Ashton Virgin Sun Grown Robusto

This is a beautiful cigar. Very full bodied, yet not overpowering. The gorgeous white ash grew to over two inches, without showing cracks, before finally breaking off. The burn was even the whole way through. A very earthy, rich flavour, with notes of coffe and leather. It's only negative, and having nothing to do with the cigar itself, rather my geography; being in Canada, and having to deal with taxes and duties, paying 31.00 for each stick is pricey, but well worth it to have a half dozen or so aging beautifully in my humidor.

I don't know why but I have never had a VSG before. Wow, what was I waiting for? Sweet and slightly spicy with a perfect draw and gorgeous white ash. Not too strong but enough so. Incredible aroma, this cigar would have been a great value at double the $10 I paid.

Although rated as "medium", this is quite a strong stogie. Nice aroma. Burns easily and evenly. Good draw. Taste not so great. Excellent construction. Turning point showed up at half the stick, rather unusual for the Ashtons I have smoked. Price not justified in my opinion.

The cigar I smoked seemed a bit young to be smoked. I wish I would have let it sit longer but I couldn't resist after hearing so many great things about it.

I really like this cigar, it has everything I look for including a creamy finish with a fair amount of spice and great aroma almost a perfect 10. I also likie this size more than its longer counterparts, the robusto seems to start full speed while the churchhills need to warm up a little.only down side the leafs on these are ver fragile ive experienced a good split in the leaf on a few ive got. but overall great.

A beautiful cigar that smells incredible. The contruction was great with it never needing retouching. It is pricey, but with the notes it kicks out may be worth it. It's dark wrapper implied overpowering but it was very subtle.

I had this cigar stored for about six months. worth the wait great smoke. A strong cigar that burned very nice.

I live in the Netherlands and its very easy to get your hands on Cuban cigars.Smoked last week 3 of them.A Partagas Serie D no.4,a RASS and a Bolivar Royal Corona.Today I smoked a VSG Robusto and I can tell you I wouldnt change 1 VSG to the 3 of them together.This cigar is far superior.Its worth the hype.

Notes of leather earth cream and spice..after cutting the cap you can see the abundance of ligero in the center..dark oily gorgeous wrapper leaf with a perfect burn and draw..price is justified

Wonderful aroma and very tasty.....hard to beat thiis stick. Not for you mild lovers......only downside is price. Cigars should not cost this much!

I really liked this cigar. great wrapper. solid taste and good draw. and on the cheaper end of the higher end cigars

Maybe some cigars are meant to be this strong be it was to much. Left a bad taste and did not burn even. No knock against Aston because I like their Maduro wrapper cigars.

Haven't met a VSG I didn't like. Good looks, great construction and taste.

I'd definitely pick one of these up again. My first time with one. Strong flavor, very enjoyable.

I purchase a box of 24 for $450 CDN which if you consider the norm SIN tax mark up in Canada make than a great value and had no problems finding them. I bought then of all place a convient store with a large humidor just north of Toronto.
The appearance of was beautiful dark with Oily appearance. It a a box press construction that just perfect. The draw and the burn was also perfect never ever had a problem. The cigar was strong but never ever overpowering. I would though never ever smoke one on an empty stomach. The flavor earthy and spicy with a creamy smoothness was wonderful. This is an over size robusto ( a like longer than what an average robusto should be) and the I smoke for over an hour right down to the nub. The flavor was consistence throughout and the spiciness seem to get a tad stornger near the end. This is cigar that is as good as any high end cuban and is highly recomanded

Smoke it out of the box, don't wait a year like i did

I have smoked many ashtons in the last months and this one takes the cake. This is a cigar that you don't want to end. They only let you buy two of these at a time and i can see why. Hard to find but if you find one, its a must buy. The looks wern't to appealing for me but the taste was great.

I loved it. Right price for a great cigar. Tasted a bit of nut, earth, spice and leather at different times. Too bad I only bought 2. Must go and find some more.

