Villa Sombra Mojitos

Since the release of Warped Cigars’ Flor Del Valle line in 2014, the brand has focused primarily on two consistencies: 100% AGANORSA tobaccos, and production at the Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. (TABSA) factory. Before this time, the company’s prior releases had been made (and are still to this day) at the El Titan de Bronze factory in Miami. Four brands and two years later, the company made their first notable change in this strategy, introducing Villa Sombra at the 2016 IPCPR trade show.

Villa Sombra translates roughly to “Shade Town,” no doubt referencing the cigar’s Connecticut Shade wrapper—the first such blend in the Warped portfolio. The remainder of the Villa Sombra blend follows suit for Warped, showcasing AGANORSA leaf, primarily from Nicaragua’s Jalapa region.

Villa Sombra Mojitos Breakdown

Villa Sombra was released in the fall of 2016, debuting in two sizes: Mojitos (5½” x 44) and Mecedora (5¼” x 50). The sizes are named for the relaxing nature of the cigar’s blend, with Mojitos being a rum cocktail, and Mecedora translating to “rocking chair.” Both sizes are packaged in cabinet-style slide lid boxes of twenty-five cigars.

Appearance

As with most Warped cigars, Villa Sombra arrives in simplistic packaging of raw wood. The bands are much more subdued than expected though, showing a flat layout of pastel green with white lettering that is very subtly embossed. Warped is clearly trying to place emphasis on the blend, almost intentionally going for a “bundled cigar” / “catalogue cigar” look, it seems.

The tobacco is not nearly as bright and silky as expected from Connecticut Shade, instead showing bumps, scuffs, and darker streaks across the wrapper. The construction feels good overall though, showing a triple cap, well-placed seams, and a medium-firm bunch. As usual, the slender size is appreciated—with nearly all of Warped’s vitolas representing classically-geared formats such as the corona used for Villa Sombra Mojitos.

On the nose there are light and buttery notes with a tanginess in the background. The foot shows additional aromas of crackers and cedar wood. With a double-guillotine cut, Villa Sombra displays a firm pre-light draw and vegetal/papery notes.

Smoking Experience

Through a medium-firm resistance, Villa Sombra ignites with classic flavors of crackers on the palate and subtle spices through the retrohale. The cigar shows a nice balance of spice (black pepper leading the charge) to pair with lighter notes of citrus, bread, and grass. The experience is not mild, as expected from the classic definition of the Connecticut category, but not overly punchy (as seen with many of today’s “modern Connecticut” cigars) either.

As mentioned, the smoking draw is not quite as firm as the pre-light experience, though most samples were notably a tad tighter than ideal. This draw is made more manageable by a medium smoke output, which is more than expected from the slender size and slightly firm draw. Construction-wise, the Mojitos proved the blend may need more humidor time than average, with most samples requiring touchups or relights at roughly each third of the smoking experience; with ash typically clinging for around one inch.

Flavors maintain fairly consistent throughout, as the cigar gains depth from the aforementioned notes of the first third, such as sage, heavily creamed coffee, and sweet butter / cream cheese on the finish. The smoke is chewy, more complex than an average Connecticut, and lingers long after each puff.

In the final portions, darker flavors enter the fold, with barnyard hay, toasted bread, oak, and generic vegetal flavors present. The cigar loses nearly all nuances of spice in this section, with most flavors residing on the palate—showing a medium flavor, strength, and body.

Would I Smoke This Cigar Again?

I’m not going to go out of my way to do so, but sure, I’d smoke another. This is an easy cigar to smoke, it’s short and sweet, delivering smooth flavors and a little more complexity than most cigars in this category. As the names of the vitolas indicate, Villa Sombra would indeed pair nicely with a mojito while rocking in a chair on a theoretical front porch—preferably in the brunch hour of the day (though that may be a tad early for a mojito…).

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