5 Vegas Gold, the first of many

From Cigar's International:




Solid gold.

Despite the pomp and circumstance surrounding full-bodied, powerhouse cigars these days, milder cigars still rule. Without a doubt, the uber-popular 5 Vegas Gold is the perfect example. This gorgeous creature is crafted with extensively aged tobaccos, including a beautiful, almost shimmering Ecuador Connecticut wrapper leaf with a rich satiny texture. This charming blend is the big easy. I’ll recite the reasons chapter and verse. Top quality tobaccos? Check. 5 year aged long-fillers? Check. Seamless wrappers? Check. Made in one of Honduras’ top factories? Check. Handsome packaging? Check.

Toast the foot and take a draw. You’ll see some spirit up front: a slight nutty taste followed by some zesty peppery notes on the back of the palate. A feisty sucker! But instantly it mellows into a polished smoothness with ample creaminess. It stays utterly consistent from here on out, well-balanced with a sturdy creamy foundation, and booms out thick clouds of smoke. What a charmer! Mild to medium it is, not super-mild, but just shy of a middleweight. The fantastic “gold bar” style packaging and an astonishingly reasonable price point round it out. 5 Vegas Gold is a positively delightful blend.



This was my first cigar. The monster on the far right of the photo (credit to CI), not something a novice should sample as their very first. I had a rough go of it. But I will never forget the nicotine high, the thundering of war planes flying off to fight an enemy that was just a block away, the sights, smell and taste of that very first 5 Vegas Gold No. 1 cigar.