I was curious about this after the wonderful Tres Mystique I had. Flavor was generally good, but not as concentrated as the TM. Still had predominant nutty flavor and smoke was very creamy. First third was filled with flavor. 2nd third became more mild. Last third was hints of leather, spice. Burn has solid with great ash, about 1" white and even. Construction was top-tier.

Smooth, sweet and consistent throughout with nice pepper notes as it burns down. Among the VSGs, one of the best among a group of great cigars

This is still a good smoke, but I think I prefer these when they're young and brash. With significant age, they start tasting less like a VSG and more like a Bauza. This one still had the black pepper notes in the beginning, but didn't develop the trademark VSG complexity until very late. I have to admit that even at their peak, I have "relative value" issues with these. Is the VSG better than its imitators like the JdN Antano or Sancho XF? Sure. But 3x or 4x better? Probably not. Inevitably, that's what goes through my head while I'm salivating over these at my local B&M.

Been smoking these for a while now. Pick up a fiver every so often. This size is probably the strongest of the 3 sizes I smoke of these. Doesn't have the same sweetness as the Illusion or Corona Gorda. A great after dinner smoke with a nice dark ale.

I just smoked another one outside on an unseasonably warm Janaury day in NJ. It was 64 degrees F and I decided to celebrate the unusually warm day with another Ashton VSG Robusto. The second cigar was even better than the first that I smoked a few days ago. The complex flavor was stronger and the first ash went over 2 inches before the breeze blew it off. This is a GREAT cigar and I will give it a greater rating.

This is an excellent, but expensive cigar. The wrapper is oily, the burn is even, and the ash is long. The flavor is strong and complex with spice and a slight sweet taste. I bought a box to smoke on occasion and age.

I've been working my way through cigars this past year trying to find what suits me. This is no easy task given that there are hundreds to choose from. I've tried to agree with "hypers" that flip out over certain rare cigars and I can't figure out what's so likeable about them. Have these veteran smokers burnt their tastebuds? Anyway, I was recommended this smoke by my "cigar mentor" of sorts. Now I haven't really smoked Ashtons much due to the blandness of one I was given earlier this year. I don't even know what kind it was. But last night I went down to the south side of Pittsburgh to stroll with some homies. I opened my cigar box, (stop clownin', I haven't bought a humidor yet) and randomly grabbed the VSG Robusto from among the five or six that I keep at a time. I was praying that this would be the "one". Let me be honest for a minute, I smoke about two cigars a week and have yet to find one that I will buy again. Seriously. So I lit this VSG up and as always, waited 'till I was one to two inches into the thing before evaluating the taste.This may be strange but the first thing I notice is how my saliva feels when I swallow. Sometimes it tastes unpleasant so I end up spitting the whole while I'm smoking. Well the sensation my mouth felt was first like a cocoa blanket unrolling, then within a smoothness I have never tasted, the smoke started making love to my mouth. I don't know how else to explain it. I was praying now that the thing wouldn't take a U-turn halfway through or so, which is common with cigars. My prayers were answered. I found myself an hour or so later regretting that my fingers were blistering. I only had to fix the burn one or two times. The construction was excellent. The cigar was a beautiful dark, oily brown. I will be down at the shop tomorrow to buy five more. If they are as good as the one I smoked, I will spring for a humidor to keep my first bought box in.I can only rate according to my experience so be mindful when reviewing.

I have smoked a few of these about 6 months ago, and until today I had forgotten how great these are. If you are a beginner, this will put you on your backside !!! Great draw, tons of smoke, and that awesome full body flavor. As you get down to the last inch you hoping that it doesn't ever end. These are hard to come by, and there is a good reason for that. I am still waiting on some ESG's, but this is in my top 10 for sure. Try it, you will not be disapointed.

Great flavor, burn, and look. Try em.

This incredible beauty just held a 2" gray ash & burned as good as any cigar ever made. This has taken over as my favorite stick. It had hints of cocoa, spice, and hickory. It was as flavorful as any I've ever smoked. Lots of wonderful smoke from a perfect draw. Truly a treat! I will buy a box online as soon as I finish this. A 9.6!!!!!!

