Wrapper: Ecuadorian Hybrid Seed
Binder: Dominican Criollo ‘98
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan, Pennsylvania
Size: 4.75 X 54 Robusto
Strength: Medium
Price: $10.00
Today we take a look at the 2016 Rauchvergnügen #42.
Also known as RVGN cigars.
This cigar has been resting in Bruce S.’ humidor since 2016.
While a limited production, I found these cigars available at SBC.
I don’t care what this cigar tastes like…I just wanted to see what “German Engineered” cigars taste like…do I need jackboots, or can I just wear socks? Do I need to be a party member to truly enjoy this cigar made by blonde men with blue eyes? Will my foreskin grow back by the end of the cigar? I shouldn’t make fun of the krauts. My mother’s side was from Germany. My wife is from Germany. I’m surrounded by krauts both living and dead.
They are also referred to as RVGN Cigars. Which means “Reinstate the Verklempt Gantzeh Nieland.” He was the Lord Mayor of Dresden (1940-1945).
BACKGROUND:
From Halfwheel.com (7-10-2016):
“When you think of cigars, two words that likely don’t immediately come to mind are German and engineering. Cigars are blended, crafted, rolled and so on, but they generally aren’t engineered, and certainly not in Germany.
“But when you think of engineering, one word that should almost certainly come to mind is Germany, and a new company called Rauchvergnügen—which translates roughly as smoking pleasure—is bringing German engineering expertise to the art of rolling cigars. The company was founded by a trio of engineers, Joachim aka Joe, Klaas and Oliver.
“Their goal, according to a note sent to halfwheel along with the cigars, is to “design a new, precise and exciting flavor that lets use discover nuances every time” by using “nothing but high-quality tobaccos, carefully rolled in the traditional way.” The goal was not just to engineer the form of the cigar, but to engineer its taste. “The result is ultimate precision in aroma, taste, and smoking performance: cigars that are exciting, precise and satisfying down to the smallest details,” the company proclaims on its website.
“With a project undertaken in the second half of 2015 and first launched in March 2016, the company debuted with the Rauchvergnügen #42, a name that comes from the volume of the cigar, 42 cubic centimeters. It’s another decidedly unique twist on both a cigar name and something that is rarely considered when talking about a cigar’s size.”
SIZES AND PRICING:
#18 Half Corona 3 x 44 $4.50
#36 Short Torpedo 3.5 x 60 $7.50
#42 Robusto 4.75 x 54 $10.00
#62 Toro 6 x 58 $10.00
#64 Gran Corona 9.25 x 47 $15.00
APEARANCE:
Normal room light shows the wrapper to have a milk chocolate oily hue. Under extreme light, it glimmers with all sorts of chocolate and orange and baboon ass…or is that Orangutan ass?
Lots of veins that are big and foreboding. A bit of a lumpy and bumpy cigar. There is a slight toothiness to the wrapper. It merely has a double cap in lieu of the traditional triple cap. The cigar is heavy and hard. No soft spots. No give. Seams are tight.
SMELL THE GLOVE:
Lots to sniff: Floral, dark chocolate, malt, caramel, red pepper, steak sauce, raisins, strong vanilla, orange Creamsicle, cedar, and raw cashews.
The cold draw consists of dark chocolate, espresso, malt, red pepper, raisins, vanilla, cashews, that same orange Creamsicle…and steak sauce.
FIRST THIRD:
No need for my PerfecDraw draw adjustment tool. The baby is wide open.
Now the reviewers that hit this cigar did so when the cigar came out in 2016. Not the most favorable of ratings. But now we have a different ferret…it has 4 more years of humi aging than they had. It should pop.
The start is very pleasant with a go at earth, wind, and leather.
The red pepper compliments the creaminess that is way up front. There is an abundance of sweetness in the form of caramel, chocolate covered raisins, candied orange peel, chocolate covered malted milk balls…and nice savory notes of charred meat, mushroom, and curry spices.
I smoked a couple before this review. One thing that has permeated these experiences, including today’s…is the burn is pitiful. Constant touch ups are required. So much for the German Machine.
You have to check out the German Engineered Cigars web site. It is hysterical. They don’t mean it to be…but the only thing they left out is that they are looking for Aryan cigar reps to work in the U.S. No Jews or Mulattos unless first checked out by their physician, Dr. Mongo…who looks a lot like Alex Karras.
There is some complexity at play early on. A nice balance of savory v. sweet. Transitions are moving at a nice flow. The finish is delicious with most of the already described flavors coating my lips and teeth.
There is a shit load of tobacco in this bratwurst. A very slow smoke. Their 9 x 47 sized stick must take all day at Dunkirk to smoke.
Actually, the cigar keeps making improvements. The finish is outstanding. The transitions are chooglin’. And the balance is wonderful. This is a good cigar. Of course, the reviewers who waited only two months before reviewing it never tasted what I am. But unless you have a giant humidor made of railroad ties, waiting 4 years to try one is a stretch for most of us.
Strength is straight ahead medium. Nice morning smoke.
I should have kept my German party with Charlotte and her friends’ story for this review.
This Rauchvergnügen #42 would also make a nice dessert stogie with the libation of your choice… Jägermeister or grape Kool-Aid.
