Viaje Fifteen Plus Two and a Half proves that the cigar industry has never met an Anniversary they didn’t like.
Andre Farkas’ Viaje Brands celebrates 17.5 years with this Anniversary cigar made at AGANORSA Leaf in Nicaragua. Available in four blends,; Gold, Silver, Red and Black. As stupid as the name is, this is the first time the company has gone the plus 2 and a half route having done the same thing in for the 12.5 Anniversary.
Not much is shared about the blends but we do know that the Gold and Silver utilize a Criollo ’98 wrapper, the Red is Corojo ’99 and we have been unable to obtain information about the Black blend.
Cigar Review: Viaje Fifteen Plus Two and a Half
Size: 6 x 54 (Toro)
Wrapper: Nicaragua Corojo ’99
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: AGANORSA Leaf
Release Date: March 2025
Production: Limited Edition
Box Size: 25 Cigars
The Cigar: Featuring a basic Black and White band with some red on the side denoting Anniversary this sime band feels simple, yet familiar to it. The blends are noted by the foot band which in this case is a red ribbon. Over the years I’ve come to despise the ribbon footband as more often than not removing them can be a pain in the ass. The Corojo ’99 is oily with few notable veins to it. The cigar which is box pressed feels firmer up toward the second half and less box pressed at the bottom. I’ll be curious if this leads to any splitting as it feels like it could have a construction issue.
The Taste: The cold draw of the Viaje Fifteen Plus Two and a Half has notes of shortbread cookies, cedar shavings and bread while the aroma from the foot matches that with a touch of almonds thrown in. After we toast and light the cigar it starts off with the most defined notes of marzipan I have ever experienced in a cigar.
Sadly, as we move into the first third the sweetness of marzipan is replaced by heavy red pepper that fades around the half-inch mark on the palate but not the retrohale. At this point the cigar develops some notes of cocoa which quickly transition to mocha with a touch of cedar and leather. The retrohale as mentioned is loaded with red pepper and leather as well.
The second third sees notes of chocolate develop with nuances of coffee, leather and red pepper that blend together effortlessly. Around the halfway point the chocolate begins to fade as a mild coffee component becomes the dominant flavor profile with continued leather. As the second third comes to a close note of almonds become to develop with a retrohale that sees black pepper and earth that leads to a long slightly bitter finish.
The final third sees notes of coffee and almonds with nuances of leather and earth and a touch of cedar on the finish. For the record the cigar never split though the first half or so I had to touch up the wrapper on one side as it lagged behind as much as an inch before I gave in to the first touch up. The retrohale sees red and black pepper with an abundance of earth that lingers long on the finish.
Conclusion: I had given up on Viaje a long time ago but they come in the Small Batch Cigars monthly club so they have been on my radar again. The company has too many limited edition cigars and to be honest I had been burned in the sense that not all of them fit my profile. So I got tired of the gamble and moved on. This blend though is an absolute winner and I am tempted to try the other 4 blends but hesitant to pull the trigger. This is my problem with the brand that seems to cater to the ADHD cigar smoker who needs to move on from blend to blend.
The brand has gotten better in my eyes since its move to AGANORSA Leaf. In the past the company has worked with factories such as Joya de Nicaragua before heading to Raices Cubana and PDR.
Score: 94
Price: $16.50 (Before any local or state taxes)
You can buy all four blends of the Viaje Fifteen Plus Two and a Half at Small Batch Cigar. If you use the coupon code BARRELBURNER at checkout you can save 10% on your order.
