In 2018, Ventura Cigar Company announced an extension to the Archetype line: Crystals, Curses, and Cloaks. These cigars are part of the Archetype Fantasy Miniseries. All of the Miniseries are rolled at Tabacalera Oliva de Nicaragua S.A. All three come in the same 5 x 50 robusto size, has an MSRP of $9/cigar and come in boxes of 20 cigars. We reviewed cloaks, last year here.
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 Crystals uses a sungrown habano wrapper with Nicaraguan habano binder and fillers. The Archetype line gets its inspiration from Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell as an homage to a hero’s journey. The series began in 2016 with the first Chapters including Dreamstate, Sage Advice, Strange Passage, Initiation and Axis Mundi.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Robusto Length: 5″ Ring Gauge: 50 Country of Origin: Nicaragua Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Binder: Nicaraguan Habano Filler: Nicaraguan Habano Factory: Tabacalera Oliva de Nicaragua S.A. Blender: Undisclosed Number of reviewers: 4 – Diana (ArmyRN) John I. (John I.) Jason H.(Jokey Smurf) Daniel S. (Daniel S.) Price: $9.00 Age: 1 Year Release Date: October 2018 Contributed by: Ventura Cigars
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 91
“Really attractive, dark wrapper with a ton of glistening oil apparent.” –John I. (John I.)
Aroma: 91
“There was a pleasant barnyard smell to this cigar. Nothing pungent or reminiscent of manure. I picked up a hint of sweetness and found the overall aroma to be pleasant.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Flavor: 89 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“There was a nice touch of caramel and cedar during the first third. The cigar is starting out slow for me and I’m having some problems with the draw so I’m fighting a bit to concentrate on flavors. What I am getting I am really enjoying and would definitely like the cigar to open up more. A hint of cocoa is also present and tasty.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“Loving it on lighting up. Bright bright pepper notes and dark wood, slick greasy smoke that really coats the palate. Fifteen minutes in there is still a lot of peppery notes, but they’ve moved into the background behind a nice sweetness that’s accompanied by some baking spices. Really impressive, and reasonably potent. Liking it a lot so far. ” –John I. (John I.)
“There was no transitions once I got into the second third. There was some bitterness but not enough to ruin the flavors. The retrohale was nice and added some zippiness to the overall flavors.” –Daniel S. (Daniel S.)
“The second portion of the cigar has no transitions at all and has remained mostly generic in terms of flavor. The draw has remained restricted and the smoke thin and almost flavorless. ” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Final Third
Flavor: 87 Strength: Medium-Strong Body/Complexity: Medium
“The mix of wood, sweet chocolate and cocoa remained but was diminished in the last third. It was enjoyable but I really wanted the flavors to come forward more. No bitterness was noted but it felt like the cigar just gradually died off.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“Finally the draw has opened up just a bit and is allowing some flavors to come through. In addition to the basic tobacco I’m getting a bit of earth which is normally a great thing but in this case it just leaves my palate tasting dirty and the smoke profile seems incomplete. ” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 86
“My biggest knock on an otherwise fantastic cigar is the draw. A bit more openness would have been appreciated. Function was ok, but a more rapid delivery would have been great. ” –John I. (John I.)
Burn: 89
“The cigar burned well despite the draw issue. the burn line remained crisp and the cigar stayed lit without any issues. The ash held nicely although I did tap it a lot trying to work on the draw.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Construction: 89
“No lifts or cracks were noted in the wrapper and the cap held nicely throughout the smoke. If I had an X-ray machine I may have been able to see what the construction issue was inside the cigar that messed up the draw but otherwise this was a nicely made stick.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“My overall experience was tainted by the tight draw for half of the smoking experience. The flavors that I did get were very nice and I would hope they would be more prominent in a smoke without the draw issues. For flavor alone I would definitely smoke this cigar again and in all fairness I should do so with a stick that is consistent in draw throughout the smoke. ” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“Loved this. Aside from some overheating in the finale, and some stinginess to the draw it was an exceptional smoke. Potency gradually increased to a nice medium-full. Great flavor profile with a range of fuller bodied flavors on display from light to the finish. ” –John I. (John I.)
“Based upon the appearance and aroma I had high hopes for this sample. Unfortunately the draw made it so I really was unable to enjoy the cigar. I’d really like to try another one to see if my sample was a fluke. ” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“Even though this cigar did not have any transitions the flavors were unique enough to hold my attention the whole time smoking this cigar. The construction and draw were the main highlights of this cigar. I would give this cigar another try.” –Daniel S. (Daniel S.)
"My overall experience was tainted by the tight draw for half of the smoking experience. The flavors that I did get were very nice and I would hope they would be more prominent in a smoke without the draw issues. For flavor alone I would definitely smoke this cigar again and in all fairness I should do so with a stick that is consistent in draw throughout the smoke. " -Diana (ArmyRN)
