Here’s what’s been going on around the blogs:

• CAO Gold Vintage – Toasted Foot
• Tatuaje Especiales – Fire Up That Cigar
• Cohiba Behike BHK 56 – Cigars. ie
• Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur Legend – Doc Stogie
• Malfetano – Stogie Review

No related posts.

I know I’ve been slacking the past couple weeks with reviews, so I was determined to get another review in this week.  Today’s review is courtesy of Cigars Direct who indulged me by providing some Tatuajes for me to review.  I felt that I didn’t have enough reviews of them up, so I’m working to correct that.

Appearance: I love the simplicity of this cigar.  An unpronounced yet stylish band that almost blends in with the wrapper is sleek and let’s you know that the cigar should speak for itself.  The wrapper is perfect.  Very few veins, but smooth and slight.  The overlap isn’t easy to detect.  The triple cap is perfectly done.  The foot shows a nice bunch and is very even.

Taste: This isn’t an overly complex cigar, but it’s a satisfyingly tasteful cigar.  At the beginning you get more spice than anything, but that settles to the background and a rich earthy leather comes to please your palate.  It stays this way throughout the cigar.  It’s medium-bodied, but full-flavored.  A medium finish will let you know that you smoked a great cigar.

Aroma: At first sniff, I got a little pepper and some cinnamon from the foot.  The wrapper itself was a mild tobacco.  The smoke is standard cigar smoke.  Warning: don’t inhale too much through your nose or it’ll burn.

Construction: What’s to say?  It’s rolled by the DPG factory.  The draw was perfect.  I prefer my draw to be looser than tighter, but, to me, the perfect draw is easy with just enough resistance to force you to breathe in fully.  The samples I had were consistent in this.  The burn was great.  The cap didn’t come off with the cut.  Fabulous construction.

Overall Impression: Tatuaje cigars are known for their great quality and flavor.  This cigar lived up to that reputation.  With Don Pepin doing the blend and his factory handling the rolling, he made this the winner that pushed Tatuaje cigars into the mainstream.  My only beef with these is their price.  At around $9, it’s a little steep in my opinion.  I know Pete Johnson prides himself on being a boutique brand, meaning lower production numbers, and that means lower supply.  I get it, but I’d still like to see it a bit cheaper…maybe at the $7 range.  That’d give it the extra half-star bump to the perfect rating.  As it stands, though, it’s just shy of perfect.

Cigar Rating:

No related posts.

Alrighty! I’ve been looking forward to smoking this for awhile and it’s time to get it done!! I’ve had this in the humidor for far too long and being that it’s a beautiful day to sit on my porch and light one up… well, I’m lighting up. The La Riqueza is another Don Pepin blend that’s rolled by his factory for Pete Johnson of Tatuaje. Measuring in at 6 1/2×42, the binder and filler are Nicaraguan tobaccos while the wrapper is a “naturally dark USA Connecticut Broadleaf.” Let’s get it on!!

Appearance: You can tell that it’s a Connecticut broadleaf by its roll.  It doesn’t take many wraps to get this, the biggest of the line, fully wrapped in its leaf.  There’s no tooth and slight veins.  The wrap is well done and the ever-present triple cap is smooth and flawless too.  The band is indistinct but is almost a throwback to bands of old.

Taste: This cigar is not shy.  The flavors come rolling in on the first drag and coat your palate well.  A strong leather comes first and a spice that immediately heads to the back of your throat to rest for a bit.  After the first inch and a half, it mellows out a tad and some woodiness comes forward, sending the spice and leather to the background.  About another inch into it, the leather comes back up.  It keeps changing back and forth making for a nice, interesting cigar that will hold your taste buds for a good while.  Towards the end it will turn a little bitter if you don’t ease up on it, but this is just a great tasting cigar.

Aroma: Holding this to my nose, I didn’t get much of a scent from it.  I was able to detect what seemed like a mild cinnamon when I smelled the foot before lighting.  The smoke itself has a light sweet woody scent that’s very pleasing.

Construction: Being a 42rg, it’s not surprising that the draw is a little tight.  For the flavor you get with smaller ring gauges, though, it’s worth it.  It burns well and burns slowly.  You’ll want to make sure that you don’t puff away too quickly on this, even if you want to get as much flavor out of it as you can.  Thick plumes of smoke with every draw delighted me.  The ash was flaky and I wouldn’t let it get beyond a half-inch lest I chose to wear it, but it’s a minor detraction.

Overall Impression: First, I like smaller ring gauges.  I think they’re more flavorful than their larger counterparts.  This cigar doesn’t disappoint in the flavor arena.  A medium-bodied smoke once it settles, this is still a full-flavor cigar that should be a staple in anyone’s humidor.  At $9 a stick, it’s on the higher side, but if I’m going to spend that much on one stick, this would be one I’d reach for.  Of all the sticks I’ve had from Tatuaje, this has been my favorite.

