June 1st, 2017

From the Ventura website:

Every Legend Has A Beginning.

Archetype is an exploration of nuance that rewards the discriminating palate with a new line of highly-complex, yet perfectly balanced cigars. Each vitola is artfully crafted with a unique blend of rich, flavorful tobaccos and bound in a pristine wrapper – working in harmony to create an intense, memorable smoke that has no equal.

Archetype is inspired by the work of psychologist Dr. Carl Jung and mythographer Joseph Campbell who defined ‘archetypes’ as the constantly repeating characters who occur in the dreams of all people and the myths of all cultures. Campbell discovered through his study of world myths that the ‘Hero’s Journey’ is a common storytelling arc that has been retold in infinite variations since time began.

We invite you to share our journey and leave compromise behind.

Ventura Archetype Dreamstate

My Dreamstate displayed an aromatic, leathery Connecticut wrapper, with more light tobacco and leather emanating from the foot. The bunch was medium to full in density. I paired the cigar with some Topo Chico mineral water. A clean clip led to a smooth draw with some light ginger notes.

There was plenty of smooth, light-bodied smoke with leather notes, plus light pepper on the retro-hale. I sensed very light ginger notes in the finish.

This one is the first of a three cigar set from Ventura meant to evoke the heroic journey. The Dreamstate is, for example, Gideon's message from G-d – the first step toward the journey. The smoke showed a lot of character, further lending itself to the story aspect.

The ash was firm, and very light grey in tone, the burn even and conical. This was a very well-constructed cigar.

Approaching the first third, the smoke developed into a solid medium body, with stronger leather and pepper notes as well as more ginger emerging.

The Topo Chico proved a perfect match, neither adding nor subtracting from the cigar, and simply providing moisture. For those not aware, it's a carbonated mineral water from Mexico.

At halfway, the smoke remained cool, smooth and pleasant. The pepper evened out a bit, and the leather and ginger notes melded perfectly. The burn turned slightly angular, but not to the point of canoeing.

At the two thirds mark, the burn corrected itself, and the smoke gathered bit of strength. A slight harshness was easily corrected by purging. The leather and ginger notes continued to be very smooth and pleasant. A bit of heat then developed, forcing a slower pace.

I put the Dreamstate down at one inch because of the increasing heat. It merits an A+ for its construction. The nice complexity of flavors and excellent smoke quality earns this cigar 9/10. Joe Bob says, “Check it out.”

Ventura Sage Advice

My Sage Advice exhibited a smooth Colorado wrapper with one vein, and a medium-firm bunch. Light hints of leather came from the foot and wrapper. The draw was perfect.

This cigar started off with a mild peppery kick on top of leather and tobacco notes. (This is the second in the Archetype series from Ventura.) The smoke was pleasant and plentiful, the ash solid and medium grey, and the burn mostly even.

I knocked off the ash just past one inch, thereby revealing a nice conical burn. At one third, the pepper held light but steady with the leather and tobacco notes. This was a medium-body/strength smoke, which matched well with the flavor of the IPA I had chosen.

Nearing the two thirds point, the flavors deepened, and now included light coffee notes. The burn continued to be even, and there was no tar buildup. The smoke remained cool and pleasant. The construction of this cigar was excellent.

Approaching the final inch, a light bitterness appeared, but was easily purged out. I put the Sage Advice down at one inch, simply to avoid finger burn.

This was a very nice cigar with consistent yet complex flavors. The perfect construction meant there were no touch ups required. It earns 8/10. Joe Bob says, “Check it out.”

Ventura Strange Passage

This one was the third in the Ventura Archetype series I’m profiling here. It boasted a nice dark wrapper, as well as tobacco notes with just a bit of sweetness. An easy clip revealed a perfect draw. The box press presented a medium bunch.

Initial draws revealed Maduro-like flavors with light pepper notes on the retro-hale. The cigar showed a lighter than expected body with medium flavors. The ash was firm and mottled grey in nature. The black lager I had chosen provided a good liquid match for the cigar.

Light coffee notes kicked in at one third, with the pepper still in the mix. The burn remained even, and the ash firm. The smoke was plentiful and smooth.

Some interesting flavors emerged approaching the two thirds point, as a sort of bready flavor mixed in with the tobacco and pepper notes. The pepper remained present in the retro-hale, while the Maduro and bread-like characteristics stayed mainly on the tongue. The smoke began heating up a bit, but could still be purged out.

Some slight wrapper issues then appeared, but not enough to ruin the cigar. The burn became somewhat uneven – but again, not enough to make the cigar unsmokable.

Heat issues caused me to put the Strange Passage down with one inch left. All in all, this was a very nice cigar. It earns 7.75/10. Joe Bob says, “Check it out.”

Of the three in the series, I would most highly recommend the Strange Passage. The overall flavor profile of this one was my favorite, other issues notwithstanding.
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Jeff Slatton (jefslat) resides in the San Antonio, TX area. Jeff is a longstanding member of and contributor to Cigar Weekly.