Ventura Cigars showed off the Third Chapter of it’s Archetype Series at IPCPR 2019. This Chapter contains two blends: Sacred Scales and Dawn of Destiny. Archetype Chapter 3 is a collaboration with E.P. Carrillo and rolled at his factory La Alianza in the Dominican Republic. Carrillo and Ventura Cigar General Manager Michael Giannini have been friends for 20 years and have collaborated before.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
The Archetype Series is inspired by the work of psychologist Dr. Carl Jung and mythographer Joseph Campbell. They showcase the Hero’s Journey, a common storytelling arc.
The Archetype Chapter 3 Dawn of Destiny represents the hero’s return to reality as it travels across the threshold of flavor. It is described as a medium-full-bodied blend. It uses a wrapper from Ecuador, and binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua. It also comes in three sizes: a 5 x 50 Robusto, 6 x 52 Toro, and 6 x 60 Gordo.
Pricing for the Robusto is: $9.99/each $199.98/box 20, Toro: $11.49/each $229.98/box 20, Gordo: $12.99/each $259.98/box 20.
Other cigars in the Archetype Series include Dreamstate, Sage Advice, Strange Passage, Initiation, and Axis Mundi. And in Fall 2018, the Archetype Mini-Series added a 3-cigar side quest with Crystals, Curses, and Cloaks.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Robusto Length: 5″ Ring Gauge: 50 Country of Origin: Dominican Republic Wrapper: Ecuadorian Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan Factory: Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. Blender: Undisclosed Number of reviewers: 5 – Mickey T. (irratebass) Alan(Eulogy) John A. (Bostoneo) Ryan H. (Ryan H.) Isaac M. (The Nothing) Price: $9.99 Age: 1 Month Release Date: July 2019 Contributed by: Ventura Cigar Company
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 89
“Rustic is what comes to mind. The wrapper is very nice chocolate bar brown and is sightly toothy to the touch. The roll itself is off. The foot of the cigar is smaller then the middle and the middle to the head of the cigar is off sized too making the middle seem a little puffy. It’s also a little lopsided with dips from under packed spots. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
Aroma: 91
“On the body I get an incense type of aroma. On the the foot I get chocolate, hay, and barnyard aromas. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Flavor: 90 Strength: Medium-Strong Body/Complexity: Medium
“A gorgeous bouquet of tobacco, dry and moderately peppery bloom upon lighting up. Sweet date like sweetness begins to build alongside the peppery spiciness develop towards the end. ” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“This cigar stared with a sweet graham cracker taste. As the first third continued on it featured wheat and other cereal grains as the primary flavors. ” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Flavor: 89 Strength: Medium-Strong Body/Complexity: Medium
“Strength is at a medium. Getting flavors of sunflower seeds along with walnuts. Walnuts seem to be dominating this cigar now. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“The body increased through the second third. Cereal grains still played the leading flavor roll, but was accompanied by nicely fermented tobacco flavors.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“The nicotine level has picked up quite a bit this third but isn’t overwhelming. I’m still getting mostly leather, pepper, and cedar. I think the uneven rolling has finally caught up to my fears and the burn is a little more than wonky now. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
“Slight sweet and sour notes start here and luckily fade away to intense smokey wood notes. Making the run towards the end, the body drops into a mellow salty cream with a small amount of black pepper. ” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 94
“The draw was just about spot on with a nice v-cut. ” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Burn: 88
“It was always slightly wavy but at the end it got a little too out of control and needed a touch up.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Construction: 89
“Construction seemed very nice. Nothing negative I can think of caught my eye.” –Ryan H.(Ryan H.)
Overall Strength: Medium-Strong Overall Body/Complexity: Medium Experience Overall: 89
“Very good cigar. Started out with an incense/aromatic element that I couldn’t quite put my finger on other than incense, but it didn’t stay through the whole cigar. It kinda faltered out about the middle of the 2nd and walnuts and sweet tobacco took over. By the end it was just wood and that same sweet tobacco. Strength never got up to a medium. Very nice smoking experience. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“Rustic is the most apt thing that comes to mind when thinking of this cigar. Looked a little odd with the roll but the wrapper was very nice and well applied. I feel like this would be a good cigar to smoke while doing something because it’s not super complex but very steady in flavor. I’d certainly smoke this while playing poker or grilling. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
“Overall, a decent cigar. Fairly straight forward in terms of complexity, this stick provided ample amounts of delicious flavors with hitting you too hard with a full body. Easy to smoke and easy to enjoy, something very middle of the road that is well blended. ” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“Worth a single purchase. See if it strikes your fancy.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“I was pretty happy with this cigar. While there wasn’t a lot of flavor transitions to speak about, the build up of body from the beginning to the end kept me interested in the cigar. This was easily an any-day smoke. ” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Blind Cigar Review: Ventura | Archetype Dawn of Destiny Robusto
Summary
"Very good cigar. Started out with an incense/aromatic element that I couldn't quite put my finger on other than incense, but it didn't stay through the whole cigar. It kinda faltered out about the middle of the 2nd and walnuts and sweet tobacco took over. By the end it was just wood and that same sweet tobacco. Strength never got up to a medium. Very nice smoking experience. " -Mickey T. (irratebass)
