Pittsburgh PA, a hardworking blue-collar city home to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Penguins, and Pirates. But what else do you know about Pittsburgh? Tonight I planned on penning the review of the Veritas 412 cigar and I wanted to select some Pittsburgh home town tunes. Did you know that Christina Aguilera, Henry Mancini, and famed jazz trumpet player Roy Eldridge are from the area, not to mention rap artist Wiz Khalifa. So I decided to start-up a Roy Eldridge station on Pandora tonight to settle into the 412.
Chris Weber, partner in the Veritas Cigar Company was also from the 412 as he describes in our September issue of Stogie Press. Chris wanted to create a cigar that would pay tribute to his boyhood town that was bold like the city itself. He and the Veritas team came up with the 412 an ultra dark brown Pennsylvania Broadleaf Maduro wrapped cigar. 412 is the area code of Pittsburgh so it was befitting to name the cigar.
In addition to the Pennsylvania Broadleaf Maduro wrapper, he changed things up a bit and used Pennsylvania & Nicaragua (Condega & Estelí) fillers and a Mexican San Andrés binder. Most cigars we have seen in 2014 use the Mexican San Andrés for the wrapper. The Veritas 412 comes in a single 6×54 toro vitola. They are produced in Nicaragua at TACASA S.A.factory owned by Carlos Sanchez.
Examining the Veritas 412 you will notice it is a bold looking stick, a very dark wrapped cigar, velvet to the touch that is tightly packed. It has a heavy peppery scent on the foot and an earthy dry draw that is slightly restricted but not where you have to suck in your face cheeks to puff on it. The band is black with the 412 emblazoned in gold. Carefully looking at the band you will notice the iconic West End steel bridge that crosses the Ohio river and connects the West End to the Chateau neighborhood on the North Side of Pittsburgh. Yes this cigar is all about the steel city, the 412.
After clipping the triple cap and firing up the 412, I am hit right away with nasal cleaning pepper. I have to exhale half a mouth full of smoke before retro-haling at the start as the pepper is intense. Shortly into the burn there is an undertone of chocolate that blends well with the pepper. The ash is solid and tight with a smoky gray color. There is volumes of smoke coming out.
As the Veritas 412 moved through the first 3rd, the pepper and chocolate developed and a raisin note entered the profile. It was like a spicy Raisinet – if such a confection exists. The pepper mellowed down a notch or two as it got near the end of the first 3rd and now I am able to retro-hale the whole puff of smoke.
So far the burn is razor-sharp. The raisin and chocolate are bit more pronounced in the second 3rd. This is turning out to be a solid stogie and a pleasure to smoke so far; as the aroma lets off a floral scent. It has been clean on the palate, lighting up the front and sides of the tongue with flavorful blasts. Trying to hold the ash I must have missed the pass as the ash dropped after holding tight for a good two inches.
The aroma starts to shift to more of a sweet molasses scent and the flavor has moved to more of a fruity note. The pepper has diminished to a subtle background ingredient but it is still hanging in there.
The sounds of the Roy Eldridge jazz trumpet fills the lounge as i lean back to enjoy the pleasures the 412 is offering. I pour a finger of Russell’s Reserve 10 year bourbon which opens the palate and compliments the flavors of the 412. I like how it adds to the molasses scent and fruity flavor I am getting. I know Pittsburgh is a big beer town, but I did not have any Iron City brew so the bourbon was a fine addition. Besides, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky is only a short 6 hour drive from Pittsburgh.
The pepper is re-emerging as it gets close to the end of the 2nd third and there is a nutty aroma that picks up. It blends well with my senses and reminds of the Wasabi covered peanuts I used to get at the lobby bar in the Renaissance hotel in Shanghai. The hotel always had a nice jazz soundtrack playing, too. The 412 is bringing back some fond memories of my time in Shanghai and that is what a cigar can do. The aroma, especially, can trigger memories and tonight it is. The strength has increases at this point.
As the Veritas 412 slides into the final 3rd, there is a bit more of a restricted draw and there is a touch of bitterness that develops. I am not ready to lay it to rest, so I take a another swig of Russell’s to bring out some of the sweetness. The bitterness lasted only briefly and the 412 finishes with a Melba toast aroma and flavor.
– Boston Jimmie
Note: I received early samples of the 412 at this years IPCPR and they had some construction issues, There are some reviews out there that have noted these and I will not repeat them here. I reached out to Veritas and they took all the input to heart and sent me new samples. This review is based on these new samples.