In my local cigar lounge, I was immediately taken by the packaging of this cigar. The box this cigar comes in is shaped like a boat, which is something that I had never seen before. Because of this, not only did I want to try the cigar, I wanted to learn more about ADVentura cigars because of it.
ADV is a collaboration between Swiss retailer Marcel Knobel and Dominican master blender Henderson Ventura. Three of their main line include maritime themes, such as The Conqueror, The Navigator, and The Explorer. Other cigars they produce are called The Royal Return and Barbarroja’s Invasion. Sailing, boating, and treasure chests are their main box themes, which is a little different than other cigar branding that I’ve seen.
The cigar definitely fit the theme, as I’ll outline below.
OVERVIEW
VITOLA: Almirante
SIZE: 6″ x 54
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic
FACTORY: Tabacalera William Ventura
WRAPPER: Ecuador, H2000
BINDER: Indonesia
FILLER: Dominican Republic and Nicaragua
STRENGTH: Medium Plus
ENVIRONMENT
WHERE:
Habano Cigar Lounge, Davenport, IA
WHEN:
Mid-Afternoon
DRINKS:
Water
WEATHER:
68°F
HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:
3
PRODUCTION
RELEASE TYPE Regular Production
ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE 2019
TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size: Boxes of 20
Production Totals: Unknown
VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o Emperor’s Edition (LP) (7″ x 40)
o Capitán (6″ x 60)
o Almirante (6” x 54)
o Comandante (5″ x 50)
BAND DESIGN
The band for this particular cigar is fairly simple. The black outline and logo contrast with a white background. The band itself is a nice size and doesn’t cover too much of the cigar. The band is very tight to the cigar and doesn’t slide off, nor does it allow for easy removal.
PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
The construction of the cigar is pretty good. The surface isn’t too rough, but does have prominent veins that break up the smoothness. There is a slight oily sheen that doesn’t make the cigar too dull. The cap is glued smoothly and doesn’t stick out.
AROMA
The aroma had wheat and a hint of sweetness.
COLD DRAW
The cold draw had notes of grass and a sweetness that reminded me of honey. Makes me think of enjoying a cigar outside during spring.
SMOKING EXPERIENCE
LIGHT & DRAW
Cut: V Cut
Fire: Vertigo Lighter
The first draws had notes of pepper and hay.
SMOKE
The smoke was creamy and consistent. Even at rest, the cigar had a light plume of smoke that danced in the air. The first two cigars required a couple of relights, while the third stayed lit pretty well.
FIRST THIRD
>> Pepper, Grass, Hay
The first couple of puffs introduced the pepper, which stayed consistently on the forefront of the palette. The grass and hay slowly worked their way in, rounding out the pepper so that it became less intense. The grass and hay continued to linger after the smoke was expelled. Closer to the next section, the pepper sensation minutely increased, starting to overpower the other two. Eventually, the hay was gone but the grass continued to mingle with the pepper.
SECOND THIRD
>> Pepper, Grass, Leather
Coming into this section, the pepper was still more prevalent than other flavors. The grass continued to coexist with the pepper, so that the taste was a little more rounded out and not such a pepper bomb. The hay was completely gone, but morphed slowly into a leather taste. The combination left a depth of flavor that continued to hold my interest so that I wouldn’t get bored with it. The heat of the cigar itself increased, but not to an unpleasant level.
FINAL THIRD
>> Pepper, Earthiness
The final section ramped up on the pepper, becoming the overwhelming flavor. The grass and leather convalesced into more an earthy taste, deepening and enhancing the pepper. But while the pepper lingered on the palette, it still didn’t become a pepper bomb. It almost seemed to ebb and flow, like an ocean wave. The heat of the cigar didn’t become unpleasant until the very end of the cigar, which was a nice surprise considering usually most cigars tend to get very hot a lot earlier. The band was difficult to get off, which unfortunately ripped the wrapper slightly. Didn’t impact the smoking experience too much though.
RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS
FLAVOR PROGRESSION
The cigar was a constant medium plus through the entire thing, not didn’t taste too strong. Still an excellent cigar for those who want to stay within the medium range. The pepper was a constant force throughout the cigar, but it became stronger at times and then reduced. The other flavors continued to exist, but their presence just enhanced the pepper flavor and rounded out the entire cigar. The flavor changes weren’t too drastic, so some smokers might feel it tasted the same the entire way through.
BURN EXPERIENCE
Decently constructed, so all three cigars burned well. Only a slight change at the end with the band removal, unfortunately I could not figure out a way to remove the band without slightly damaging the wrapper. The ash was nice and compacted, falling off in chunks.
RATING BREAKDOWN
0.50 / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.50 / 0.50 … Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50 / 0.50 … Lighting Process
6.60 / 7.70 … Smoking Experience
0.40 / 0.50 … Personal Enjoyment
COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES
- Pepper wasn't too overwhelming
- Decent burn
- Band was too tight to the cigar
- Not too much flavor progression
Like a ship on the waves.
Overall I found this cigar to be a very pleasant smoke. Not too complicated, but not too simplistic either. A more seasoned pallet may find this cigar to have a more singular profile of pepper. For me personally, I thought that the changes in the pepper flavor reminded me of waves ebbing and flowing. The box the cigars come in is shaped like a boat, which I find very fitting for this cigar and the flavor’s ocean imagery that comes to mind. All in all, a very solid cigar for those who like medium to medium plus cigars.
SIMPLY STOGIES RATING: 8.5 / 10.0
