Ventura Cigars debuted the Third Chapter of it’s Archetype Series at IPCPR 2019. The third Chapter is a collection of two different blends, but made by E.P. Carrillo: Sacred Scales and Dawn of Destiny. We reviewed the Dawn of Destiny last year and gave it a 90. Like all cigars made by E.P. Carrillo Sacred Scales is rolled at Tabacalera La Alianza in the Dominican Republic. The blends are a collaboration with Carrillo and Ventura Cigar General Manager Michael Giannini,who have been friends for 20 years.
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 gets its inspiration from the work of psychologist Dr. Carl Jung and mythographer Joseph Campbell. Each chapter shows a part in the Hero’s Journey, a common storytelling arc. Archetype Chapter 3, is the changing point in this journey where the hero returns to the real world from the imaginary. The Sacred Scales cigar is described full-bodied and full-flavored. The blend uses a Mexican San Andres Maduro wrapper, Ecuadorian binder, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua. It is offered in three vitolas: a 5 x 50 Robusto $9.99, 6 x 52 Toro $11.49, and 6 x 60 Gordo $12.99.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Robusto Length: 5″ Ring Gauge: 50 Country of Origin: Dominican Republic Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés Binder: Ecuador Filler: Nicaragua Factory: Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. Blender: Michael Giannini, E.P. Carrillo Number of reviewers: 5 – Alan(Eulogy) Sean F.(fullermaine) Kevin A.(Kevin A.) Matt Cade(CADE) Isaac M.(The Nothing) Price: $9.99 Age: 10 Months Release Date: October 2019 Contributed by: Ventura Cigars
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 90
“Dark chocolate brown wrapper with an oily sheen. There is quite a bit of tooth ad the wrapper is quite bumpy. The seams are tight and invisible and the small veins are barely visible.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
Aroma: 89
“While earthy, this cigar also smelled sweet.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“Ground black pepper floods my nose upon torching the foot of the cigar but it’s “an enjoyable overpowering”, while the draw reveals a strong earthiness and oak note. Smoke production is off the charts with thick gray smoke pouring from both the foot and the head after each puff and meeting in the middle. I love that visual, it never gets old… After the one inch mark a slight sense of mint shows up on the retrohale and there’s also a leather note that starts to arrive via the draw.” –Matt Cade (CADE)
“Cocoa nibs and dark coffee at the start. Aromatics, perfume like quality. Mesquite on the retro hair. Starting things off, this cigar brought on some cocoa nibs and dark coffee. I was happy with the smoke output right away. As the beginning moved along, there was an aromatic, perfume-like quality that I could not directly associate. The retrohale was reminiscent of mesquite. ” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“The cigar has a little bit of power behind it moving into the second third though the flavors are a little bit muted, tho the ones that are there work well together. There is a sweetness emerging almost like malted milk, which mixed with the coffee note, is giving the cigar a sweet malted mocha note that is quite pleasant. There is just a bit of leather on the finish that tones the sweetness down a little. The retrohale has quite a bit of cocoa, a little vanilla, and some cinnamon in it. Burn has been good from the start and the draw is almost perfect” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
“I’m almost positive it’s a smokey meaty flavor now. I find it a bit oddly placed with the other notes of dark chocolate, leather, and heavy pepper. The smoke output is very good though and the burn is on point. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
“The flavors are certainly bold but I find them somewhat working against themselves. The meatiness is very pronounce with bitter chocolate, leather, and a fading but aggressive level of pepper. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
“The solid-like-a-nosetackle ash finally drops right as the final third of the cigar begins… apologies to my lap, I got cocky. The pepper via the retrohale jumps up a notch kicking whatever mint was there to the curb. Leather and oak are now the dominant flavors on the draw, leaving the earthiness behind. I like these transitions in the last act as they’re keeping me on my toes. The cigar is starting to burn a little bit for my taste with quite a bit left but I don’t want to say sayonara anytime soon. ” –Matt Cade (CADE)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 94
“No complaints on the draw with a v-cut. It was just about how I like it. ” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Burn: 94
“Even burn from beginning to end. Nice long ash that doesn’t break off on its own.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
Construction: 94
“Great construction from the start. No unraveling or relight needed.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
“Functionally, it was a great cigar. I found the construction, draw, and smoke output all top notch. The flavors just threw me off and that makes it hard to recommend. There’s a few cigars that I enjoy the meatiness of the profile but this was very monotone in terms of notes and progressive change. If you like cigars to have a meatiness and care more about the how much smoke they produce then pick one up to try. I prefer my sinuses not to burn from pepper on the retrohale. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
“A cigar I hated to lose in the process of smoking. Great notes of cherry, earth, leather, cocoa, and oak make this a excellent cigar. Great ash that hung on to the cigar for 30 minutes or better. Five or more of these cigar would round out your humidor perfectly.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
“The solid yet muted flavors in this cigar started off with promise then kind of faded at the end. The cigar remained med-full throughout, and had consistent burn and draw. I would be interested in smoking it again to see if there were any flaws in the construction to give the muted and non developing flavors at the end.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
“This cigar reminds me quite a bit of some of my favorite offerings from the Drew Estate Liga Privada line, and in the several handfuls of reviews I’ve conducted for this website I’ve never had the gall to venture a guess as to what brand I’m smoking. Having said that, if this cigar isn’t a DE product then whoever manufactured it should take that association I’ve made as high praise. This one is a winner. ” –Matt Cade (CADE)
“That good ol’ golden bar of Dial soap belongs in the shower. Not in a cigar. I really liked were this cigar was going in the beginning, but that second half was just horrible. I have never tasted anything like it in a cigar before.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
"A cigar I hated to lose in the process of smoking. Great notes of cherry, earth, leather, cocoa, and oak make this a excellent cigar. Great ash that hung on to the cigar for 30 minutes or better. Five or more of these cigar would round out your humidor perfectly." -Sean F. (fullermaine)
