Tobias Lutz
02-14-2015, 11:53 PM
Disclaimer: These are reviews I did for another site, in another time. The photos no longer exist, but the information will hopefully remain useful to some.
I. Tatuaje Verocu Review
Size 4” x 40rg
Binder, Wrapper, and Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: ~$4.25
This is rather small stick with a dark, toothy wrapper that was slightly oily and had a few medium sized veins. The wrapper smelled sweet and earthy- almost like chocolate covered peat. The foot had a similar scent with the addition of a dark/heavy tobacco odor. I punched the cap and the draw was pretty firm and tasted mild with wet hay sweetness. My lips picked up on a little spice from the wrapper leaf. I toasted the foot with a torch and finished the light with a wooden match.
The first third:
The initial puffs were pretty potent with a bittersweet characteristic. It smoothed out rather quickly, but it remained on the Medium-Full end of the strength spectrum. I picked up on notes of leather and a faint woodiness early on. The woodiness was like freshly hewn shavings of pine at a lumber mill. The stick produced plumes of smoke that reminded me of a Papa Fritas.
The middle:
The second third of the cigar was smoother than the first. It was full of rich, dark flavor that went well with the Coke I drank while smoking. I’ll loosely call this a petite corona and say it is the most robust cigar I’ve smoked in that vitola. It is a nice change of pace to have a little umph in a small stick (or so she says ) The woodiness waned some and a kind of wet loam flavor took over. The burn was razor sharp which was nice since you can really go off the rails quick when a 4” cigar tunnels or canoes.
The nub:
The earthiness continued into the nub, along with the leather notes from early on. For some reason the retrohale gave me a flash back to sitting on the side of the River at Red Banks in Mt. Jackson, Virginia where I used to catfish as a kid. There was a faint sweetness throughout most of the smoke, but I never got any notes of chocolate like my nose picked up on in the wrapper before the light. More mild in the second half than the first, I would say it was a medium profile stick that was quickly approaching full. In the final inch I found a little of the spice from the cold draw. It was not overwhelming, just enough to tickle the back of my throat.
Positives: Great burn, stout for such a little cigar, smooth in the second half.
Negatives: The start was a little harsh to me, though it did settle down rather quickly.
Overall: 8.8/10 A nice smoke for under an hour and the price point is appealing.
II. Tatuaje la Casita Criolla HCBF Review
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Connecticut Broadleaf
Size: 6.5” x 48
Vitola: Short Churchill
MSRP: ~$7
This is a slightly larger vitola than I normally prefer but this cigar came recommended by a friend and so I had been waiting for a nice, warm day to enjoy it. The wrapper was moderately dark with lots of teeth and a slight oily sheen. There were lots of veins but they were all rather delicate. The wrapper leaf smelled very “dark” with hints of chocolate and peat. The foot had a slightly brighter not of hay. I punched the cigar and found the cold draw to be extraordinarily tight. After a couple 2” stabs with a poker and it opened up some but it was still pretty firm. I was picking up spice on my lips form the cap of the cigar and the primary flavors from the cold draw were leather and tobacco. I toasted the foot with a torch and used wooden matches to finish the light.
First 1/3:
This cigar began very smooth, with a strikingly sweet note. The flavors themselves were rather indistinct at the beginning, but could really be summed up by the term “woody”. When the sweetness was at full blast it almost tasted like mesquite. The burn through the first section was razor sharp and the as layered in a very delicate manner that mirrored the teeth in the Connecticut wrapper.
The middle:
The draw opened up considerably and the medium bodied smoke poured out plumes. The sweetness had abated for the most part and while the spice aspect of the woodiness also faded, it was readily replaced with notes of black pepper. The cigar did however maintain a nice balance and the pepper was never overwhelming. Things then took an odd turn when, after about an inch, the flavor went surprisingly flat with the pepper completely gone and a very one dimensional woodiness remaining.
