Viaje Oro Reserva No. 5 5 1/2 x 52

Description

The Viaje Oro Reserva No. 5 is the single cigar that put Viaje on the map — earning a 95-point rating and the #2 spot on Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 Cigars of 2010, trailing only a Cuban Cohiba Behike.

Construction & Origin

This 5½ x 52 box-pressed robusto is a 100% Nicaraguan puro, finished in a Nicaraguan Corojo 99 wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler. The Reserva blend takes Viaje’s core Oro line and amps it up with older leaf and additional ligero, hand-rolled by the brand’s most experienced torcedores at Fábrica de Tabacos Raíces Cubanas in Honduras. Before that #2 ranking, hardly anyone had heard of Viaje or its owner, Andre Farkas — this cigar changed that overnight, and Farkas has periodically re-released it since, including a 2020 gold-foil edition marking the 10th anniversary of its original acclaim.

Flavor Profile

Full-bodied and bold, this cigar opens with a real shot of black pepper, developing into cocoa, cream, leather, and natural tobacco sweetness, with a long finish that balances bitter and sweet in equal measure. Cigar Aficionado’s own tasting notes praised its “cocoa-powder finish that walks a perfectly fine line between bitter and sweet,” calling it an unexpected gem from a then-unknown brand.

Why It’s Sought After

Few cigars carry this level of genuine industry history — the Oro Reserva No. 5 is the reason Viaje exists as a recognized name in premium cigars today, rather than just another small operation. Production has always run limited, and even now, well over a decade later, this remains one of the most requested cigars whenever Viaje brings it back for a short run.