Man O' War Virtue Review

11/16/2014

Cigar: Man O’ War Virtue
Size: Salomon, 7.1”x58
MSRP: $12.50
Strength: Mild-Medium
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut
Origin: Nicaragua

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Prelight: This cigar came as part of the La Amistad Sampler, which contains many AJ blends, in massive salomons. The wrapper of the Virtue is a typical Connecticut shade, which smells of floral wood. There are only a few very small veins, and overall the construction looks quite nice, from the perfecto-closed foot to the well-made torpedo cap. The cold draw is a bit on the loose side, which worries me that it may open up even more once I burn past the foot. The taste of the cold draw is a mild, dusty barnyard.

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1/3: The cigar is easy to light with the perfecto foot, and I immediately get flavors of cream and nuts. There is a slight pepper that increases as I reach the widest point of the cigar. The draw opens up even more, but it is not horrible. As the cigar begins its long taper, the pepper begins to fade and oak appears. As the ash falls, I reach the second third and the profile is mainly nuts, cream and an oaky finish.

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2/3: Oak takes over in the second third and the burn is cool and straight. The pepper comes back a little bit, just to remind me of the Nicaraguan origins of this cigar. The second third ends as a balanced combination of oak and pepper.

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3/3: The final third is full-bodied oak. It gets a bit bitter at the end, but there is also a slight (hardly noticeable) sweetness of powdered cocoa.

Overall: A good cigar for those looking for a creamy, oaky, mild cigar to start their day off. The construction was pretty good, except for the slightly looser-than-preferred draw. There wasn’t much complexity to the flavors, but I wasn’t expecting it to be. I would smoke this cigar again, as it is one of the better mild-medium cigars I have had.