I made a pot of my favourite coffee, turned on some tunes and sat out on the back porch to enjoy what I thought was just an Ashton line I haven't had yet, little did I know I was about the most flavourful, unusual cigar I ever had. The appearance of the med/dark wrapper is flawless the construction of this cigar is perfect. The Ashton line, for me, never let's me down but the VGS blew me away. Pre-light draw reveled a truly unique taste, I've smoked for 23 years and I never have tasted a stick so unique. After toasting the foot the first puff left me completely amazed at the never experienced taste. My friend. knowing the fruitless quest I've been on to find this size, VSG asked me "well how is it" my response was "it don't taste like a cigar". It almost didn't taste like tobacco, then after a few puffs I tasted rich express, dark coco with an occasional appearance of an overtone of hickory. The taste remained the same throughout this cigar. While having this cigar my girl friend kissed me and with astonished look on her face said "damn that taste good" and she doesn’t smoke cigars. I described the Aston Heritage line as the best cigar I've ever had till I had the VSG line.

Had this Ashton Robusto last night and am still thinking about it. Very flavorful and full-bodied. Goes great with a nice cab. After last night, I'll be sure to keep several in my humidor at all times.

First off, it should be said this is a VERY strong cigar. Definitely not for beginners. A beginner or mild smoker will probably get sick from it. I've heard a lot of hype about the VSG and finally got to try one--I have to say yes it's good, but it's by far not the best cigar I've ever had, and is somewhat overrated.
First the good: it's strong if you like them that way, extreme and I mean extreme buzz factor, some like that, others don't. Has a spicy, peppery taste that is atypical of other Ashtons. It's a good taste, but it's a little overpowering, and leaves a harshness if smoked too quickly. Sun grown wrapper is tasty and not as stingy as say, The Edge's wrapper.
Construction is good, draw is perfect.
The only "bad" is that there's just isn't that big flavor complexity or explosion you might expect from the hype around this cigar. It's relatively straightforward, albeit this is still an above average cigar but nothing to get too wildly excited about. Reminded me of the RP Sun Grown, it's a lot like that one.
This is a decent cigar, but not worth $10. There's better out there for less. However if you are a fan of strong stuff, you will more than likely love this cigar. Otherwise I'd advice to stay away and try the other great milder Ashtons.

Well I had one out of a cabinet of 10 that was a leftover from the Asian market. It had about 3-4 years of age on it and the wrapper, lots of bloom. Dark cocoa and spice were the most prominent flavors with hints of cinnamon and leather. It had a slow cool burn with lots of smoke. The burn was razor sharp and there was lots of smoke produced by this. This was a very strong cigar and lasted me about an hour and a half. I really took my time with this one, and it was worth every penny. Great smoke, and if you can get them aged, even better. It is one of the best 10 smokes I have ever had.

Went so well after a big Christmas dinner,full belly with a full bodied and flavored smoke that I got for Xmas last year from my daughter. I'd had a few of my wifes Enchantments and wasn't to thrilled with them so this was a pleasant surprise. Nice oily wrapper that I watched age for an entire year. Draw and burn were very good with no touchups or relights. Dark rich coffee and just the right amount spice with tons of beautiful smoke. A perfect gift from my kid.

This cigar started out med/full spicy with a lot of cocoa, turned to a somewhat leathery ligero flavor but with an unfortunate tangy overtone that was somewhat unpleasant. Normally I find this in young cigars like Onyx that require at least 6 months of aging to taste good. Disappointing to find this in a $7.25 cigar. The second half turned lighter overall and was consistently smooth but still with the tangy overtones.

I've smoked a couple of VSGs ever since they came out a year or so ago. Really liked em and decided to buy a box of them on the internet as a birthday present to me (cause the wife sure as hell won't buy em). The site I always use to buy my smokes told me they only have a few sizes in stock.

The Robustos were one of the sizes they happened to have in stock. Now I'm more partial to Churchills, double coronas and figuardos, but I decided not to wait and buy a box of these babies to use as a good, quick smoke.

