar priced at $9.47.

Also seemingly back for 2016 is the Holiday Blend Candy Cane, a box-pressed 6 x 54 that showed up online via brand owner Andre Farkas’ Instagram and Facebook pages. Judging from the picture, it appears that it, too, will get the Edición Limitada band, joining last year’s release in earning the distinction.

The Candy Cane’s blend has not been disclosed, but last year’s installment featured Brazilian arapiraca and Ecuadorian habano leaves for the wrapper, with a core of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos. The 2015 version was priced at $12 per cigar.

The Viaje Holiday Blend debuted in 2009 and has been an annual release since, though the main Holiday Blend release was skipped in 2013 due to production delays and replaced with a one-time release called the Christmas Tree. The Candy Cane version first appeared in 2012 with follow-up releases in 2014 and 2015. The two 2016 releases become the 13th and 14th in the series.

Emails sent to Viaje seeking comment about the cigars, including the blend, price and factory producing them have not been returned.

Image via Viaje’s Facebook page.

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, the G-League's Valley Suns, and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, 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.