Tatuaje La Casita Criolla
Tuesday, December 27th, 2011I picked up this cigar at Ed’s shop. Being a Tatuaje fan, I had to try it. After looking at the stats, it peaked my curiosity more. All Connecticut broadleaf cigar? Who has heard of such a thing? Not me… I was expecting something pretty mild and predictable. Let’s see how it went…
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder/Filler: Connecticut Broadleaf
Size: Short Churchill 6.5 x 48
Price: Around $7.00
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The dark wrapper was very rugged looking with a blotchy appearance and decent sized veins. This isn’t a bad thing in my opinion. The wrapper had a dark earthy smell, and the foot was more woody. The cigar had some give when squeezed, and had one tight spot around the middle. The pre-light draw had some resistance, but fell within my tolerances. The pre-light flavor was woody, earthy and a bit sweet.
The burn required no corrections, and the ash held for about an inch before flaking off.
Flavor:
The first third started out with a dominant coffee flavor. There was a slight pepper when passing smoke through the sinus. A spice developed that had a small sweet tingle on the lips and tongue. After about 2 inches in, it was a mixture of coffee, a slight bitter chocolate, spice, and notes of earthiness and sweet spice on the aftertaste. The smoke feel was fairly thick.
The second third had a thicker smoke feel, creamy even. It had coffee with sweetness added. There was also that bitter component you’d get from dark chocolate. The sweet tingly spice increased in strength a bit but remained smooth. The aftertaste had all these components, but had an interesting, almost floral note to it. There may have been a nutty component as well. This third became very complex and hard to nail down for me.
The last third basically kept the same pace with the second third. It was complex and full of flavor. The strength may have crept into the full range. A very enjoyable experience.
Conclusion:
As you’ve gathered, I really liked this medium to full bodied cigar. The stigma that anything Connecticut will be mild and predictable is gone. It packed in the flavors, was pretty complex, and had me stumped most of the time. At the same time it was easy to smoke and relax. I can see this appealing to a large audience of smokers. If I were you I’d try it asap.