Dante Vita Nova was the second cigar release from Dante Cigars. Dante Cigars was created by two tobacconists from Northern Virginia, Mo Fakhro and Michael Huff. The first cigar was the self-titled Dante. The Dante Vita Noca uses a corojo wrapper and was rolled at by Aganorsa Leaf (then Casa Fernandez) in Miami, Florida. It was shown off at the IPCPR trade show back in 2014.
The company gets its inspiration for its name from the medieval Italian poet, Dante Alighieri. Dante’s poems were throughout what is now Italy and his written dialect would was the basis of the Italian language. The Vita Nova gets its name from one of Dante’s works,Vita Nova
Pre-Light
The wrapper is very nice. A uniform reddish-brown that is almost seamless with small veins running the length of the cigar. There’s a nice weight and it is velvety to the touch. The triple cap is well applied and there are no soft spots that I can feel. The wrapper and foot is mostly well aged tobacco with a heavy finish of barnyard. There’s actually a lot of spice on the pre-draw, which is surprising due to it being five years old.
First Third
The initial draw is very buttery and kinda reminds me of macadamia nuts and heavy cream with a medium level of pepper. The smoke output is really good, thick clouds of smoke with a near perfect draw. After about a quarter inch rich aged tobacco notes begin to develop with a slightly sweet finish.
Second Third
Its really hit a sweet spot now. Notes of rich tobacco, milk chocolate, nuts, graham cracker, and a perfect level of pepper is firing on all cylinders. The smoke is still rich and creamy, the burn is perfect, and the draw is just a tad loose but that might just be my preference.
Final Third
The nuttiness really picks up for the final third. Notes of leather are starting to join the party too. It’s still mostly the same flavors as the previous two thirds; chocolate, heavy cream, graham cracker, cedar, and a slightly more aggressive level of pepper but just slightly above a medium.
Final Thoughts
Great smoke. I don’t know if five years of age makes a huge difference, I never tried this blend when it was released, but I’m sure it didn’t hurt. The flavors, construction, and smoke output were all top notch. It didn’t hurt that it was such a beautiful day to smoke a cigar. If you can find some, they’re certainly worth a purchase.
