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Today, I'm blogging about the Virgin Sun Grown (VSG), one of the most successful blends from Ashton. Blended by Carlos Fuente Jr, and using a wrapper from Ecuador (grown by the Oliva family), all of the tobaccos used in this blend have been "sun grown."
This cigar is box-pressed, however the lines aren't as sharp as on some others I've smoked. The wrapper has inconsistent shades of brown, and has visible veins. I chose a straight cut and toasted the foot before starting up. Paired with bottled water.
1/3: Blast of pepper to begin. Strength is recognizable here, and I expect it to last.
2/3: Pepper notes continue, with some black cherry. This is a bold smoke; definitely not weak. The burning line is slightly wavy, but thusfar there's been no need to retouch or relight. The taste is distinctly Dominican. The ash is a little "furry."
3/3: Pepper is still present. The wavy burn line led to a little bit of a "wrapper flap," but some retouching has corrected it. As I expected, the final third has some bite to it, but not overly bitter or chary-tasting.
Personally, I'd put this in the category of Padron's Anniversary series and Oliva's Master Blend 3, however while enjoyable, it didn't wow me all that much. I think it's the strength, boldness, and price that put it in that group. I'd gladly smoke another, but I'm not running out to fill up my humidor. (Too dark outside to take a "smoking" photo.)
Size: 5-1/2 x 50
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
This cigar is box-pressed, however the lines aren't as sharp as on some others I've smoked. The wrapper has inconsistent shades of brown, and has visible veins. I chose a straight cut and toasted the foot before starting up. Paired with bottled water.
1/3: Blast of pepper to begin. Strength is recognizable here, and I expect it to last.
2/3: Pepper notes continue, with some black cherry. This is a bold smoke; definitely not weak. The burning line is slightly wavy, but thusfar there's been no need to retouch or relight. The taste is distinctly Dominican. The ash is a little "furry."
3/3: Pepper is still present. The wavy burn line led to a little bit of a "wrapper flap," but some retouching has corrected it. As I expected, the final third has some bite to it, but not overly bitter or chary-tasting.
Personally, I'd put this in the category of Padron's Anniversary series and Oliva's Master Blend 3, however while enjoyable, it didn't wow me all that much. I think it's the strength, boldness, and price that put it in that group. I'd gladly smoke another, but I'm not running out to fill up my humidor. (Too dark outside to take a "smoking" photo.)
Size: 5-1/2 x 50
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
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