A Crazy Cigar From Ventura

Ventrua Cigars appears to be new on the cigar scene but the truth is that its parent, Kretek International, has been selling to thousands of cigar stores and tobacco outlets for decades. Kretek’s main product is clove cigarettes and Ventura is their official branching into premium label cigars. You may also know Kretek for their Djeep lighters. The Ventura moniker comes from the name of the California county that Kretek’s owner lives in.

The cigar I am reviewing is the PSyKo SEVEN, given to me by Ventura at the 2013 IPCPR. The SEVEN is quite arresting in presentation. My sample came in a box reminiscent of a coffin and the band on the cigar is a large prescription wrapped diagonally around the cigar. The prescription lists the 7 tobaccos from six countries included in the stick, the dosage of 50 of the 5.5 X 50’s, is signed by El Diablo Blanco (the White Devil) and carries the logo “medicate your mind”. I suppose the SEVEN in the name comes from the 7 tobaccos used. I was smiling by the time I actually got to the cigar itself.

The SEVEN’s wrapper is a Dominican hybrid, the binder a Mexican Sumatra and the filler is a multi-country blend. I smoked the 5.5 X 50 Robusto (remember the prescription label) while other available sizes are range from the Gordito (4 X 58) to the Gordo (6 X 60). I liked the appearance but the cigar was quite hard with a veiny cap. Fortunately, the stick loosened up nicely as I smoked it. The draw was moderate with a good smoke output. The flavor began as cedar but by the middle was overtaken by pepper and earth. The cigar burned evenly and the ash had good color but kept splitting. It took an hour and 10 minutes to smoke and was a little harsh at the end. The cigar is moderately priced at $7 and I give it a 3.5 out of 5.