Today, we take a different look at the Fratello Vice Versa.  The Fratello Vice Versa is a limited edition cigar that is capped on both ends with the idea that it can be smoked from either end. Each side of the cigar offers a different smoking experience for the consumer. One end of the cigar provides a mild and creamy smoking experience; the other end offers a fuller and spicer experience. The idea for a cigar like this was proposed by Kevin Shahan, the owner and founder of Cigar Prop. Shahan took the idea to Fratello Cigars’ owner Omar De Frias. DeFrias ran with the concept to create the Fratello Vice Versa cigar. Back in November, we smoked this cigar from the mild side. Today, we smoke the Vice Versa from the full side.

Fratello – Agile Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

The Fratello Vice Versa was produced at the La Aurora factory in the Dominican Republic. The blend consists of tobaccos from four countries highlighted by a Habano Ecuador HVA wrapper. In addition, Vice Versa features an Indonesian binder and fillers from the U.S. and Nicaragua. Vice Versa was made in a single size, a 7 x 52 Double Corona size. A total of 2,000 12-count boxes have been produced for this release.

• Wrapper: Habano Ecuador HVA
• Binder: Indonesia
• Fillers: U.S. (Pennsylvania),  Nicaraguan (Estelí, Condega)
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: La Aurora S.A.
• Vice Versa: 7 x 52

PERFORMANCE

For assessing the Fratello Vice Versa from the full side, the oscuro cap of the cigar was removed. I smoked three cigars for this assessment. For two of the cigars, I opted to remove the footer cap. For the third cigar, I left the cap on. It is worth noting that I didn’t see any noticeable difference when leaving the cap on.

The Fratello Vice Versa from the full side started out with notes of coffee bean, earth, wood, cream, and red pepper. Early in the first third, the coffee bean notes became primary while the cream notes quickly dissipated. At the same time, the retro-hale started out with wood notes. As the Fratello Vice Versa progressed into the second third, the pepper notes increased on the tongue and retro-hale. Along with the pepper notes were notes of cedar that also increased. The second third also saw some dark chocolate notes emerge in the forefront. By the final third, the pepper and cedar spices were close secondary notes to the coffee bean.  Notes of wood and earth rounded things out from the background.

The full side of the Fratello Vice Versa started out medium in strength and body. Both attributes quickly moved into medium to full territory where it remained. The burn did require multiple touch-ups to maintain a straight burn path and straight burn line. As for the draw, it had a touch of resistance to it – which is something I consider a positive.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

When it comes to the Fratello Vice Versa, one thing is very clear – this cigar smokes very different from both sides of the cigar. In terms of which side performs better, it was hands-down the full side of the cigar. The two things that made this side smoke better were better flavor and more complexity. The Fratello Vice Versa is a fun project to smoke, and judging by the way it smokes from the full side, it’s a cigar I’ll buy and smoke again. It’s a cigar I would recommend for an experienced cigar enthusiast, but given the unique nature of this cigar, I’d still recommend it to any cigar enthusiast.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee Bean, Wood, Earth, Cedar, Dark Chocolate, Pepper, Cream
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Medium (Start), Medium to Full (Remainder)
Body: Medium (Start), Medium to Full (Remainder)
Finish: Very Good

Rating

Value: Buy One
Score: 88

REFERENCES

Previous Assessment: Fratello Vice Versa (Mild Side)
News: Fratello Vice Versa to Make Debut
Price: $15.00
Source: Fratello Cigars
Brand Reference: Fratello Cigars

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop

Note: Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments using a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or giving a score for the first time, or it might be a blend we are looking at in a different size.