The cigar industry is full of collaborations between different blenders and companies. Some of my favorite cigars have been collaborations: La Coalición, The Maker, Dark Time, and the list goes on. So when Mo Maali from Patina teamed up with Tyler Jefferies from Viso Horny, I was more than intrigued. Patina is home to some of my favorite cigars, including our 2024 CotY: Oro de Nicaragua Toro Extra. And Viso Horny has to be one of the most clever names in the industry. Interestingly, verdigris is the green or greenish blue patina that forms in copper, brass, or bronze. I see what they did there.
The Verdigris features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, over an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder, and fillers from Nicaragua. The Verdigris was a release I was hoping to get to before the New Year, unfortunately, I was not able to do so. Also, according to halfwheel, this collaboration was only released to ten retailers across the country. Site and podcast sponsor Small Batch Cigar was among those to get it.
OVERVIEW
VITOLA: Robusto
SIZE: 5″ x 52
ORIGIN: Nicaragua
FACTORY: Nicaragua American Cigars S.A. (NACSA)
WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Habano
BINDER: Ecuadorian Sumatra
FILLER: Nicaraguan
STRENGTH: Medium – Full
SOURCE:
Small Batch Cigar
ENVIRONMENT
WHERE:
Studio/Lounge
WHEN:
January 10 @1pm
DRINKS:
Bottled Water
WEATHER:
Indoors
HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:
3
PRODUCTION
RELEASE TYPE Limited
ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE July ’25
TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size: Boxes of 10
Production Totals: Unknown
VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o Robusto (5″ x 52)
BAND DESIGN
The Verdigris has no band, but sports a green ribbon on the foot. The packaging, however, is more interesting. The bundle of ten is wrapped in plain brown paper with a large green colored sticker that features the Milwaukee Art Museum (a nod to Jeffrey’s hometown) and the Chicago skyline (a nod to Maali’s hometown). It also features the chemical formula for turquoise.
PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper is a beautiful shade of dark brown. It is toothy, with a few visible veins, and almost smooth. There are no noticeable hard or soft spots. The Verdigris feels firm, with just the right amount of give. The cap appears to be expertly applied. The Verdigris is a gorgeous looking cigar.
AROMA
The wrapper on the Verdigris gives up notes of earth, barnyard, and chocolate. Hints of cedar are also there, but it is very subtle. The foot has notes of funky earth, sweet tobacco, and an almost floral quality to it.
COLD DRAW
The cold draw offers almost perfect resistance from each cigar smoked for this review. Notes of fruit, wood, and herbs come through. Taking a few more draws reveals notes of chocolate and caramel. There’s a floral quality there, too.
SMOKING EXPERIENCE
LIGHT & DRAW
Cut: Le Petit by Les Fines Lames
Fire: Vector SONICPUMP
The initial light erupts with notes of pepper, baking spices, and a herbsceousness. There’s a vegetal quality that I pick up on right away. Black pepper on the retrohale. There’s a brightness to the Verdigris’ initial eruption. Red pepper flake and cayenne pepper spiciness linger on my palate. Rich earthy notes of wood, nuts, chocolate, and spice settle in. What began as an almost overwhelming cacophony of flavors, has found its groove.
SMOKE
The smoke is thick, creamy, and voluminous. Each draw produces a very satisfying amount that coats my palate in a very pleasant way.
FIRST THIRD
>> Caramel, Cream, Black Pepper
The Verdigris begins with notes of wood, baking spices, and black pepper on the retrohale. The chocolate from the initial light is more of a caramel or nutty sweetness that now lingers on my palate. The red pepper flake and cayenne has settled down to a dull roar. Salted butter and cream round out the flavors. Remnants of the herbaceousness come and go, adding nuance and complexity. The burn is straight. The ash is grey and black and compact, resembling a stack of nickels. The chocolate returns and is flanked by notes of wood, earth, and spice. What started off so strong has sort of dropped off. The flavors are there, but the intensity is not. This allows the sweetness to really shine through: chocolate, caramel, salted nuts. All of these are held up by notes of wood and baking spices, with notes of cream and butter coming and going.
SECOND THIRD
>> Coffee, Herbaceous, Baking Spices
The middle third begins to see the sweeter notes move to more earthy notes of coffee, roasted nuts, and charred wood. Baking spices and white pepper on the retrohale. The smoke continues to be thick and velvety smooth. The burn is straight, with a few waves, and the ash is still compact. The herbaceousness from the initial light returns, as does a hint of red pepper flake. A fruit note is there, but elusive; it comes and goes, keeping me engaged. Just when I think the Verdigris might be losing steam, nuanced notes of fruit, peppery spice, or earth grab my attention. The halfway point sees the profile begin to come alive. The pepper starts to claw at the back of my throat, the coffee note becomes more rich, the charred wood becomes more defined. I am impressed with the construction. The ash holds on each cigar until I decide to risk it no longer, and deposit it in the tray. Wood and coffee notes jockey for position, as the profile really begins to ramp up.
FINAL THIRD
>> Wood, Espresso, Leather
The final third sees the Verdigris go from a medium profile to a full profile. Notes of dark chocolate, charred wood, brownie, nuts, and red pepper all come together with hints of leather and earth. Black pepper rules the retrohale once again. Pepper, spice, wood, and chocolate goodness. The smoke feels less creamy and more dry, but is still voluminous. The burn is still straight, and the ash still compact. Only a few stray flakes can be found, and all are in the tray. Leather, chocolate, espresso Cedar, baking spices, and pepper. The notes all take turns dominating the profile. A herbaceousness returns and lingers on my palate. Nuts, chocolate, leather, black tea, baking spices, black pepper, and campfire is how the Verdigris ends.
RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS
FLAVOR PROGRESSION
While the Verdigris begins and ends with an explosion, the first two thirds of the cigar are firmly medium bodied The middle third borders on mild or, at least less defined than the others. The Patino y Viso has some great flavors throughout the cigar, but the flavor progression meanders its way from one third to the next. Are the thirds balanced? Yes. Is the entirety of the cigar balanced? That’s a question left up to the individual smoker.
BURN EXPERIENCE
Talk about a slow burn! For a robusto vitola, the Verdigris burned for more than two hours. It makes for a very enjoyable smoking experience. Throw in the fact that it is one of the best constructed cigars I have smoked in the last few years, and you have a burn experience that is second to none.
RATING BREAKDOWN
0.80 / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.48 / 0.50 … Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50 / 0.50 … Lighting Process
6.82 / 7.70 … Smoking Experience
0.35 / 0.50 … Personal Enjoyment
COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES
- Almost flawless construction on each cigar smoked.
- Great flavor progression that will keep you interested.
- At times the Verdigris seems unsure of its direction, flavor-wise.
- Middle third borders on boring.
LOST IN A SEA OF GREEN.
The Patina y Viso Verdigris is a well constructed cigar from light to nub. The flavors go from intense to mild to intense, giving you an experience from full to medium snd back to full. Notes of chocolate, caramel cream, red pepper flake, wood and baking spices ebb and flow throughout. While some might find it a bit schizophrenic, it does keep the smoker engaged. The Verdigris is a wonderful collaboration between Patina’s Mo Maali and Viso Horny’s Tyler Jeffrey that has me looking forward to future collaborations from the duo.
