Ashton VSG

[soonerwings]

Ok, this is long overdue. A few months ago I smoked my very first Ashton VSG (Virgin Sun Grown). This is one of the few cigars I've smoked that actually lives up to the hype that's printed in cigar mags. I've smoked a few since then as well since they're my new favorite. It's like I told one of my atheist friends..."I'll see you in church Sunday morning because this cigar is going to make you see Jesus."

The cigar has a perfect draw, razor sharp burn line, good smoke production and the ash hangs on forever. Oh my, the flavor. This thing is oily and I didn't think I'd care for that. I was wrong. Throughout the cigar there's a taste of cedar and some unidentified sweetness with a peppery zing that persists through the finish. I'll be having one tonight to celebrate the completion of a torts final.

If you haven't tried one of these, treat yourself. They're pricey, so they aren't exactly an every day smoke. Toward that end, I've got some Perdomo Champagne sun growns coming in the mail that I'll review after I've smoked a couple.

 

[grwd]

is this the smoking jacket section?
Id p!ss on a box of those just to be able to have one more can of cope.

 

[soonerwings]

is this the smoking jacket section? Id p!ss on a box of those just to be able to have one more can of cope.

Heresy. Tobacco is best enjoyed when it's been set on fire. Bourbon...check. Cigar...check. Civ Pro outline...check. THIS is how to study.

 

[AKguy1985]

I've been curious if those perdomo champagnes were any good.

 

[vvvvvvv]

Which Ashton VSG? I have a preference for the Sorcerer, though if you ask me right after smoking a Wizard I'd probably say Wizard.

You say they're pricey (~$12) - I'd say they're a bargain. I rank them right there with with the Padrón 1964 Anniversary (around $16). The only cigar I've found to be better is the Padrón Serie 1926 No. 1 Maduro - it's $23, but there's nothing in between that I've found I care much for, really. It is my absolute favorite - and my perfect Christmas present would be a box of those.

And for those who think that price is always a good indicator, I'd rank the entire Ashton VSG above the Fuente Fuente Opus X (~$34), and I'm a big fan of many of the other Arturo Fuente lines - my taste buds just couldn't justify anything close to that price. The Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Presidente (~$12) is one of my favorites.

By the way, the Arturo Fuente Sun Grown Double Chateau (~$7.75) and Punch Gran Puro Sesenta (~$6.50) are probably my favorite sub-$8 cigars - with the Gran Puro being my preference between the two.

Now, if you want a buzz that wakes you up and keeps you going for the next 4 hours, my favorite one for that is La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero (~$10). If I'm having trouble keeping focusing on work, that seems to do the trick.

By the way, another favorite of mine (and it's also by Ashton, so logically it should have been in the same area if buying at a B&M) is the La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Reserva Romantico. It's ~$9.50 and an extremely relaxing, smooth creamy smoke. I can go to bed immediately after smoking it and wake up in the exact same position. Sometimes, I even find myself wanting to doze off about halfway through while smoking it on the porch or on the tailgate. I would actually place it above the Ashton VSG line, but that's just my opinion.

I just came in from smoking a non-numbered Padrón - those are also quite the bargain at ~$6. Most people overlook them when they get to that section in the store because the numbered cigars are eye-level and start at ~$13, and while it's not near as complex as the numbered series, it is one of the rare sub-$8 cigars that is truly consistent from stick to stick.

I'm not an everyday smoker - usually 2-3/week (except there was a stretch this summer where the weather at night was perfect - 70F, dead calm as in able to use a match and spill outside, crystal clear skies - that I did do 5/week... and then again in the fall where the mornings were that way and I worked with my laptop on the porch while enjoying a cigar and coffee... my wallet wasn't very happy). And if given the option between a Natural and a Maduro, I opt for the Maduro.

By the way, I usually go to Tobacco Exchange on 63/May at least once a month if you ever want to meet up. There's usually a group of people in the lounge, and I go there to improve my social skills.

 

[338Shooter]

The LFD Double Ligero Chiselito is my favorite LFD. I buy them by the box.

 

[Cohiba]

"The greatest cigar to smoke is the one you are currently smoking".-Zino Davidoff

Edit: Hey Veggie Meat..which end do you sit on? The tv side or the circle? TV side..Jim is a very cool guy to visit with..he's a professor at OU. If you see a guy in a Houston Texans t-shirt, drinking Schlitz or George Dickel, talking with Beau or John about the Civil War or Michael about the bar Groovies (he's the manager) ..talking politics, food, or whatever..yep, it's me.

 

[Hoov]

I usually hit TE on a Sunday. May have to go tonight before it becomes crappy outside. I need a good one to celebrate.

 

[soonerwings]

Which Ashton VSG? I have a preference for the Sorcerer, though if you ask me right after smoking a Wizard I'd probably say Wizard.

You say they're pricey (~$12) - I'd say they're a bargain. I rank them right there with with the Padrón 1964 Anniversary (around $16). The only cigar I've found to be better is the Padrón Serie 1926 No. 1 Maduro - it's $23, but there's nothing in between that I've found I care much for, really. It is my absolute favorite - and my perfect Christmas present would be a box of those.

And for those who think that price is always a good indicator, I'd rank the entire Ashton VSG above the Fuente Fuente Opus X (~$34), and I'm a big fan of many of the other Arturo Fuente lines - my taste buds just couldn't justify anything close to that price. The Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Presidente (~$12) is one of my favorites.