I was VERY pleasantly surprised by the great flavor and excellent burning quality of this cigar.

I just now smoked the first one of the "litter" of 24 and It burns like a champ! Even and smooth all the way down to the end.

It starts our nice and smooth and starts to kick ass about half way down. Very nicely spiced. I've been smoking this Robust for well over an hour, putting it down and working on the laptop, and I'll come back maybe 15 mins latter, and I can still get a nice puff out of it. No need for a relight.

The brand has become one of my favorites.

A very well constructed cigar that is packed with ooomph! Ooomph is a blend that if you smoke too fast or send too much thru the nose, you will feel your head sting. Not a harsh cigar at all. I liked it!

This is not a subtle smoke, but if you're looking for a fight this fellow won't fail you. It's strong, but not short on style either. Enjoy a big meal first-- then fire it up with an Islay malt and jump in the ring. It bounced me off the ropes, but I won the first few rounds until a huge roundhouse sent me flying. I got up. And then I got up again. In the last round my wife picked me up and said, "Gee honey, that smells nice!" She wasn't talking about me. The ref raised the VSG's stump and declared the winner. A real champion.

I love this cigar. It has a great flavor that those around me even commnet how great is smells. It is a beautiful trunk pressed cigar that buned long with great ash, draw and burn. I have smoked many of these and found them to be consistently good. They are expensive, so do not smoke one unless you can pay the price cause you will definitely want more!

One of the best cigars I've ever smoked. Silky golden wrapper, firmly rolled yet with an excellent draw. Flavors of spice, coffee, honey and leather. Try it with a cup of kona coffee and it awakens hints of orange or cranberry.

First of all I am a huge Ashton fan but these dark wrapped Ashtons are a huge disappointment. For what I paid I expected the stick to sail past El Rey Del Mundo or Fonseca 799 maduro. What I got was a very bland cigar. Cost $10 Bucks. Horrible value

These Ashton VSG's are probably my overall favoring cigar. They are a medium to full bodied cigar. They are becoming harder and harder to find.

Well balanced cigar. Very strong, but with flavor to carry it. Some cigars are very strong with little flavor (Cohiba EV), and other have lots of flavor, but no punch (Partigas 1845). The VSG is a perfect balance with a meaty taste, and hints of clove and bay leaves. Draw is even and smooth and the stick was never hot. It did finish a bit bitter, so I put it down before it burned my fingers, but for the first 3/4 it was one of my favorite smokes.

This cigar is great, not too strong, great construction, excellent draw, a must smoke. I bought 5 and let them sit in my humidor and they are getting better with age. The fist sat for 30 days, the second 3 months, and six for number 3. I highly reccomend this stick

i had heard this cigar was strong but i had no idea. i generally prefer strong cigars and this was the strongest i've ever had. this is the first time i've ever gotten a buzz off a cigar and i was buzzing strong. the arome construction and appearance are all perfect. the flavor is great but and i cant believe i'm saying this its a bit overpowering. A MUST TRY!

I got one of these Robusto Ashton VSGs on the advise of a shop owner. The cigar had an awesome, high scale look, a wonderful aroma, and a top notch construction and feel. I got it home, and later in the evening enjoyed it while smoking cigars with my friends. The cigar lit easily, and smoked very evenly and consistent. Draw was smooth and easy for most of the time, with a few minutes of tight draw for some reason. Smoke was smooth and aromatic, and the ash was nice and tight. The cigar had a nice, creamy flavor with hints of coffee and spice. Overall a very mild, classy cigar, and a highly reccomended cigar if you want a quality smoking experience. Get one of these and enjoy!!

Dark and strong, some spicies , hint of flowers,turnes sourish at the end and really strong

Good looking cigar with great even burn; Starts off mild to medium strength, then builds to a full body. I thought the flavor had a coffee and nutty taste - highly recommended. To me, the other Ashton lines suck but not the VSG's.

I am always torn on Ashton cigars. They are always great quality and very consistent, but there are many cigars that are cheaper and just as good in quality. This particular cigar is no different, and though I enjoyed it greatly, I have enjoyed cigars just as much or more for half the price.