The nub:
The good news is that as quickly as the cigar went flat, it suddenly recovered at the beginning of the nub and delivered a striking mix of wood, peppercorns, and dark molasses. The latter being just the right amount of sweetness to round off the blend. The bad news is that the molasses shifted from contributing primarily in a sweet fashion, to do so in a bitter fashion as the nub progressed. The cigar managed to hit what I consider “full-bodied” by the last inch, with the pepper stepping up as well. These were not developments that I found to be all that pleasant and they really dampened my overall opinion of the cigar. It did however burn well and true all the way the end.
Total smoking time: 1:50
Overall rating: 8.6/10
III. Tatuaje Petite Cazadores Reserva Review
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 4 Inches
Ring Gauge: 40
This is the second smaller vitola Tatuaje I’ve had the chance to smoke this month. This time of year I’m always grateful to come across smaller cigars that keep me from being out in the cold for extended periods of time.
The wrapper on this cigar with a fair amount of tooth and only a small amount of oily sheen. I appeared well constructed and I liked the way the foot had not been cut clean, but rather the excess wrapper leave had been tamped flat. The wrapper smelled bittersweet with hints of leather and dark tobacco. I used a .22 punch on the cap and the cold draw was very mild and had the faintest hint of cocoa. I also picked up on a bit of black pepper.
First 1/3:
The cigar began rather smooth, which is nice since a short cigar has less time to work out its kinks, with a notable allspice like flavor and hints of the pepper I tasted in the pepper I tasted in the cold draw. There was a savory sweetness that I can only liken to when brown sugar is used in a dry rub on a rack of ribs. The ash was snow white and you could see the tooth of the wrapper in it as it burned.
The middle:
The cigar picked up some woody notes in the middle but the underlying heat from the pepper nuance was maintained. It burned well, though it wasn’t razor sharp- most likely from the wind that was blowing while I walked along the river. I got a fair amount of leather in this section and the sweetness all but completely disappeared.
The nub:
The final section seemed to marry the aspects of the first and second third; the spice and pepper from the beginning with the woodiness and leather of the middle. I thought the spice became a little unbalanced in the very end, though the profile remained in the medium range. A couple observations about the overall experience- the cigar produced a lot of smoke but it was very dry, nothing creamy or rich about it, and it burned fast; 35 minutes from the light until I couldn’t hold the nub any longer.
Overall: 8.6/10
I thought it was a quality cigar with some nice moments, but I believe I prefer the Verocu were I to compare them. With a 4”/40rg cigar, I think it has to be great from start to finish in order to really earn high esteem. Whereas a robust might waiver and recover nicely, there isn’t enough time in a vitola this size.
IV. Tatuaje Miami 10th Anniversary Belle Encre Review
Vitola: Perfecto
Size: 5 3/8” x 48rg
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: ~$10
This was an interestingly shaped cigar that isn’t what I think of when the word “perfecto” comes to mind, I think it is more of a figurado. It had a nice rounded cap and while the RG tapered going into the foot, it seemed to be cut somewhat abruptly but when compared to the head, you discover it is perfectly balanced. The wrapper was a medium brown with a few raised veins and very little tooth or oily sheen. It smelled like leather and cocoa. The foot had more of a pronounced cocoa scent, but both were on the milder side compared to something like a LP No.9. I punched the head and the draw was slightly on the tight side. The predominant flavor was grass with a very slight sweetness. I toasted and lit with wooden matches.
First third:
It began with mild spice riding on waves of woody notes. As it moved along the spice drifted more in the direction of a mulling variety, with cinnamon and nutmeg notes. The primary flavor remained the woodiness that was uniquely pungent and reminded me of sap. The profile was medium and the burn was razor sharp with layers of pale gray ash that held tight to the stick.
The middle:
The middle began with a plug that actually burned through rather quickly and unleashed a flood of rich, slightly buttery smoke. There was a note of roasted coffee that emerged and the only spice that remained came from the wood flavors that had receded somewhat into the background. Even when the spice had been stronger, this was a fantastically smooth cigar.
The nub:
Dark chocolate finally came out as I moved into the final third. It was an almost bitter, baker’s chocolate flavor. A little cinnamon from earlier in the stick returned, but the profile was slightly stronger and the balance less polished. The final few draws harkened back to the clean spice and woodiness of the beginning, as if the stick came around full circle.
