Was up in Astoria (northern Oregon coast) last week (Fort Stevens State Park) and did all the touristy stuff for the wife.
After a long day of visiting waterfalls off the Columbia river, we were driving back to the campground, thru Astoria, and she spots a rather tired looking "smoke shop" right on the waterfront.

She suggests I go in and get a cigar, but the real purpose of the stop is so that she can get out take another hundred pics. So I wander in, and they have a wall mounted, 10ft wide cabinet humi. I grabbed a WOAM for $8.95, and then spotted a box of Ashton VSG Ilusions. Having never had a VSG, I grab one.....price $8.50. The cello was quite yellow..............(chit, that's cigar poetry right there!).........and the box was pretty much full, and looked like it had been there a while.

Smoked it last night..................I blew it..........should have grabbed many more......fantastic cigar. And I've since discovered that $8.50 out the door is a good price. Might even have received a better deal if I bought 10 of them.

The WOAM I smoked in the campground that night. It started with draw issues for the first 1/3, then finally loosened up.
It was good, but not close to the VSG.

oh you did blow it... I was lucky enough to get a box of those into the shop when it first opened... smoked one and promptly gave that box a far less than prominent position on a bottom shelf... a friend and steady customer found it about a year later and we smoked off it right up until the end... they only got better with each passing day... did I mention you blew it...

Yeah you blew it.....


You didn't even go to where they filmed Kindergarten Cop?

What the **** bro, it's like I don't even know you.

I remember da bridge there... been across it like a million times I think.... used to go to the fort there.. Fort Clasop or somethin like that... 🤔 I guess Lewis & Clark hung out there for a while... I don't remember the shpo tho... 😟

WDF, seriously!?

Yeah, you blew it.

VSGs (and all Ashtons, plus Davidoff and Fuente too) never did a thing for me. They taste like nothing. A good AJ stick for $3 blows them out of the water on flavor. And yes, I've had the highest of their high-end. Still "meh" and boring to me, all of them.

My best cigar pal agrees 100% with me. We seem to have nearly-identical palates.

Another cigar pal loves Ashton and likes Fuente too. Go figure.

You know what's even better? Liking and finding both Fuente and AJs offerings enjoyable.

A Hemingway signature or 8-5-8 sungrown each has a subtle sweetness that consistently makes me think "damn that's good" the barnyard maduro 8-5-8 is also tastey.

AJs blends for the most part knock you off the barstool stand you back up dust you off and it all starts over again
The little devil and AAA are two of my favorites, ruination is another good smoke. I love the creativity of the bands Aj kicks out, man o war bands are so cool same goes for the band on the Ave Maria's.

Similar ball dropped: Some Camacho SLR perfectos were in a clearance bin for $4 at a local shpo. Owner said they were several years old, prolly made in 2009. Thought I'd try one. Smoked it a few days later and it was a great little flavor bomb. Went back to buy the rest of the box, but they were gone.