Archive for the ‘Pete_Johnson’ Category

Tatuaje 10th Anniversary

Sunday, October 27th, 2013

I picked up these cigars at Ed’s shop. As you’d expect, the namesake of the Tatuaje 10th Anniversary is self explanatory. I have heard that this blend is the same as the original brown label. In essence, it is a re-release of that cigar.

 

Wrapper: Ecuador Habano

Binder: & Filler: Nicaragua

Size: Robusto Bon Chasseur 5.4 x 48

Price: $9.95

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper had a nice appearance, and had a scent of earth and hay. The cigar was consistently packed, and the draw was free. The pre-light flavor had earth, leather, and wood.

The burn required no corrections, and the ash held for just over an inch.

1 Tatuaje_10th_Anniversary cigars

Flavor:

The first third had a pretty even mix of earth, leather, and wood. The aftertaste was dark and peppery. As I transitioned into the second third, black coffee joined in.

2 Tatuaje_10th_Anniversary cigars

The second third took on a tinge of sweetness. Earth, leather, and wood remained. Coffee increased in strength, and the pepper became more like an even mixture of heat and spice. The smoke feel was thick, and clung to the inside of the mouth.

3 Tatuaje_10th_Anniversary cigars

The last third had a nice combination of cocoa and coffee. Earthiness, leather, and wood became a background note. This allowed the coffee, cocoa, and pepper to really stand out. The smoke feel was dry and sweet.

4 Tatuaje_10th_Anniversary cigars

Conclusion:

As expected, I really enjoyed this cigar. It was medium to full bodied, and well balanced. The price is a bit high for a robusto. I could see this being an occasional treat, but at almost $10.00 a stick, I won’t smoke them often.

Tatuaje Seleccion De Cazador (Brown Label) –Four years later

Friday, July 27th, 2012

It 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.

1 Tatuaje_Seleccion_de_Cazador cigars

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.

2 Tatuaje_Seleccion_de_Cazador cigars

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.

3 Tatuaje_Seleccion_de_Cazador cigars

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.

4 Tatuaje_Seleccion_de_Cazador cigars

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!

Tatuaje Monster Series-Wolfman

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

Another Tatuaje review? Yes… I know I’m a little late on reviewing this annual Halloween series, but Ed got a late shipment. The only other Halloween series cigar I’ve had is last years “The Face.” I remember it being a very good cigar, so I jumped at the chance of trying the 2011 release called the Wolfman. This is a very limited cigar that fan boy’s seek and some obsess over. Personally, I think it’s about the cigar, not the hype. So let’s see how the Tatuaje Wolfman went. 

 

Wrapper: Sumatra

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Size: 7.5 x 52

Price: $13.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper was blotchy looking and had a shiny yet rough look to it. The wrapper had a cedary sweet smell. The foot smelled similar but had a little spice that made the nose tingle. The cigar was pretty evenly packed, and had a little give when squeezed. The pre-light draw had a little resistance, and had a dark bitter flavor (not the bad kind).

The burn required a couple minor touch up’s, and the ash held for around an inch.

1 Tatuaje_Wolfman cigars

Flavor:

The first bit of the cigar has no wrapper. The initial first draws had a simple peppery spice with woody notes. Once I got to the wrapper, the pepper mellowed out a bit. The flavor felt smoother, with a dominant cedary flavor. Up next was a bitter sweetness that boarded on being dark chocolate.

2 Tatuaje_Wolfman cigars

The second third definitely had a sweet dark chocolaty core. The peppery spice was almost gone, and turned into a smooth sweetness that boarded on creaminess. A bitter sweet aftertaste clung to the inside of the mouth for quite a while. As this third came to an end, coffee notes were noticed.

3 Tatuaje_Wolfman cigars

The last third didn’t change too much in terms of flavor. Black coffee increased a bit, but the flavors I mentioned before remained. They all increased in body and strength. Speaking of strength, at this point I had a pretty good nicotine buzz.

4 Tatuaje_Wolfman cigars

Conclusion:

This was a very good full bodied cigar. It definitely isn’t for the mild smoker. I enjoy a good full strength cigar, but I don’t like when flavors suffer as a result. The Wolfman delivers in all areas – strength and flavor. This proves yet again that you don’t have to sacrifice one to have the other. If you run across this limited release, it is worth picking a few up.

Looking for something?

Use the form below to search the site:

Still not finding what you're looking for? Drop a comment on a post or contact us so we can take care of it!