Total smoking time: 1:15
Overall Rating: 8.9/10
continued in next post...
I. Tatuaje Verocu Review
Size 4” x 40rg
Binder, Wrapper, and Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: ~$4.25
This is rather small stick with a dark, toothy wrapper that was slightly oily and had a few medium sized veins. The wrapper smelled sweet and earthy- almost like chocolate covered peat. The foot had a similar scent with the addition of a dark/heavy tobacco odor. I punched the cap and the draw was pretty firm and tasted mild with wet hay sweetness. My lips picked up on a little spice from the wrapper leaf. I toasted the foot with a torch and finished the light with a wooden match.
The first third:
The initial puffs were pretty potent with a bittersweet characteristic. It smoothed out rather quickly, but it remained on the Medium-Full end of the strength spectrum. I picked up on notes of leather and a faint woodiness early on. The woodiness was like freshly hewn shavings of pine at a lumber mill. The stick produced plumes of smoke that reminded me of a Papa Fritas.
The middle:
The second third of the cigar was smoother than the first. It was full of rich, dark flavor that went well with the Coke I drank while smoking. I’ll loosely call this a petite corona and say it is the most robust cigar I’ve smoked in that vitola. It is a nice change of pace to have a little umph in a small stick (or so she says ) The woodiness waned some and a kind of wet loam flavor took over. The burn was razor sharp which was nice since you can really go off the rails quick when a 4” cigar tunnels or canoes.
The nub:
The earthiness continued into the nub, along with the leather notes from early on. For some reason the retrohale gave me a flash back to sitting on the side of the River at Red Banks in Mt. Jackson, Virginia where I used to catfish as a kid. There was a faint sweetness throughout most of the smoke, but I never got any notes of chocolate like my nose picked up on in the wrapper before the light. More mild in the second half than the first, I would say it was a medium profile stick that was quickly approaching full. In the final inch I found a little of the spice from the cold draw. It was not overwhelming, just enough to tickle the back of my throat.
Positives: Great burn, stout for such a little cigar, smooth in the second half.
Negatives: The start was a little harsh to me, though it did settle down rather quickly.
Overall: 8.8/10 A nice smoke for under an hour and the price point is appealing.
II. Tatuaje la Casita Criolla HCBF Review
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Connecticut Broadleaf
Size: 6.5” x 48
Vitola: Short Churchill
MSRP: ~$7
This is a slightly larger vitola than I normally prefer but this cigar came recommended by a friend and so I had been waiting for a nice, warm day to enjoy it. The wrapper was moderately dark with lots of teeth and a slight oily sheen. There were lots of veins but they were all rather delicate. The wrapper leaf smelled very “dark” with hints of chocolate and peat. The foot had a slightly brighter not of hay. I punched the cigar and found the cold draw to be extraordinarily tight. After a couple 2” stabs with a poker and it opened up some but it was still pretty firm. I was picking up spice on my lips form the cap of the cigar and the primary flavors from the cold draw were leather and tobacco. I toasted the foot with a torch and used wooden matches to finish the light.
First 1/3:
This cigar began very smooth, with a strikingly sweet note. The flavors themselves were rather indistinct at the beginning, but could really be summed up by the term “woody”. When the sweetness was at full blast it almost tasted like mesquite. The burn through the first section was razor sharp and the as layered in a very delicate manner that mirrored the teeth in the Connecticut wrapper.
The middle:
The draw opened up considerably and the medium bodied smoke poured out plumes. The sweetness had abated for the most part and while the spice aspect of the woodiness also faded, it was readily replaced with notes of black pepper. The cigar did however maintain a nice balance and the pepper was never overwhelming. Things then took an odd turn when, after about an inch, the flavor went surprisingly flat with the pepper completely gone and a very one dimensional woodiness remaining.
The nub:
The good news is that as quickly as the cigar went flat, it suddenly recovered at the beginning of the nub and delivered a striking mix of wood, peppercorns, and dark molasses. The latter being just the right amount of sweetness to round off the blend. The bad news is that the molasses shifted from contributing primarily in a sweet fashion, to do so in a bitter fashion as the nub progressed. The cigar managed to hit what I consider “full-bodied” by the last inch, with the pepper stepping up as well. These were not developments that I found to be all that pleasant and they really dampened my overall opinion of the cigar. It did however burn well and true all the way the end.
