Tatuaje Seleccion De Cazador (Brown Label) –Four years later
Friday, July 27th, 2012It isn’t often that I get to smoke a nice, properly aged cigar. My opportunity came in a cigar bomb, sent by my friends Todd & Julia from JuliaLightsUp. I’m sure you’ve seen me brag about the cigar bomb they sent me in previous reviews. I was excited to find out that this had been aged since 2008. Aging cigars can be a mixed bag. Sometimes they will lose something, and other times, it’s the complete opposite. Since I had to base my review off of one cigar, I made sure to pair with water.
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder & Filler: Nicaragua
Size: Unicos 6 1/8 x 52
Price: Around $10.00
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The wrapper had a nice oily sheen. At the same time, depending on the lighting, it looked velvety smooth. The only flaw I could find was a small crack, which was a non issue. This was probably just from being so old, and going through the US Postal Service. The smell of the wrapper and foot was mild and cedary. I found the cigar to be nicely packed, with some minor soft spots here and there. The draw was free, with only slight resistance. The pre-light draw had a nice, cedary note.
The burn required two minor corrections, and the ash held for well over an inch.
Flavor:
The first third started off with an ultra smooth cedar. It didn’t take long for pepper to join in, and it was especially noticeable when retrohaling. This wasn’t your traditional black pepper, it had more of a cayenne vibe. Gradually, coffee, and a bitter cocoa note, joined in to drown out the cedar. The aftertaste was easy, and had a nice sweet tingle.
As soon as I hit the second third, it was like someone flipped a switch. Rich mocha became the dominant flavor. Behind it, tingly pepper, and black coffee. The dominant flavor would change from draw to draw. Mocha, pepper, and coffee, each had their turn at the front. The smoke feel became thick, sweet, and creamy.
The last third saw a return of cedar, and it mixed evenly with everything else. Basically, it was mocha, tingly pepper, coffee, and cedar mixed together. Nothing really stood out over the other. The smoke feel remained creamy, and it clung to the palate for a good, long time.
Conclusion:
WOW! This was a great full bodied cigar. Age really smoothed out that famous, peppery, Pepin blast that we all know and love. The flavors weren’t as “In your face” either. I had to pay a little more attention. Thankfully, the change wasn’t worse, and it wasn’t better. It was just different. Age really transformed this great cigar into, well, a different great cigar!