By the way, the Arturo Fuente Sun Grown Double Chateau (~$7.75) and Punch Gran Puro Sesenta (~$6.50) are probably my favorite sub-$8 cigars - with the Gran Puro being my preference between the two.

Now, if you want a buzz that wakes you up and keeps you going for the next 4 hours, my favorite one for that is La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero (~$10). If I'm having trouble keeping focusing on work, that seems to do the trick.

By the way, another favorite of mine (and it's also by Ashton, so logically it should have been in the same area if buying at a B&M) is the La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Reserva Romantico. It's ~$9.50 and an extremely relaxing, smooth creamy smoke. I can go to bed immediately after smoking it and wake up in the exact same position. Sometimes, I even find myself wanting to doze off about halfway through while smoking it on the porch or on the tailgate. I would actually place it above the Ashton VSG line, but that's just my opinion.

I just came in from smoking a non-numbered Padrón - those are also quite the bargain at ~$6. Most people overlook them when they get to that section in the store because the numbered cigars are eye-level and start at ~$13, and while it's not near as complex as the numbered series, it is one of the rare sub-$8 cigars that is truly consistent from stick to stick.

I'm not an everyday smoker - usually 2-3/week (except there was a stretch this summer where the weather at night was perfect - 70F, dead calm as in able to use a match and spill outside, crystal clear skies - that I did do 5/week... and then again in the fall where the mornings were that way and I worked with my laptop on the porch while enjoying a cigar and coffee... my wallet wasn't very happy). And if given the option between a Natural and a Maduro, I opt for the Maduro.

By the way, I usually go to Tobacco Exchange on 63/May at least once a month if you ever want to meet up. There's usually a group of people in the lounge, and I go there to improve my social skills.

I usually smoke the Spellbound, and they're usually right around $19 at the B&M shops in Norman. Even online, you can only get the per stick price down to about $14 for a 5 pack or $13 if you're willing to buy 24. I've never bought an entire box of any one cigar for a couple of reasons. First, I don't have the humidor space. My humidor holds 30 sticks and I don't want to fill it almost completely with one cigar. Secondly, I'm afraid I'll get bored with anything I buy that many of. I may have to just buy a larger humidor and deal with boredom if it ever sets in. After all, a cigar you're tired of is still better than no cigar.

I'm not a daily smoker either. Heck, I only smoke 2-3 per month these days. Send me to the desert and I'll be a 2-3 per week type of guy. I agree though, I've had a few different sizes of the VSG and I'd put every one of them above the Opus X. That's high praise because the Opus (IMO) is a heck of a cigar. I'm down in McClain county, so I usually don't make it up to the Tobacco Exchange side of town very much these days. That being said, I'm game to meet up some time. It's good to get north of Norman every now and then.

As for the sub $8 sticks, I'm a huge fan of the AJ Fernandez cigars that are advertised so heavily on CI and Cigar.com. I'm sure most cigar snobs turn their noses up at them, but I very much enjoy the Man O' War, and San Lotano Lines as well as the LHC Core. I've had a couple of those LFD's and you're right…they pack a wallop. The Perdomo thing is an experiment. I ordered a 5 pack just to see if they're any good.

 

[vvvvvvv]

"The greatest cigar to smoke is the one you are currently smoking".-Zino Davidoff

Edit: Hey Veggie Meat..which end do you sit on? The tv side or the circle? TV side..Jim is a very cool guy to visit with..he's a professor at OU. If you see a guy in a Houston Texans t-shirt, drinking Schlitz or George Dickel, talking with Beau or John about the Civil War or Michael about the bar Groovies (he's the manager) ..talking politics, food, or whatever..yep, it's me.

Circle side. Usually when I'm there it's Beau, Rocky, John (if I'm thinking of the same guy always talking Civil War with Beau - I'm bad with names), one guy that open carries, and a guy that works in IT for the state, as well as a few others, but those just happen to be there most of the times that I'm there.

I usually sit in a cushy chair on Beau's right or left. I'm not worthy of Beau's chair. He's a pretty cool guy and has some awesome stories, but I'm a sucker for history and the legal/political world.

I've got shoulder-length hair and facial hair (how well it's kept is a good indicator of my busy/stress level), wearing boots, and in weather like this I'm probably in a Carhartt jacket.

I'm probably going to make a trip up there sometime next week. I'm not sure I can hold out until the 15th for the next time the temperature becomes reasonable enough again to enjoy a smoke outside.

I'm down in McClain county, so I usually don't make it up to the Tobacco Exchange side of town very much these days. That being said, I'm game to meet up some time. It's good to get north of Norman every now and then.

As for the sub $8 sticks, I'm a huge fan of the AJ Fernandez cigars that are advertised so heavily on CI and Cigar.com. I'm sure most cigar snobs turn their noses up at them, but I very much enjoy the Man O' War, and San Lotano Lines as well as the LHC Core.

I'm nearly 100 miles outside of the city

I've found the Man O' War line to be very enjoyable. For the San Lotano and LHC Core, I'm not quite sold but I could probably be persuaded after another smoke or two. I've only gotten AJ Fernandez cigars in samplers from CI that I order when I find myself not buying new cigars on my Tobacco Exchange trips.