Halloween is almost here, meaning the spooky season is well underway. If you’re a big fan of cigars like me, you might be looking for spooky, creepy options to mesh with the times. Maybe some Frankenstein to match Mary Shelley’s freak? Or some beastly blends to go along with those gory slashers? Viaje can do us one better. Channeling its inner Edgar Allen Poe, the brand is launching a new blend called The Crow, due to hit shelves mid-October.
But here’s the best part — or maybe the most frightening — The Crow is blended with Nicaraguan leaf at the Aganorsa Leaf factory. Yes, folks, it’s made by Aganorsa. That alone is enough to send some shivers down my spine, but good shivers. If you’ve read any of my previous coverage, you already know that Agnanorsa is one of my top picks for the best cigar brands. Many of those brands make and blend tobacco for other companies like Viaje.
Getting into the Halloween spirit
This is not the first time that Viaje has launched a spooky, Halloween-themed blend. The brand has been doing it annually for a while now, with standouts including the Viaje Full Moon and the Viaje Mini Moon. This year, the plan was to creep in a different direction, taking inspiration from the crow emblem that adorned previous Halloween releases. The focus is all on you, crow.
You see, the crow has been a recurring motif for previous releases, showing up somewhere on the labels or packaging. Instead, it stands front and center here.
As for the blend, The Crow features a dark Corojo ’99 leaf, a signature of Aganorsa’s tobacco-blending prowess, over the top of Nicaraguan tobacco. That means it’s going to be full-bodied and packed with flavor. I can’t wait to give one a try. If you need a comparison, the Aganorsa Leaf Signature Selection Corojo features a Corojo ’99 wrapper.
Quoth the cigar enthusiast: Nevermore
Of course, the big question is, and was always going to be, how much is The Crow? Available in a single vitola — 5.5 inches by 50 — The Crow’s estimated price is $9-$10 per stick, and it will come in boxes of 15. Obviously, this is a limited run available only during the Halloween season and probably the next few months until stock is all gone. However, there’s no information yet on production or how much will be available, so it could be a lot or a little. We’ll know soon enough because The Crow starts hitting shelves on October 16.
I will definitely try to get my hands on some of these, and if or when I do, I will report back with my experience. In the meantime, I suggest checking out some of Viaje's other blends or trying the Aganorsa Leaf collection if you’ve yet to do so. Hell, even if you have had them before, I suggest having them again, and again, and again, and, well, you get it. I guess maybe that raven should have said “evermore” instead, right?
