Last year, Ventura Cigar Company (VCC) hels a series of events name Fathers, Friends, and Fire. This collaboration with select tobacconists and shops around the country strove to share stories, experiences, and the love of premium cigars and pipe tobacco. The series kicked off with a series of events where attendees could meet, take a photo, and smoke with cigar industry celebrities like Michael Giannini, General Manager at Ventura Cigar Company, and Erik Stokkebye, tobacconist.
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.
Part of this series included a new event-only cigar, Father-Daughter. This cigar, blended by Omar and Indiana Ortez, comes packed in 2-cigar coffins and are were only available at these special events. The cigar came in one vitola, a Toro that measures 6 x 50. The blend uses an Ecuadorian habano wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and Nicaraguan fillers.
“I like a cigar that looks like suede and this cigar definitely did. It was a nice medium brown that showed highlights of gold and red depending on how the light was shining on it. Veins were visible but smooth and the double cap was well blended into the body. The filler was dense with dark brown interspersed.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Aroma: 91
“The wrapper is very aromatic with a very floral and cedar scent. At the foot the aroma is slightly deeper but still mainly floral.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Flavor: 91 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“At first light, I got hit with an array of pepper flavors. Also got a very strong black pepper on the retro hale. The pepper flavors balanced out on the draw and retro hale. The white pepper flavor is enjoyable on the retro. Also get a little sweetness underneath. A sweet pepper flavor continues as I am getting in the second third ” –Daniel S. (Daniel S.)
“Opens beautifully with a lot of nuttiness and spice with really nice floral notes on the finish. By the end of the third I’m more and more impressed. Overall flavor continues to be dominantly nutty, spicy, sweetness. Construction is impeccable. ” –John I. (John I.)
“There isn’t much progression into the second third. The cigar remains smooth with the nutty flavors mixing nicely with the leather and cedar. The flavor notes remind me more of a higher intensity Connecticut cigar than the darker leaves I see with this stick.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“Into the second portion the cigar has remained very mild with thick mouthfuls of gentle and creamy smoke. It has continued to be mainly floral on the palate and lightly spicy through the nose. Right now I’m wishing I had lit this up with my morning coffee.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“As I smoked the last third the cigar became more buttery and was reminiscent of kitchen spices. The nut flavors receded and the cedar came forward more. The mix reminded me of a biscuit with a hint of nuts. The leather is barely there but still noticeable on the finish.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“To the end this sample has remained creamy, floral, and mild….thoroughly enjoyable. The fact that I can retrohale every puff is really nice and adds to my enjoyment. For a mild cigar, I’m really enjoying this.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 90
“I had no issues with the draw and it was consistent over the entire smoking experience. The cigar was easy to smoke without being too fast.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Burn: 93
“Maybe I’m on a roll of good luck lately but this is yet another cigar with a superb burn….no touch ups, relighted, or any special attention required.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Construction: 91
“Best construction I’ve experienced in a long time. Flawless draw, super tight ash and a nice crisp burn line. Oozing a ton of oil along the way. Beautiful. ” –John I. (John I.)
“This was an excellent mild cigar that I’d gladly start any day with. Sometimes complexity is what I’m after, and this is not a complex cigar. It is, however, a thoroughly enjoyable cigar that is easily worth the 90 minutes of enjoyment it gave me.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“Not my true cup of tea but a really good and consistent cigar. I expected more strength from it but wasn’t disappointed either. This is a nice cigar that would serve well with a cup of coffee or a light beverage. Perfect for when you don’t want a heavy hitter.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“Fantastic smoke. Not as full bodied as I typically prefer, but a really impressive medium bodied experience. Great core flavors of nuts and spice along with blasts of sweetness and floral qualities throughout. Not exactly massive transitions, but there were some nice points of interest along the way. Really exceptional construction as well. The craftsmanship definitely added to the experience. ” –John I. (John I.)
“From first light to the nub, I enjoyed this cigar. The cigar had a few nice transitions going from heavy pepper to a creamy sweetness. At the end of the cigar I did get some bitterness.” –Daniel S. (Daniel S.)
"Fantastic smoke. Not as full bodied as I typically prefer, but a really impressive medium bodied experience. Great core flavors of nuts and spice along with blasts of sweetness and floral qualities throughout. Not exactly massive transitions, but there were some nice points of interest along the way.
Really exceptional construction as well. The craftsmanship definitely added to the experience. " -John I. (John I.)
