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KevinI
Lounge Presidente
Lounge Presidente

Staff Review: Viaje Farmer Bill Hatchet LE 2021

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Introduction:

With today’s review, I will be taking a hard look at Viaje Farmer Bill Hatchet LE 2021. Viaje is undoubtedly the master of limited-edition, small batch releases, and with Farmer Bill Hatchet LE 2021, its quite easy to see why.

Feel free to skim the quick hits for an overview or jump into any section below to find the full details of Farmer Bill Hatchet LE 2021. Here we go!

The Quick Hits:

  • A follow up to the original Farmer Bill Hatchet that was released in 2014
  • Main tasting notes of hay, natural sweetness, sourdough bread
  • Recommended for: fans of Aladino Corojo, Guardian of the Farm, Warped La Hacienda
  • Priced at $13.20, Viaje Farmer Bill Hatchet LE 2021 is not overly expensive considering its quality and limited nature

The Build:

Unfortunately, there isn’t too much to talk about in terms of the blend’s makeup considering none of its components have been disclosed. I know Viaje is making their stuff at AGANORSA now, and I can tell you that the look and taste Farmer Bill Hatchet LE 2021 seems awfully reminiscent of the corojo ’99 and criollo ’98 tobaccos that the factory is well-known for.

The Look:

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The biggest reason I have become such a huge fan of Viaje over the years is because of their out of the box cigar concepts and designs. Although Farmer Bill Hatchet LE 2021 might not be my absolute favorite Viaje design, it’s still in the top tier when compared to the rest of the blends on the market.

Starting with the band, you have the familiar face of Farmer Bill Hatchet – this time wearing an appropriate (for a “holiday” blend) and festive Santa hat. The imagery of Farmer Bill is pretty simple, and it almost looks like something you would find in clip art, but nonetheless, it’s unique compared to your typical elaborate red and gold band that every cigar company seems to use. Another key difference between this LE version and the original Farmer Bill Hatchet is the use of candy canes that wrap around the green portion of the band, and the Christmas trees on the red portion.

My favorite part about Farmer Bill Hatchet LE 2021 is the packaging it comes in – four different holiday themed prints that the bundles are wrapped in to make it look like an actual Christmas present. It’s not necessarily the most innovative idea in the world, and I’m sure other companies have used it, but for whatever reason, it goes a long way in this context.

One other thing to note: there are two different colored foot ribbons on the cigars (red, and silver), but rest assured, they are all the same blend.

The Experience:

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Let’s jump right into the first third – there were a lot of underlying earthy tones that included cedar, and oak, but most notably, a ton of hay. Sprinkle in a little cinnamon and white pepper on the finish, and a slight sweetness on the retrohale, and Farmer Bill Hatchet LE 2021 was solid right out of the gates.

Moving into the second third, the hay remained consistent, whereas the woody notes morphed into sourdough bread, and cereal grains which was complemented nicely by the increased amount of sweetness on the retrohale. In my opinion, the second third was where Farmer Bill Hatchet LE 2021 was at its best. Although there was a lot of flavor in the first third, the body of the smoke was relatively light, and the smoke became significantly fuller as the cigar progressed.

In the final third, the notes of cinnamon I got early in the experience made their way back into the fold and really blended nicely with the cereal-like sweetness, and hay (which was turned down a couple of notches), white the white pepper and doughy bread notes made for a rich finish. Throughout my time Farmer Bill Hatchet LE 2021, only one touch-up was needed, but in all honesty, it may have just corrected itself if I had given it more time.

Before I lit the cigar, I was expecting something right in the medium range, but was pleasantly surprised with the medium to full-body of Farmer Bill Hatchet LE 2021 – it was able to stand up well with the wide range of its flavor.

The Value:

Whenever you get into the limited-edition cigars, it should be expected that the price tag generally be higher than that of your regular production blends. In the case of Viaje Farmer Bill Hatchet LE 2021, which was unbelievably limited when it launched, and almost virtually impossible to find anywhere else than at Cigora at this point, $13.20 is basically a steal. Oh, and don’t forget the rich and balanced profile, the stellar construction, and the one-of-a-kind design.

Final Thoughts:

If someone were to ask me to pick a Viaje cigar that most effectively sums up the company, it would probably be Farmer Bill Hatchet LE 2021. It’s super limited, delicious, wonderfully constructed, and cleverly designed – all things that have become synonymous with Viaje for me.

We are already running out of our stockpile of Farmer Bill Hatchet LE 2021 that we’ve been holding onto, so if you’re in the market for a high-quality blend to smoke, or just another gem to add to your collection (like me), then this is the cigar for you.