“Light It! Smoke It! Love It!”
—Vick Shah, Norwood Royal Cigars
What Makes It Special
What better way to ring in the new year than by trying something new!? Introducing the newly released DON V exclusive cigar, by the Oscar Valladares master blenders, in collaboration with WBSE member and Chicago based Norwood Royal Cigars owner Vick Shah. The Oscar Valladares tobacco factory is located in Danli, Honduras, with an additional location here in Houston, Texas. The company was recently awarded BEST CIGAR HONDURAS 2021 by Cigar Journal, for their “Leaf” Maduro Toro cigar.
The DON V, in reference to a gentleman or Mafia leader, features a sun grown corojo wrapper. Corojo tobacco is grown exclusively in the Jamastran valley of Honduras and has been propagated in Western Kentucky. Corojo tobacco was used extensively as a wrapper for many years on Cuban cigars, with the tobacco’s spicy “punch” becoming a commonly associated trademark of the country’s tobacco products. This special wrapper and tobacco blend, tested and chosen by Vick Shah, definitely puts the DON V on course to outperform the award winning Leaf Maduro.
Don V Corojo
Brand: Oscar Valladares
Blended By: Vick Shah
Vitola: 6×52 Toro
Filler: Honduras
Wrapper: Sun Grown Corojo
Binder: Honduras
Age: 2 Years
Body: Medium Boldness
Price: $12
Sold Exclusively At NRCIGARS.COM
Visual / Pre-light Draw
The nice medium brown Corojo wrapper displays solid looking veins and has a nice even oil feel. There is a nice exterior odor of fresh hay and cocoa, while the level of softness to the cigar’s structure is perfect. The band is simple and elegant, with a nice accessible back seam for effortless removal. The black, gold, and red minimalist front label displays “DON” over the “V”, superimposed under a tobacco leaf, and acknowledges the maker “By Oscar Valladares”.
For this DON V cigar, I chose the V-cut. The dry draw pulls extremely nice and smooth, with big oats, berries, fresh tobacco, and cocoa.
First Third
Incredibly smooth initial pull, and an obviously easy smoking cigar. It packs a nice inoffensive spicy “punch” previously mentioned of the corojo wrapper’s trademark characteristic. BIG CREAMINESS to this first third, with tons of chocolate infused coffee foot smoke aroma. Smoking the first third of this DON V reminds me of my favorite childhood bowl of Coco Wheats, with a little sugar sprinkled on top. There are also noticeable berry notes mixed with a banana flavored custard. Awesome complexity, nice even burn, and the ash is holding very well.
Second Third
The cigar remains extremely smooth and easy to smoke. This is a very enjoyable smoke, whether you’re a new or seasoned smoker. The creaminess continues and only gets better. This cigar has just the right amount of spice “punch” to balance out the creaminess. The chocolate notes have become stronger and darker. The retro-hale ironically produces a buttery white chocolate note, very intriguing and catches the smoker off guard. A very nice and sweet surprise, reminiscent of cake batter. The ash fell off with dignity and the burn remains extremely even. This cigar keeps the smoker on his/her toes, yet relaxed!
Final Third
The cigar converts into creamy and buttery yellow cake. The cigar remains incredibly smooth compared to other cigars at this stage of the experience. The spice “punch” actually mellows as if it’s absorbed by the cake batter, another nice surprise. The creaminess amplifies as if the batter continues to be stirred in the bowl. Finally, as if saving the best for last, comes a very noticeable coconut and cherry infused marzipan or even pistachio-like cream filling note. The individual ingredients or flavors of the cigar, seem as if they have been mixing (like cake batter) throughout the experience, and crescendos in this final third desert-like concoction. The unique marzipan flavor is continuous and distinct with every puff. Sit back and savor this amazing smoking experience. The flavor is also obvious in the foot smoke aroma. The nice even burn slows as you effortlessly remove the band, to continue this amazing, unique, and flavorful cigar smoking experience. The complexity of this final third is absolutely delicious! Overall, a highly recommended cigar for all levels of cigar aficionados.
This bourbon is the perfect complement to the smorgasbord of cocoa and marzipan cake battered flavors of The DON V. Sipping the Bakers while puffing away on this creamy desert-like cigar, is like drizzling melted caramel and chocolate sauce over marzipan cream filling, in your favorite Culver’s turtle ice cream sundae. The final third develops into that sweet turtle sundae infused maraschino cherry flavor you let marinate for the last bite.
The Pairing
I chose to pair this new and exclusive cigar with a new and exclusive whiskey. The December 5th Barrel Report, on a recently released Extra-Aged Bakers Single Barrel Bourbon (11 yrs / 8 mos), sealed the deal! “Bill Varnell and I both felt that this was a quality whiskey. Bill thought it was reminiscent of the old Bookers line and I agree”. At 107 proof, there is fruit, vanilla, and caramel on the nose. The palate produces robust flavors of oak, toasted nuts, big caramel, with a nice hint of maraschino cherries and vanilla.
This bourbon is the perfect complement to the smorgasbord of cocoa and marzipan cake battered flavors of The DON V. Sipping the Bakers while puffing away on this creamy desert-like cigar, is like drizzling melted caramel and chocolate sauce over marzipan cream filling, in your favorite Culver’s turtle ice cream sundae. The final third develops into that sweet turtle sundae infused maraschino cherry flavor you let marinate for the last bite.
The extra age on this exclusive caramel bomb Bakers makes this creamy cake battered pairing extra special, and I suspect the regular and more accessible Baker’s 7 year expression will too. I highly recommend this amazing pairing experience. Makes for a very special dessert treat after a nice meal. Light it, smoke it, love it while you pour it, sip it, and love it even more!
Happy New Year! Cheers!
Acknowledgment
Thank you Vick Shah and the Oscar Valladares for creating this superb cigar, and sharing it with us to enjoy, at such a reasonable price.
Norwood Royal Cigars features one of the largest walk-in humidors in the Chicagoland area, over 1,800 square feet of endless cigar options, including the DON V. The cigar is also available online exclusively at WWW.NRCIGARS.COM.
Photography By: James Archie
