When cigar makers want stronger, richer tobacco, do they turn up the strength dial down by the field? Well, not yet. Agronomy isn’t that advanced. But they can do something pretty simple: leave the leaves on the stalk longer than usual, and harvest at the last possible moment. This is a tactic common to many types of agriculture, and it’s what inspired Viaje Late Harvest cigars.
In particular, in winemaking, you can get killer grapes by leaving them on the vine longer than usual. This helps them develop a higher sugar content for a sweeter wine if that’s what you’re brewing up. For tobacco, the idea is similar – if you take higher priming leaves off the stalk of the plant later, you can get a more potent leaf.
The highest priming of tobacco found at the top of the plant is known as Ligero. These leaves are at the foundation of the Viaje Late Harvest cigars. They get the most sun and as a result, become the strongest. You’ve probably heard of it referred to as the leaf mainly responsible for the potency of many popular cigar blends. In particular, cigars that are “Double Ligero” are ones that will sneak up on you fast. If you huff and puff, they’ll blow your house down.
For the Viaje Late Harvest cigars, company founder Andre Farkas chose all Nicaraguan tobacco, including some leaf that stayed on the stalk soaking in nutrients and growing big and strong for as long as possible. These Ligero leaves offer a fantastically rich smoking experience and a satisfying flavor profile.
Light up a Viaje Late Harvest cigar and you’ll get the flavors of sweet fig, mocha, and spiced nuts. It’s a truly interesting Nicaraguan puro cigar, and one for people who want to get good potency in their next smoke. That said, this blend doesn’t quite reach full strength when all of the leaves are combined. It’s more full flavor than full strength, at the end of the day. All things considered, it’s a great blend and one we thoroughly enjoy.
Please browse our selection of Viaje Late Harvest cigars at your leisure.
People probably are expecting full strength when they hear about the inspiration here, but the blend stops just short of going all the way on nicotine effect.
