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Lounge Presidente
Lounge Presidente

Staff Review: Ashton VSG Sorcerer

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Introduction:

Today we will be taking a look at the Ashton VSG Sorcerer – an offering from one of the industry’s most highly regarded brands. Ashton is well-known for their mellow, flagship line, but VSG brings a particular boldness and excitement to the brand in a big way.

Feel free to skim the quick hits for an overview or jump into any section below to find the full details of Ashton VSG Sorcerer. And away we go!

The Quick Hits:

  • Originally debuted in 1999
  • Main tasting notes of espresso, earth, and cedar
  • Recommended for: fans of Oliva Serie V Melanio, Rocky Patel Decade, La Historia by E.P. Carrillo
  • Priced mid-tier comparative to Ashton’s other offerings at $14.00 per cigar

The Story:

The Ashton brand has a rich history that dates back to the early 1980’s. At the time, founder Robert Levin was a well-respected veteran of the industry, who had grown up in the 50’s and 60’s working in his father’s cigar shop, which he eventually took over in the 70’s. Levin had aspirations of creating his own brand, and with his decades of industry experience, had all of the tools and knowledge necessary to create a lasting impression, which saw the launch of Ashton in 1985.

Fast forward a few years, and Levin began a partnership with the beloved Fuente family, who became the producers of the Ashton brand. The rest is history – Ashton has been able to release one award winning blend after another and has been able to keep up with the constantly evolving industry and consumer about as well as any other brand. Aside from the flagship Ashton line, the brand has successfully introduced a slew of iconic blends in the past few decades such as Ashton Aged Maduro, Ashton Cabinet, Ashton ESG, and Ashton VSG (and a few more).

Ashton VSG is unlike anything else in the brand’s portfolio, and since its launch back in 1999, has become a staple not just for the Ashton brand, but for the greater cigar industry in general. The 7” x 49 Sorcerer that we are taking a look at today does a really good job of accentuating this bold blend and has been rated as one of the better (if not the best) VSG sizes.

The Build:

Ashton VSG shows off a slightly toothy, dark brown, Ecuador Sumatra wrapper that glistens with a noticeable amount of oils. The hearty Dominican binder and the smooth, yet flavorful blend of aged Dominican fillers add a touch of complexity that complement the rich and powerful Ecuador Sumatra wrapper perfectly.

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The Look:

There are really three different designs that Ashton uses on its cigars. In the case with VSG, it shares a very similar band design with Ashton Heritage and Ashton Cabinet, but we will still jump VSG’s design more in depth.

VSG’s band is highlighted by three main colors – red, black, and gold, which I think look really elegant as they sit atop the dark wrapper of VSG. An iteration of the famous Ashton crown sits at the top of the band with “Ashton” directly underneath it, followed by “VSG.” “Virgin Sun Grown” acts as the floor of the band and although it’s relatively small compared to the rest of the bands text, stands out as the gold font lays across a stripe of red. My favorite part of VSG’s band is the complexity of it – there are a lot of small details with a lot of accents and a lot of embossing. The paper used for the band is noticeably high quality, and with the amount of gold accents and bordering, VSG’s band just looks and feels elegant – perfect for what VSG is.

The box is obviously high quality and reminiscent of the boxes Fuente uses (understandably so) – the feel of the wood is substantial, and the glossy finish of the box adds yet another premium touch to the cigar. The design on the box is really just the same design as the band laid flat across the top of the box, wrapping around to the bottom, and acting as a closing seal.

At the end of the day, Ashton VSG’s design is consistent – something that you’ll also experience in their cigars, and something that has made them an industry staple for all these years.

The Experience:

As I mentioned earlier, the VSG profile really stands out in comparison to the rest of the Ashton portfolio (at least to me). Even compared to the other fuller-bodied blends from the brand like ESG, and Aged Maduro, I think VSG is undoubtedly the boldest of the bunch. That’s not to say that VSG is strictly a powerhouse of a cigar, because this blend also presents a lot of nuance and complexity that makes it really well-rounded.

Starting with the first third of VSG, I was amazed at the amount of espresso notes that I was tasting – for the first several draws I honestly couldn’t make out anything else other than a slight amount of spice on the backend. With that said, notes of leather, cinnamon, and cedar quickly made their way into the mix, and helped to balance out the first third as a whole.

The second third was really interesting to me. The leather, espresso and black pepper notes were still very noticeable, while the cinnamon and cedar notes fell far into the background, making room for new flavors – notes of black cherry added a distinct sweetness, and flavors reminiscent of dried leaves added a particular dry, bitterness. The introduction of these rich flavors is part of the reason that VSG has moved into the full-bodied range by the end of the second third.

As my time with VSG came to a close (unfortunately), the latest additions of dark chocolate and earth just solidified my belief that this blend is unbelievably complex – VSG has been exceptionally fluid with its flavor profile, and I felt like I could taste something new with every draw.

All things considered, VSG was one of the more nuanced blends I have smoked recently, and this, combined with the expected consistency in its construction (I didn’t have to pull my lighter out of my pocket after the initial light), really made me appreciate this blend again. I have smoked VSG several times before, but not in this 7” x 49 Sorcerer size, which I think highlights the blend in a way that the other sizes don’t. Don’t get me wrong, I would be more than happy to smoke any VSG size anytime, anywhere, but to me, Sorcerer is the premier size for Ashton VSG.

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The Value:

If I’m being honest with myself, $14.00 for a cigar almost seems like it’s on the cheap end at this point, especially for a 7” x 49 Churchill – considering that some of the most popular and highly-regarded blends on the market are regularly priced above $16.00 a cigar. Now I know that there are countless really good cigars available for under $10.00, or even $8.00 for that matter, but for the quality of cigar that you get with Ashton VSG, $14.00 seems like a bargain. If you are looking to try out VSG before buying a box, you can pick up one of the smaller sizes for under $12.00 – it’s a no brainer.

Final Thoughts:

I’ve always been a huge fan of Ashton and the quality and consistency of their blends is something that I have always been able to rely on. I almost feel bad that I don’t give them enough credit anymore – with all the new and exciting boutique brands that keep making their way into the market, I admittedly sometimes push the ol’ reliable brands like Ashton to the side. But this ends now! Smoking this Ashton VSG Sorcerer was like a slap in the face (in a good way) – it has rekindled my love for the brand and reminded me why Ashton has been one of the most highly-regarded brands for the last 30+ years.

Ashton is the true embodiment of what a cigar company should be at its core – it strips away all the gimmicks and noise and presents high-quality and consistent cigars that will go down as true classics in the industry. The last thing I will say is this: I would suggest that everyone smoke an Ashton VSG as soon as possible – you don’t know what you’re missing out on.

1 Comment
FuneralDigger
Petite Edmundo

I have been a fan of Ashton cigars for the better part of 30 years. In my humble opinion Ashton cigars are the most consistent cigars on the market. When you light up an Ashton you know you are going to get a quality smoke time after time. I have never enjoyed the VSG line of Ashton's and I am going to pick one up and give it a smoke. I am curious to see how this line compares to the other tremendous lines of the Ashton brand...