Viva Republica’s Rapture Exodus

Jason Holly, a cigar enthusiast and store owner in Northeastern Pennsylvania, intended to shake up the traditional cigar industry by making unusual blends not generally available to small suppliers.  He created Viva Republica, Inc. and partnered with by the well-known La Aurora factory in the Dominican Republic to make cigars. These medium to full bodied sticks are aimed at traditional brick and mortar stores and tobacconists.

The first cigar offering from Viva is the Rapture series with sizes ranging from a 4.5 X 50 robusto to a 6 X 58 gordo. Viva uses an Ecuadorian Havana wrapper with a Dominican Corojo binder and a filling blend of Nicaraguan, Brazilian and Dominican tobaccos.

The Rapture Exodus is a 6.25 X 52 torpedo and I obtained one for sampling at the 2013 IPCPR. The wrapper appeared to be a nice Oscuro in color although the term relates to the process more than the color. Oscuro is Spanish for “tending towards black” or “dark” and that describes the Exodus.   Oscuro wrappers come from the topmost leaves of the plant which have also been left on the plant the longest, allowing them to begin to cure in place.  This generates part of the dark color and enhances a stronger flavor.

The construction of the Exodus was firm to almost tight.  As you can see from the photo it was also fairly veiny so this lead to a low appearance score. The stick light well enough and the first taste was pepper and spice. The draw was good for the entire smoke and the ash, moderate in appearance, burned evenly throughout.  By the second third of the stick the tastes grew stronger and the spice fell away to a predominately pepper taste which continued into the final third

This was a full bodied cigar that lasted 50 minutes and should appeal to those who prefer pepper over spice in overall flavor. The Exodus has a SRP of approximately $9 and represents a moderate value.