Viaje Zombie Antidote Collectors Edition Cigar Review – I Needed Help!

Let’s get one thing straight, I don’t believe in Zombies and I don’t watch or like Zombie movies or TV shows. Maybe I am in a small percentage of people but I am not worried about a Zombie Apocalypse. I figure if there was such an event we have plenty of Marvel Super Hero’s to save the world. What I do believe in are Zombie cigars – you know the ones I am talking about, those cigars that look good on the outside but just burn badly, have a terrible flavor,  or offer no flavor at all. We have all had a fair share of them. I don’t waste my time writing about them, there is just not enough time in my day to talk about crappy Zombie cigars.  Maybe I should, but I’ll let you, my loyal readers tell me in the comments.

I will say this; when you smoke a Zombie cigar you will know, it infects your palate and you need to get back to smoking quality cigars again. I had such a cigar the other day, I won’t mention the brand but it smelled like a pair of dirty socks and burned through a tunnel and fought with me all the way through the first half. Wack!! Bam!! Down it went, crushed in the ashtray and tossed to the side! I am glad it was the last cigar of the day or my smoking pleasure would have been ruined.

The following day I thought about that experience.

Was I infected?

Would I ever get my taste buds back?

I opened my humidor and stared blindly at all these beautiful brown and blonde sticks with their shiny bands. I was afraid to pick one up. What if it was another Zombie? Then it caught my eye. I have a Zombie Antidote from Viaje Cigars. I got it from Ambassador Cigars and Spirits Lounge in Troy, MI. It was being saved just for a moment like this, so I grabbed it and knew right then what I needed  to do.

I needed an injection of fine smoke.

Just holding the Viaje Zombie Antidote Collectors Edition in my hand I started to feel better. Yea, this will cure me and get me back on track.

The Viaje Zombie Antidote Collectors Edition is the latest addition to the original Viaje Zombie Antidote that debuted in 2014. This time it is a unique 6 1/4 x 50 figurado that has a pointed foot and a round head. Just so you know which side to torch, Andre Farkas, owner of Viaje Cigars, put a small hole in the head, other wise you may be confused, as the band is on the foot. Since this is a larger ring gauge than the original, Farkas describes it as a “double dose”, which is exactly what I needed.

The Viaje Zombie Antidote Collectors Edition cigars come packaged in a plastic wrapped bundle that looks like a package of syringes. There are 25 “syringes” in a bundle. Sadly I had only one syringe and I needed it badly. I may have to find more.

Pre-Light Review

Now that I had the antidote in my hand it was time to look it over. The first step to the process was to remove the outer sleeve and band which was fairly easy to do.

Once removed I was greeted with a dark, mottled wrapper. It is finished with a triple cap and a closed pencil tip foot. As noted earlier there is a little hole in cap so you technically don’t have to clip this –  just in case you are in real trouble and don’t have a cutter near by. Really not much to say on the pre-light since the foot is closed. There was just a touch of fermented leaf aroma along the barrel.

The blend is top secret and non disclosed at this moment.

Since my body was in dire need of the antidote, I wasted little time and fired it up. 

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Cigar Review Notes

• Slow start with the small opening and pencil point tip
• Smoke gets going after a few puffs and the flavor starts to refresh my palate – I needed this!
• Toffee is the first note to hit the tongue
• A light citrus follows delivered through a rich creamy smoke
• Black Pepper builds on the lips and a sprinkle of cocoa powder enters the profile
• The citrus slowly morphs into an orange zest – Ha-Ha, Take that You Zombies!
• A nicely formed, medium grey ash develops, resting on a straight char line

• Nut aroma fills the air – that will keep the stinky zombies away!
• The ash is simply amazing and the smoke is elegantly smooth
• A Sweet candy like finish lingers after each puff
• The ash fell after two inches showing a fairly flat and centered burn cone
• Slow burner for sure
• Citrus continues
• Exotic Spice entered near the end of the second third
• Mild nut and sweetness complete the profile in the final third
• Finishes down to the nub with the earlier orange zest
• Medium to Full Strength
• Overall Smoking Time was 1 hour and 25 minutes

Overall, the Viaje Zombie Antidote Collectors Edition was a pleasurable cigar with a pristine burn and consistent flavor profile. I enjoyed the sweetness that moved through the core and the blasts of orange zest. I would not say this is an overly complex cigar, but the flavors did play well together throughout the burn. Being a limited edition, I imagine these will move off the shelves quickly, so if you want one or more I suggest getting them now. They run about $10.00 and you can find the retailers on the Viaje retailer page here.