This is certainly not your average blend. A 4-country blend that really jells. This is one of those lip smacking blends that make you look stupid while you sit with friends and smoke your cigars. Everyone is conversing and you are smacking your chompers like someone who did too much blow.
Know what this blend needs? Some fried sauerkraut with carraway seeds.
SECOND THIRD:
The stick has the possibility of flavor bombing my palate in the last third.
It is a consistent medium strength.
The burn has mellowed out and isn’t forcing me to curse auf Deutsch.
Of the three sticks I’ve smoked, this is my first one that I made the first cigar of my day. It is the best one by a mile.
The first time I was in Germany was while traveling from Amsterdam. I remember the train ride and we hit the first German train station in the middle of the night. I remember hearing over the loudspeaker: “Achtung! Achtung!” I sat up and nearly flew out of my seat. I went into a deep sweat as my senses returned. Man, did I have some bad memories to deal with at that moment. I spent the entire week we were there in the hotel bed; unable to get up. I wasn’t sick…just mind fucked. I went back with Curved Air to tour and was just fine; but that first encounter scared the shit out of me.
Of course, you must remember that this time was only 30 years after the war. There were plenty of ex-German soldiers everywhere, especially in the ginormous beer gardens. Lots of old guys with crew cuts and large scars running down their face from their forehead to their chin. They took one look at me with my fro and Hippie clothes and I knew what they were thinking.
The cigar is on a relaxed journey. It doesn’t test me. It doesn’t aggravate me. It’s a nice “It’s A Small World” kind of ride…minus the incessant music that never leaves your head.
The Rauchvergnügen #42 gears up now. Flavors are much more intense. The spiciness is perfectly offset by so many tasty elements that I see some real progress that will expose itself soon.
In 1999, Volkswagen had an ad campaign which used the phrase: “Fahrvergnügen.” This translates to ‘driving enjoyment.” A bad joke was going around that, ashamedly, I used all the time:
What do you call a cookie that you throw away from you?
Farfignewton.
I told you it was bad.
German engineering also drives the cigar band. I am forced into shredding it to bits to get it off. I think they used Tig welding to attach it. I should look at the underside…maybe there is microfilm attached.
The Boys from Brazil put out PR that really hammered home that this cigar blend was truly engineered. Dumb fucks. What did they think? That other blenders just stick their hands on a Ouija board to decide how the cigar is to be made?
There are no new flavors; but the ones I described are still with me. None went AWOL. Or gave themselves up to French partisans.
The consistency is the Rauchvergnügen #42’s greatest asset. No sudden surprises; either good or bad.
Yes, the sticks have had 4 years of humi aging. I have absolutely no idea if the cigar was ready to rock n roll much sooner than that. Assuming that the 2016 reviewers waited a short time, maybe 6 months will do the trick.
Still medium with nicotine rising.
This is a fine example of a cigar whose taste doesn’t require you have an exceptional palate. The whole far outweighs the parts. I’ve stopped trying to dissect the individual flavors and find myself floating downstream.
I met some of Charlotte’s extended family in the early 90’s. They visited us in Mesa, AZ. All were in their 50’s and 60’s. I remember one asking where the bathroom was? I told the frau the path and then said, “Make sure you say hi to Uncle Shlomo. He is the bar of soap.”
I got dagger eyes from Charlotte.
Then I asked them to all admire a new lamp we got…”Isn’t it beautiful? The lamp shade is my Aunt Bessie.”
That night, I had to wear the dreaded jack boots before Charlotte let me pounce on her. I hate that. She kept checking for scuff marks.
Then this really old aunt grabbed me and hugged me while she cried. She said that God had forgiven her family by allowing a Jew to marry into it. Didn’t like that comment too much.
LAST THIRD:
I recommend checking this cigar out at SBC. For $10, it is worth the dough. I must admit that the blend is well done. The Engineering group did find some nice stacks of tobacco to blend this baby with. What would have made it better is if the tobacco was extensively aged. It would have gotten better reviews in 2016. But like most manufacturers, they wait 6 weeks and shove the barely aged cigars into their cellos. Now it’s up to you to figure out when it’s ready to smoke.
Strength hits medium/full and the nicotine is released into the wild.
Whenever Charlotte and I go out for dinner, I make her pay…Reparations.
I remember when I brought Charlotte home to meet my family in 1984. They were horrified I was mating with a born and bred German Catholic. But then, 6 months later, they liked her a whole lot more than me. Go figure. I do think my grandfather is still spinning.
I’ve encountered burn issues throughout the cigar’s journey. Since I experienced this on all 3 sticks, it isn’t me…it’s Bruce. Wait…probably not. But it will affect my final rating.
I’m sticking my neck out by saying that this blend is probably ready to go in 3-4 months of naked humi time. Every reviewer is in such a hurry to release their current reviews that most don’t allow the cigar its proper due. I understand that. That’s when you need to use your experience to identify the blender’s intent.
A lot of good cigars get lost in the shuffle because they were reviewed too soon. I’ve done it and then regretted it. But most of the time, I will revisit the cigar a few months later and find I was right to begin with. Hund Scheisse.
My parents taught me the two words I should always use when I meet someone new that is German: “Nicht Schiessen.” (Don’t Shoot).
While not a spectacular blend, it is extremely pleasant and enjoyable.
RATING: 91