Ventura is a subsidiary of Kretek International Group Inc., a 3-decade-old tobacco company that dealt mainly in supplying tobacco products to convenience stores. Kretek eventually acquired Philips & King, a century-old premium cigar distributor, and merged it with Djarum, their own cigar brand name, to form Ventura cigars. The following cigar up for review, the Project 805, is a source of immense pride for the Ventura Cigar company due to its use of unusual blending techniques and its results (ie, the Andullo tobacco), which make it, in Ventura’s own words, “…the cigar they [the tobacco establishment] tried to keep from you… the disruption they tried to suppress, yet here it is, in your hands – you are now part of the disruption.” Let’s see if this disruption is worth being a part of…
Form and Substance
- Vitola: Toro
- Wrapper: Corojo Shade
- Binder: Dominican Olor
- Filler: Dominican Blend + Andullo (Southern Dominican tobacco fermented and blended by tying the leaves together with rope into thick, condensed 6-ft high, 5-in diameter bars and rotating them in a tobacco barn at regular intervals)
- Dimensions: 6’ x 50”
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Aesthetics, Construction and Feel
Right from the get-go, the Project 805 presents itself as a no-nonsense stogie that means business. The wrapper isn’t the prettiest to look at: the main veins of its leaf are more than prominent. However, this relatively common occurrence is swiftly cancelled out by its texture. The wrapper has a certain peach fuzz on it that gives its texture a pleasant ruggedness.
One ambiguous anomaly is how incredibly tightly packed the cigar is. There is little to no cushion effect and no breathing room on the body, as there is in most cigars. This guarantees that you can make a cut without worrying about messing up the cap and that there will be no soft spots and therefore highly reduced odds of canoeing, but tightly packed tobacco is also a possible sign of a difficult draw. All in all, the Project 805 isn’t necessarily pretty, but it’s very well made.
Smoke and Flavor
As the first puffs are puffed, the tightly packed tobacco’s omen proves true; the draw is a bit too tight for comfort. However, the smoke clouds are surprisingly thick, so at least one can see the fruits of his laborious puffing. The flavor is initially very light during the first third. Toasty cedar is the dominant flavor. As clear as the flavor is, though, I find the first few puffs to be almost bland. Fortunately, the further along I get, the richer the flavor gets; by the time the first third is cleared, the flavor has matured from light cedar to a medium-rich oak.
The ash provides tangible insight into the craftsmanship; it holds form well into the final third before conveniently falling off and spreading all over my white dress shirt (my own fault), all the while having absolutely no flakes and barely bending.
The second third is when the flavor really starts to get complex. The oak is accentuated by a familiar bitter note, and the thick, charcoal texture of the draw increases, though the draw itself remains tight. The bitter oak is joined by an undertone of coffee on the tail end of the second third, excellently setting the stage for the grand finale.
The final third is where all the loose ends are brilliantly tied up. A spicy undertone moves in to replace the bitter flavor that had laced the oak; the burn, having run the risk of canoeing multiple times, evens out entirely and remains so through the end; a creamy and salty butter note makes its way to the forefront, keeping the oak balanced on the back burner; then, the butter and the coffee undertone meet, producing a deep, rich flavor that puffs quite smoothly. The butter/coffee combo is a knockout flavor that leaves you begging for more when the smoke comes to its inevitable conclusion.
The Final Verdict
The Project 805 got off to a bit of a rough start; its draw was tight, its flavor walked the line of blandness, and its thick smoke clouds needed regular puffing to maintain the slow burn. However, Project 805 ultimately proved itself by making a comeback on the second third, slowly but surely bringing all the disparate pieces together for a spectacular final third. The Project 805 is the kind of cigar that only gets better the more you smoke it; the key is having the patience to smoke through all two hours of it and appreciating the eventful journey to completion along the way.
Final Grade: B +
Tips for a Perfect Smoke Experience
- This cigar, by virtue of its tightly packed body, takes about 2 hours to smoke. The tight draw means you have to puff hard throughout. All these factors make for a cigar that can take a lot out of you, so have something cold and refreshing, like a Cuba Libre, on your person to keep yourself in the game.