Total smoking time: 1:50
Overall rating: 8.6/10
III. Tatuaje Petite Cazadores Reserva Review
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 4 Inches
Ring Gauge: 40
This is the second smaller vitola Tatuaje I’ve had the chance to smoke this month. This time of year I’m always grateful to come across smaller cigars that keep me from being out in the cold for extended periods of time.
The wrapper on this cigar with a fair amount of tooth and only a small amount of oily sheen. I appeared well constructed and I liked the way the foot had not been cut clean, but rather the excess wrapper leave had been tamped flat. The wrapper smelled bittersweet with hints of leather and dark tobacco. I used a .22 punch on the cap and the cold draw was very mild and had the faintest hint of cocoa. I also picked up on a bit of black pepper.
First 1/3:
The cigar began rather smooth, which is nice since a short cigar has less time to work out its kinks, with a notable allspice like flavor and hints of the pepper I tasted in the pepper I tasted in the cold draw. There was a savory sweetness that I can only liken to when brown sugar is used in a dry rub on a rack of ribs. The ash was snow white and you could see the tooth of the wrapper in it as it burned.
The middle:
The cigar picked up some woody notes in the middle but the underlying heat from the pepper nuance was maintained. It burned well, though it wasn’t razor sharp- most likely from the wind that was blowing while I walked along the river. I got a fair amount of leather in this section and the sweetness all but completely disappeared.
The nub:
The final section seemed to marry the aspects of the first and second third; the spice and pepper from the beginning with the woodiness and leather of the middle. I thought the spice became a little unbalanced in the very end, though the profile remained in the medium range. A couple observations about the overall experience- the cigar produced a lot of smoke but it was very dry, nothing creamy or rich about it, and it burned fast; 35 minutes from the light until I couldn’t hold the nub any longer.
Overall: 8.6/10
I thought it was a quality cigar with some nice moments, but I believe I prefer the Verocu were I to compare them. With a 4”/40rg cigar, I think it has to be great from start to finish in order to really earn high esteem. Whereas a robust might waiver and recover nicely, there isn’t enough time in a vitola this size.
IV. Tatuaje Miami 10th Anniversary Belle Encre Review
Vitola: Perfecto
Size: 5 3/8” x 48rg
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: ~$10
This was an interestingly shaped cigar that isn’t what I think of when the word “perfecto” comes to mind, I think it is more of a figurado. It had a nice rounded cap and while the RG tapered going into the foot, it seemed to be cut somewhat abruptly but when compared to the head, you discover it is perfectly balanced. The wrapper was a medium brown with a few raised veins and very little tooth or oily sheen. It smelled like leather and cocoa. The foot had more of a pronounced cocoa scent, but both were on the milder side compared to something like a LP No.9. I punched the head and the draw was slightly on the tight side. The predominant flavor was grass with a very slight sweetness. I toasted and lit with wooden matches.
First third:
It began with mild spice riding on waves of woody notes. As it moved along the spice drifted more in the direction of a mulling variety, with cinnamon and nutmeg notes. The primary flavor remained the woodiness that was uniquely pungent and reminded me of sap. The profile was medium and the burn was razor sharp with layers of pale gray ash that held tight to the stick.
The middle:
The middle began with a plug that actually burned through rather quickly and unleashed a flood of rich, slightly buttery smoke. There was a note of roasted coffee that emerged and the only spice that remained came from the wood flavors that had receded somewhat into the background. Even when the spice had been stronger, this was a fantastically smooth cigar.
The nub:
Dark chocolate finally came out as I moved into the final third. It was an almost bitter, baker’s chocolate flavor. A little cinnamon from earlier in the stick returned, but the profile was slightly stronger and the balance less polished. The final few draws harkened back to the clean spice and woodiness of the beginning, as if the stick came around full circle.
Total smoking time: 1:15
Overall Rating: 8.9/10
continued in next post...