Initial Smoke 

Salt and pepper pounce at the opportunity to be the first cigar flavor profile, and for a moment there, I feel like that classic AJ Fernandez intensity is readying to unload a barrage of everything. Then, after a kindling fire flavor settles on the senses, along comes a raw biscuit dough taste, and for a moment there, it looks like it is all about to go mild on me. A brief splash of vanilla cream soda that leads to a candied ginger flavor and spice intensity signals that the first third is ready to begin, and that the joke really was on me all along.

1st Half

Biscuit dough baking in the oven, and butter and honey ready to be spread on top, the light side of this premium cigar blend really does satisfy the senses. Vanilla and cream come and go, along with a strange, paper-like taste that isn't really my thing.

Somewhere near the start of the second third, black pepper pounces on the tongue again, and this time it is far bolder in its presence. Spicier and slightly darker, the medium-bodied smoke swirls fluidly to and from the mouth and nostrils, leaving behind an equally medium finish that is both cedar-rich and rewarding. Retrohales are creamy as can be and quite smooth, with there not being nearly as much of a spicy peppercorn taste intensity as there is aroma. 

2nd Half

Reach the center of the cigar, and you will discover that AJ has smuggled some potting soil and leather into the mix, and that the return of candied ginger has brought with it a new level of spice intensity and flavor. There's also a controlled amount of nicotine to be felt, which rewards you with that warming, punch drunk buzz that makes tobacco so damn addicting to some people. 

But by the time you reach the final third, the whole landscape shifts, and the blend goes meaty and chewy all of a sudden. Faintly sour and bitter, with more cedar and spice stoking the fires within the finish, this is the biggest shift in the cigar, and a bit of an obtuse one at that. Tangy and grassy, with a creamy, milky mixture flowing beneath, the Connecticut shade side of the cigar holds on for dear life, but just barely enough to reach parting puffs.

Parting Puffs

Salt and pepper break dance their way back across the tongue, as a very AJF finish scratches out a broken beat loaded with vanilla, burnt toast, and a bizarre burnt paper taste. Best to call it quits while I'm ahead...

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

A bit of an uneven slope to the carbon ring for much of my review cigar was the only combustion consideration, and even then, there was never the need for me to break out my Overland Pro Torch. The two sticks I burned prior also combusted cleanly, with an immaculate draw from a V-cut or punch providing plenty of creamy smoke. If I did have a complaint, it would be the heat felt upon the palate in the final third and parting puffs, which came and went as the cigar burned.

Final Thoughts

After burning through three of these blends, I find myself pondering the best way of categorizing the Viva la Vida Connecticut. It's definitely not a mild cigar, but then again, it does have its mellower, creamier Connecticut shade moments. However, I can't really call it medium either, for the uptick in peppercorn spiciness and nicotine in the final third consistently knocked things up a notch. 

Perhaps it is best to label this blend as medium-full, for it is a bit more than medium in flavor and strength, but by no means full in body. But where does that leave all of those doughy biscuit and honey notes? They were all impossible to miss, and are very mild in their own regard. I suppose this is just one of those double-sided smokes that can't be easily categorized, and maybe Artesano del Tobacco should have gone with a "Two-Face" branding approach instead of the Harley Quinn look.