Vengeance is one of the Kristoff brand’s oldest lines. The original blend was re-branded from Vengeance to GC Signature Series back in 2011, then in 2018 Glen Case announced at TAA that the Vengeance line would be making a return, with a slightly different blend.
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 blend for Vengeance uses a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Indonesian binder, and fillers from Nicaragua and Dominican Republic. The original blend (now GC Signature Series) featured a Brazilian maduro wrapper and had some Honduran tobacco in the filler. It comes in four sizes: Perfecto – 6.5 x 60, 6 x 60, Toro – 6.25 x 54, and Robusto – 5 x 50. All comes in boxes of 20 are and made at the Charles Fairmorn factory in the Dominican Republic.
“This is a nice dark chocolate brown and has a very textured wrapper like suede. The pigtail cap nicely sets off the cigar. The foot is closed, adding to the allure of this cigar for me. The color reminds me of dark chocolate brownies.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Aroma: 91
“I am liking the sweet hay and mixture of chocolate raisins that is faintly there upon the dry draw for me. The cigar has no ammonia odors and is actually quite pleasant.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“First few puffs are like a punch in the face flavor wise. A blast of black pepper with dark roast coffee. It settles down and the flavors become more subtle. Which is a good thing because if that continued it would be a powerhouse smoke. Retro is harsh but it also settles down after some time. Lots of coffee and leather. Very enjoyable thus far.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
“Really great start to this. Bright pepper and a lot of follow up sweetness. Begins with big espresso flavor. Twenty minutes in there’s still a ton of maduro sweetness happening along with a pronounced gingery spice. Draw is a bit on the snug side. Considering taking another slice off in hopes of opening this up a little.” –John I. (John I.)
Flavor: 93 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“Continues to offer a ton of sweetness. Most of the spice notes apparent in the initial third have subsided. The quality of the smoke here is really thick and almost damp. Really permeates the palate. The draw has opened a bit without recourse to cutlery.” –John I. (John I.)
“This smoke definitely aims to please. Flavors are right in my wheelhouse. And the construction is on point. Ash finally drops off over an inch into it. Unfortunately it was on my lap. Black pepper pretty much disappears and more chocolate and dark cocoa along with the coffee/leather. Retro is amazing on this. Very impressed with this cigar. Was expecting more muted flavors from a larger cigar.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
Flavor: 94 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“The lemon zest remains but is receding with earthy, meaty notes taking over again. I still am getting new and interesting flavors as the smoke progresses. Hints of leather and chocolate, which I originally thought would be there are finally coming through and I am not disappointed. There is a slight bitterness to my palette toward the end but nothing that takes away from the other flavors vying for my attention.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“The flavors just wash away so quickly after the draw. I can’t really think of another cigar that does this. The profile has changed slightly. There’s a vegetal note that is the dominant flavor but hints of tobacco, cedar, and red pepper are all still there. If you’re not really paying attention you’ll probably just notice the red pepper and green juice flavor. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 92
“Slightly snug to start off, but this opened up by the mid-third to a really nice draw. ” –John I. (John I.)
Burn: 94
“High marks for the razor sharp burn. I didn’t need to relight or touch up at any point, so that’s something. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
Construction: 95
“Really well made cigar. The additional bells and whistles that came with the twisted cap, and open foot definitely added to the experience, and were expertly applied to a cigar that performed really well for the full duration of this experience. ” –John I. (John I.)
“As I’ve said many times before, maduros are just my thing. And this did not disappoint. From start to finish it impressed me. Flavors were on point. Not overpowering and not too subtle. I’d give this an easy Extraordinary. Would definitely try this again. And again. Box worthy. ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
“Really excellent cigar. A bit larger format than I usually reach for, but the super sexy raggedy foot, and the pigtail cap really got my heart racing when I first saw this. Construction was exceptional throughout, and the overall flavor profile was really enjoyable. Nice sweet and super ripe tobacco on point here along with flirtations with some spice, espresso, and pepper along the way. Magnificent cigar. ” –John I. (John I.)
“Maybe my expectations were set for something else and this just didn’t meet them. Usually, when I see this dark of a wrapper I’m expecting something full bodied in terms of flavor and usually strength but this just didn’t meet them. The flavors left almost completely after the exhale leaving only a bit of pepper and a flat experience. There’s nothing chocolaty or nutty about it. Just a bit of tobacco and green juice once the extremely bitter notes from the beginning departed. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
“This was a tasty and flavorful smoke for me. Rich with a nice mix of meaty, lemon zest, spice and pepper was great for my palette, yet the cigar gave me more with the addition of leather and hints of chocolate. I liked the look of this cigar and thoroughly enjoyed the smoke. Definitely would like to visit this smoke again soon!” –Diana (ArmyRN)
"Really excellent cigar. A bit larger format than I usually reach for, but the super sexy raggedy foot, and the pigtail cap really got my heart racing when I first saw this. Construction was exceptional throughout, and the overall flavor profile was really enjoyable. Nice sweet and super ripe tobacco on point here along with flirtations with some spice, espresso, and pepper along the way. Magnificent cigar. " -John I. (John I.)
