I was browsing some cigar sites last week looking to spend some money that I really shouldn’t of been spending. I had told myself I would only window shop but I came across a deal on the new Man O’ War Virtue cigar and I had to grab them.

The Virtue is the mildest of all Man O War cigars. These cigars are produced by AJ Fernandez who it turns out was a protege of Don Alejandro Robaina who recently passed away at the age of 91.

Virtue is being billed as one of the smoothest cigars on the market, and easily one of the smoothest concoctions ever created by A.J. Fernandez. It contains just the right amount of Nicaragua ligero to give it a light punch to keep all you full-bodied Man O’ War fans satisfied while also utilizing Nicaraguan seco and viso tobaccos for medium-bodied experience that remains smooth and creamy from start to finish. A.J. wrapped this beauty with a limited Ecuadorian-grown Connecticut leaf cultivated in 2002 and its thick gauge creates a hearty complexity with a mellow finish.

Cigar: Man O War Virtue
Size: 5 x 50 (Robusto)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut 2002
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Mild
Twitter: N/A

Man O War Virture

Appearance and Construction: The Man O’ War Virtue features a Ecuadorian grown Connecticut seed wrapper that is very blond in appearance. The wrapper though has some imperfections. 2 of my Robusto’s had green spots on them as well as small nicks in the wrapper as well as a few veins here and there. The cigar is nicely rolled with a very simple cap. The foot of the cigar is very loosely packed but features no soft spots anywhere else. The Man O War band has been reworked for the Virtue cigar with colors of silver, blue and white.

Flavor & Notes : Prior to lighting up the cigar has some nuttiness to it on the cold draw while the foot revealed some notes of earthy tobacco. Once the cigar is sparked one notices the Ligero included in this cigar as there are some notes of pepper present especially though the nose. However, make no bones about it. This is a mild cigar with some spicey notes to start. As we work through the first third of the cigar the pepper remains but a buttery smooth richness takes over the cigar and notes of earth and nuts begin to emerge. As we approach the 2nd third of the cigar the pepper has all but faded and what remains is a continued nuttiness, earth and a buttery smoothness. The final third of the cigar has some pepper creeping back in through the nose, but the notes of nuts and earth remained as I smoked this cigar down to the nub.

Smoking Characteristics: The Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper smoked like a dream with a razor sharp burn line for the duration of the cigar. The draw was impeccable with a sold medium to dark gray ash that held on for half the cigar. The smoke production was light on this cigar and it stayed lit from start to finish which is always a nice thing.

Conclusion: Mild. That is what this cigar is. Sure it starts off with some pepper and ends with some as well, but the cigar is a perfect way to start the day. There are a lot of similarities to the Por Larranaga in the Man O War Virtue and if you have been hesistant to try a Man O War cigar because of the strength associated with them, the Virtue might be for you!

Price: $8.00 MSRP
Score: 88