Skull and Bones MOAB

Here we are with another limited edition cigar (that I am a little late reviewing) from Viaje. This time it's another Skull and Bones release called the MOAB (mother of all bombs). This cigar is from the third release in the Skull and Bones series, but with a red and black band instead of the red and white. There were two vitolas for this release and I am reviewing the 4 1/4 X54 torpedo. 100 cases of 50 were produced earlier this year. This Nicaraguan Puro has a Sun Grown Criollo wrapper. 

This short fat cigar has a dark wrapper with a deep red hue to it when held under the sunlight and an overall even feel to the roll. There is a really pungent smell coming off of the wrapper and the foot and the prelight draw is on the loose side with flavors of leather and dark chocolate. Once lit the MOAB starts out with tongue tingling spice, leather, earth and some dark coffee flavors. The spice slams into the back of the throat for the first few minutes of this cigar but seems to be backing off as I get a little further into it. After just a few minutes into this cigar the burn is already starting to get really wavy. Half an inch in and the earth and leather has suddenly been replaced with a woody core flavor. This is a very full flavored and full strength cigar as I reach the halfway point. 

As I enter the final third, the wood flavor is still at the core of the flavor profile but with that black pepper spice returning in full force with some dark chocolate behind it. The burn is still all over the place, needing to be corrected more than I would prefer. This is burning much faster than I would like as well, due to the looser draw and having to touch it up so often. At least it isn't burning hot though. This is a powerhouse of a cigar with a long spicy finish. 

Overall the Skull and Bones MOAB was a tasty cigar, but the burn issues took away from the smoking experience a bit. This cigar isn't for the faint of heart, it is very full bodied with plenty of strength. I think some age would round this cigar out nicely and hopefully correct some of the burn issues. The size of this cigar isn't one I really like smoking, especially at the almost $10 pricetag. In my opinion this is overpriced for what it is. I have no problem dropping a little extra money for some limited editions, this just isn't one of them. That being said, I was happy to have the chance to try it and I did enjoy the flavors it delivered. I found it to be better than the Skull and Bones ? release but not as complex as the original Skull and Bones Daisy Cutter. 

Viaje Skull and Bones ?

Today's review is of the 2nd edition of the Viaje Skull and Bones. I previously reviewed the first release of the Skull and Bones Daisy Cutter, which you can check out here. This new release kind of came out of no where. Usually with a limited run like this there is a little heads up about its release, but the announcement about this cigar seemed to come out only a few weeks before the cigars went on sale. This version of the Skull and Bones measures in at 4.5 X 54. These hit the market right around Halloween (hmm...a spooky cigar around Halloween? This sounds familiar...) and were produced in very limited quantities. Only 150 boxes of 25 were released and supposedly a version of the Skull and Bones will be released every year around the same time. This version has a second band and both bands glow in the dark ,which I admit is kind of cool in a cheesy sort of way. The Skull and Bones has a Sun Grown Criollo wrapper with a Nicaraguan binder/filler and has a covered foot (again, doesn't this remind you of something?). My buddy Paul was kind enough to pick one of these up for me, which was great because I didn't think I was going to get my hands on this release. 

The wrapper is dark and oily with a slightly reddish hue when held under the right light. There are some really noticeable soft spots along the length of this cigar. You don't even have to feel for them, you can actually see them (the wrapper dips down to fill them, leaving a dented looking cigar). Other than the soft spots, this is a cool looking cigar with the skull and bones logo and nice oily wrapper. The predraw shows some sweetness and coffee, and the draw is pretty open. Once lit, this starts out with plenty of spice on the tip of the tongue, with a lot of coffee and leather flavors present. The flavors in this cigar are pretty heavy right from the start. The smoke is nice and thick, and there is plenty of it! I am enjoying the long spicy finish during the first inch or so. Right from the start, this cigar doesn't want to burn evenly. It felt a little wet, even after sitting in my humidor at 64% for a few weeks. The flaky ash only holds on for about half an inch at a time. 

At the halfway point, the burn is still ragged and needs to be touched up every few minutes to keep it in check. The burn is noticeably bad around the soft spots I mentioned earlier. There is less spice now, with more coffee, dark chocolate and some cinnamon sugar (graham cracker) flavor showing up. The smoke is also a little rough in the back of my throat. Maybe this cigar is a little young? This is a medium/full bodied cigar at this point. During the final third the burn still sucks. The flavors have stayed pretty much the same, with just a little bit of vanilla showing up at the end. This has transitioned into a solid full bodied cigar.

The 2nd edition of the Skull and Bones was a little disappointing. I was pretty excited about this cigar because I really enjoyed the first Skull and Bones release, and was hoping this one would be just as good in a larger format. The flavors were pretty tasty, but the construction left something to be desired. I don't mind having to touch up a cigar occasionally, but no cigar should have to be constantly touched up to make it burn right. The major soft spots in the filler/binder had a lot to do with the burn problem, as well as the cigar still being a little wet. My worry is that production was rushed on this edition to get it out in time for the holiday. The original Skull and Bones was a far superior cigar. Sure, maybe I got a bad one in the batch, but with a limited run like this you would think the quality would be top notch. I try to smoke more than one of a cigar to get a good feeling for what it's all about, but with so few of these made, sometimes you only get one to try. I am not sure what the price on this was, but I think it was in the $12-14 range.