Cigar Review: Kristoff Vengeance

• Vitola: Perfecto
• 6.5 x 60 ring gauge 
• ~$11
• Purchased at Burns Tobacconist

Background

The story goes that Kristoff used to produce a cigar called “Vengeance” but around 2011, the line was rebranded as the Kristoff GC Signature Series, a line that is still around. In 2018, they revived the Vengeance moniker for a brand new blend, making it initially available to the TAA member stores.

While the GC Signature Series (the old Vengeance) uses a Brazilian Maduro wrapper over a Honduran binder and Dominican, Honduran, and Nicaraguan fillers, the new Vengeance blend features the first use of Connecticut Broadleaf for a wrapper leaf by Kristoff. It covers an Indonesian binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. Kristoff makes these in 4 sizes, which come 20 to a box.

We recently brought the Kristoff brand back to Burns Tobacconist, where I work, largely on the strength of my first impression of this blend. So far, it has been well-received by quite a few customers and I decided to give it a review. I have smoked this blend about 4 times so far, in both the Toro and Perfecto vitola. I purchased this review stick at Burns.

Some background info was taken from Cigar-Coop’s news story on this cigar’s release. Leaf Enthusiast sponsor, Cigar and Pipes carries the Kristoff Vengeance.

Prelight

The presentation by Kristoff has always been very good, with rough wooden boxes, slightly oversized, but packed around the sides with tobacco. Like nearly everything else they produce, these cigars have a pigtail cap and closed foot…except for the Perfecto size I’m smoking today, that is…it has neither. One improvement Kristoff has made is to start putting all their cigars in cellophane with barcodes from the factory. Yes, let’s be honest…cigars not in cellophane look better on the shelf…but the cellophane protects against unnecessary damage and handling by other people before you buy a stick.

The wrapper of the Vengeance was a dark chocolate brown with darker veins and mottling. The rolling job seems to be excellent, with flat seams and an even taper toward both foot and head. The band is a black and dark gray background with silver foil  and embossing for the type. One remark I saw stated that the old Vengeance wasn’t really marketed as Kristoff; this one leaves no question in your mind.

The wrapper leaf had aromas of anise, cocoa powder and earth, while the foot of the cigar had a lighter earthiness with notes of hay and cedar. I elected to go with a v-cut for this torpedo-tipped cigar, something I’ve found some success with in the past (although, to be honest, when I used a straight cut on one of these a few days ago, I had no draw problems). I dug out my Xikar VX, applied a good, clean cut, and found a very good prelight draw that tasted of semi-sweet chocolate, mocha, and a little pepper spice.

Flavor

After lighting up the Vengeance, I got distinct chocolate flavor right up front, with more sweetness than on the prelight. Espresso bean notes followed, along with hints of earth and wood, then a mild peppery heat on the finish. Smoke production was pretty good, maybe slightly less than I would prefer, which meant I was going to reserve the right to re-cut with a straight cutter a little while later. The retrohale was woody and just slightly more peppery than what I got on the palate. Overall, it was definitely in the medium-to-full-bodied range right from the beginning.

As the ring gauge widened up in the middle third of the cigar, the flavor profile got more earthy and the coffee notes became stronger, while the sweet chocolate notes faded into the background. The pepper spice stayed steady as a finishing note on the palate and a slightly higher degree of burn on the nose.

The Vengeance narrowed back down during the final third, adding more body while the earthiness increased dramatically. There was still some chocolate in secondary notes, while the pepper burn finally increased a bit.

Construction

I have had a very good draw on every sample of the Vengeance I’ve smoked. The burn line was straight enough and the ash was solid.

Value

Very good cigar at the upper end of the “sweet spot” in today’s market, so full point for value.

Conclusions

Kristoff is generally known for their mild and medium-bodied cigars, while their attempts at more full-bodied blends have been fairly underwhelming, with the exception of the Pistoff. Vengeance is a new direction for the company and one I feel they have succeeded in. The blend is complex and compelling from beginning to end, with everything you want from a Broadleaf wrapper…just not all at once. I have been really enjoying the time I’ve spent smoking these and will continue to do so.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9 /10