Featured Manufacturer: Vicarias Cigars

New cigar companies seem to sprout throughout the year these days, but especially right around the summer months when the annual IPCPR trade show is scheduled. That’s naturally a good time to start a company because the trade show can be a good introduction to a wide spectrum of retailers. And one of the other events that has turned out to be good as an introduction for some manufacturers is the annual Chattanooga Tweet-Up and Cigar Festival. I have to admit that one reason we picked the dates we did was to be among the first major, multi-vendor events to happen after the trade show. As a result we get a little spill-over from companies trying to get products to market after introduction.

One of the companies that contacted us for the Tweet-Up this year was Tre-J Cigars, makers of Vicarias Cigars. I was contacted by John Johnson about being part of the event and they generously offered up some cigars for the grab bags as well as a box of cigars to give away in the raffle. I was able to get one of their samplers (3 cigars, 1 of each wrapper variety) at the event, smoked them and had some observations to share as part of a “company overview;” I also wanted to give the company a chance to have their own say. This is from the email that John sent me:

The philosophy of Tre-J Cigars and our Vicarias line is that we often find ourselves,  sharing time and experiences with our friends, living vicariously through others, whether it’s our kids, sports, or  just a great book. Sometimes we live our live vicariously.

 “It’s who we are, it’s what we do! Thus our name VICARIAS.”

Tre-J Cigars launched their Vicarias line of cigars, the company’s initial offerings, in Fairfield, Ohio, at Jungle Jim’s International Market, on March 20, 2014. While the company’s appearance on the cigar scene is recent, the fact is that Jay, Jerry, and John (the “Tre-Js”) spent three years working on blends, marketing, and business preparations in preparation for the launch. The Hamilton, Ohio-based company has chosen to release their initial three cigars in a single vitola each.

Each cigar is made with hand selected premium tobacco and are manufactured in the Dominican Republic using tobaccos from a variety of nations. Our cigar bands are colored  so you will always make the perfect selection for your occasion. Know your color. know your blend!

The Black Band in Vicarias line, is a 5.5×50 medium to full Robusto with a Brazilian Arapiraca Maduro wrapper, Olor Dominican Cuban seed binder,  Nicaraguan and Dominican and Peruvian filler.

The Vicarias Blue’s is a medium bodied 6×53 Torpedo with a wrapper leaf of Ecuadoran-grown, Corojo-hybrid tobacco, Dominican Olor Cuban seed binder, Nicaraguan and Dominican Peruvian and Colombian filler.

The samplers were made up for the trade show as a way to give people a chance to try all 3 of their blends in one handy package. The 3 cigars in it are 5″ x 48 ring gauge. I smoked the Connecticut Shade wrapped version at the Tweet-Up and didn’t take notes on it; I can say it was good, solid mild blend, but I can’t say more than that. I saved the other two for after the Tweet-Up so I could take a few notes…

Corojo (Blue Label)

From looks alone, I wouldn’t have pegged this as a Corojo wrapper. Coloration and appearance is very much in the “Ecuadorian Habano” range, although admittedly that range is pretty wide. Once I clipped it and gave a few testing cold draws, I did get the notes of cedar and red pepper that so often come through from Corojo leaf.

Firing up the Blue Label, I got notes of cedar and earth right up front, along with some dried fruit sweetness that hit quickly and then went into hiding…and came back a bit in later puffs. Pepper spice was restrained in the early going, just a mild burn at the back of the palate and on the nose.

The flavors changed gradually through the first third until I was getting a much more citrusy note to the whole profile. There were still cedar and pepper notes hiding in there, but mostly it was a slightly lemony grassiness.

The last third showed more flashes of pepper and earth mixed in with the grassiness. I smoked this virtually blind, having no information about it ahead of time. I would say the overall experience of this Corojo blend is more like some Dominican Corojos I’ve had rather than Honduran or Nicaraguan-heavy blends. Overall, I’d say it’s a good blend for a new company.

Maduro (Black Label)

The Maduro had a dark chocolate brown color and a faint aroma of cocoa powder with a hint of leather. The cold draw was very good and featured a semi-sweet chocolate note with a bit of earth. Upon firing the Black Label Vicarias exploded into flavors of espresso bean, earth and cocoa powder, along with enough sweetness to balance the more bitter notes very well. I found it difficult to peg country of origin for the wrapper (still flying blind, remember) but I guessed it could be a Nicaraguan Maduro or conceivably a Mexican leaf, although it just had slight notes typical of San Andres, so I leaned away from that.

As I continued puffing along, I picked up a deeper earthiness and a stronger coffee note in the second third, along with some anise and raisin. The Maduro was definitely in the medium-to-full bodied range.

During the last third the anise picked up in intensity and was joined by a mild dose of red pepper. Hints of raisin sweetness, coffee and earth still were present as well. I enjoyed this Vicarias Maduro and would say it’s worth of a 5-pack purchase.

Thanks again to the Tre-J gentlemen for being part of the 2014 Chattanooga Tweet-Up.