This is a lovely looking cigar. My draw and burn were fine as well as being a very flavorful smoke almost tangy smoke. I would buy more of these if not for the cost and availability issues. Must try at least once.

Everyone else seems to love this cigar. Not me. I smoked one the other night and very nearly barfed. If you like exceedingly strong cigars that have a very harsh, oily taste, you will enjoy the VSG. Otherwise, you will find yourself green and sweaty, waiting for the buzz to wear off. I can get myself sick for a lot less money and effort.

Had one free from Absolute Cigar in Miami. This is one of the best I have ever smoked (yet I'm new in cigars). The only comparison I can immagine is with the finest and creamiest italian espresso

Another winner from the VSG lineup. This cigar seemed to smoke forever. Full body but not harsh in any way. A razor sharp burn with an effortless draw. Highly recommended.

the perfect cigar to smoke if you want it all in a shorter smoke. Nice ring Gauge. Nice Length. Nice VSG punch.
I smoke these during my hour commute home to relax.

The worst thing about ceegars is a bad draw, because you can't even give it a fair rating! I may give it another shot but for $11.50, I don't think it's worth it. I think it leaves a harsh taste in the mouth. Prefer the Padron's!

The Ashton VSG robusto is a perfect combo of strength and taste. Bordering on being full-bodied, this cigar looks and smokes like a dream. A class gar!

i really like this VSG!! Burnt well, smooth draw. the flavor was full but not too strong. The ending was my favorite, a lil pepper.. Will definately improve with age in my humi, if i don't smoke it first....

Very strong, but not overpowering. The burn canoed on me quite a bit, which sounds like it happens to a lot of other people. Sit down when you smoke this, it gives quite a buzz. These seem to be very difficult to find, and when you do, they can cost quite a bit. I found a box online for $200, but of course, they are back ordered

A great smoke. Loved the peppery taste to it. Did have problems with it burning even, but otherwise it performed like a champ.

I have smoked several of these. The consistany of these smokes it all over the place. The burn is always good, as is the draw. The ash is lilly white and usually 2 inches long. When you get a good one, it is very good. Spicey and complex, but too often, that is not there. Too bad, this would be a great line, but the consistany problem is dissapointing, especially at the price.

This would be my second favorite of the Vsg's behind the Enchantement. This has always been consistent (smoked now two boxes) unliked the Illusion and Sorcerer which were great but varied from stick to stick. Nice dark and oily, constructed great, even burn and a powerhouse Full boided and not to complex, basically spice and some cedar. I would stick to this and the enchantemnet.

IMHO, probably one of the best VSG's available today. Full bodied taste, consistent flavors of leather, dark coffee, and with a spicy flair. Simply a magnificent smoke for those special occasions. Woth a place in my Humidor Hall of Fame.

I would rate this as one of the better smokes around up there with a Pam. Great construction easy draw with tons of smoke. First few draws a little spicy but it comes into its own. Turned into quite the little nicotine monster.

Fine draw, white ash, peppery taste. Stays consistent to the end. Need a 1/2 " smoked before it really comes on.

This cigar has eveything going for it. The only thing it needs is a little more bite.

This cigar has eveything going for it. The only thing it needs is a little more bite.

Dark sheen. Smoked 2 recently, one constantly had to be relit, the other burned smooth and even to my fingers. Very Strong! Toasty/Leathery/Dark Chocolate. Typical of the fine VSG line. Easily part of the current top 100. Worth the price.

This is one fantastic cigar, nice easy smooth draw, potent, the construction was excellent, smoked it to the nub, the best cigar I have ever smoked, including Cubans/

A great cigar. Period. It is, however, as strong as you've heard, although you shouldn't let that keep you from trying at least one.

The Ashton VSG Belisco (robusto size) cigar is close to the best
cigar I have ever smoked. Fine construction, excelent burn, strong
but not overpowering. The only drawback I can find to this cigar is
the price. At $9 per stick, I can't smoke one ever