Scott had reviewed the La Riqueza No. 3 before and it scored just as high.  There’s something to be said about La Riqueza, and I figure it should all be good.

Cigar Rating:

No related posts.

So the big talk of the town and all the cigar boards lately has been the new blend by Pete Johnson of Tatuaje, the La Riqueza.  I managed to get my hand on a 5 pack sampler from one of my favorite retailers, so I thought I would review it for you guys, so here you go!

Pre-Light: As I ran this cigar along my nose, as I always do, I got lots of the typical Tatuaje smells, lots of spice, some nuts and earthy flavors.  As I cut it with my trusty Palio, and took a pre-light draw.  I got the very nice typical Tatuaje spice, with lots of leather, and nuts.  I could tell I was going to enjoy this smoke!

1/3: As I toasted up this cigar and took a few puffs on it, I knew this was a cigar that I was going to really enjoy.  As I was smoking, it took all my strength to puff slowly, as I just wanted to suck it down.  As most of you know, I am a huge Tatuaje fan, and this cigar was no exception.  I got a lot of leather, nuts and peppery spice, with some earthy aftertones on the finish.  The burn was just about perfect, and the smoke was billowing perfectly.  I was in heaven with this cigar so far!

2/3: As I continued this cigar the spice kicked up a notch and the earthy flavors were also pronounced.  The nuts and leather sort of faded into the background.  At this point, the cigar is still burning perfectly, and the smoke was very abundant.  I was really enjoying this cigar.  Still in heaven, and this is on its way to becoming one of my favorites!

3/3: As I finished up this cigar, I was wishing that it was twice as long so I could enjoy it longer.  At the end of this cigar, the leather and earthy flavors came back and the spice faded just a bit.  It was still burning as straight as an arrow, and the smoke was perfect.  I am LOVING this cigar, and I hated to finally put it out.

Overall Impression: Overall, I would venture to say that this could possibly become one of my new favorite cigars, I am just not sure I could afford to buy these a box at a time   I really loved this cigar, and it was just about perfect to me.  I smoked it until my lips burned, and I still wanted more.  I know there are some of you out there thinking this cigar is a lot of hype, but I can tell you that Pete Johnson really hit one out of the ball park with this smoke.  This cigar WOULD be the first one of mine to get a full 5 stars, but it will only get 4.5, simply because the price point on this cigar is not perfect.  It’s a bit expensive for any cigar, but well worth it.  I suggest EVERYONE try this cigar… Not once, but MULTIPLE times.  I love them so much that I had to spread the wealth and I am sending a couple to Ricky to enjoy.  Hopefully he will chime in here and let me know what he thinks!

Cigar Rating:

No related posts.

The Tatuaje Black label is proposed to be the personal cigar blend of Pete Johnson, that he has rolled just for him to smoke.  Recently, he released 1000 ceramic jars of 19 cigars each to most of his vendors, with each vendor getting only one or two jars.

Well folks, I got lucky enough to get my grubby little paws on a 3 pack of the illusive Tatuaje black labels.  First thing I thought of when I got my hands on these, I decided I would smoke a couple of them to offer up a review for my friends here on Cigar Command, so here we go!

Pre-light:  As usual I ran this cigar across my nose, and got lots of spice and leather scents.  The cigar itself has a shaggy, uncut foot on the end, and a small pointy tip on the head.  The way this cigar was rolled was obviously masterful.  I cut this cigar with my trusy Palio and took a pre light draw.  As I drew on the cigar, I got the leathery and wood flavors that every Tatuaje I have smoked generally carries.  The difference with this Tatuaje Black was the hint of sweetness I got on the tounge at the end.

1/3:  As I lit up  the first thing I noticed was that the shaggy foot lit up easily, and the first few puffs produced that great Tatuaje spice and wood flavors that most of them have that I have smoked.  The draw was just about perfect, and the burn was pretty straight considering the shaggy foot.  Lots of abundant smoke protruded from this cigar, and as I continued on it, the leather flavors went into the background, with the spiciness making itself more prominent.  I was really enjoying this cigar, just as I have enjoyed every Tatuaje I have had.

2/3:  As I continued through the cigar, it was steadily gaining spice, and the wood and leather flavors were fading into the background.  I find that this happens with a lot of Tatuaje’s that I have smoked.  Thus far, the burn was almost perfect and the smoke was abundant.  The cigar is still buring nice and cool, and is tasting great!  At this point, I am really glad I spent the money on this 3 pack, and I am wishing I could find an entire jar full for my enjoyment.

3/3:  As I finished up this cigar, the  leather and wood flavors made themselves more known and the spice faded into the background.  The cigar is still burning almost perfect, and the ash is a little flaky, but not so bad that it annoys me and gets all over me   The smoke is still abundant, and the flavors are great!

Overall Impression:  Overall, this cigar was OUTSTANDING.  I can understand why people want to get thier hands on these so badly.  I really think that Pete Johnson hit a home run on this one, and I can see why he smokes these as his regular smoke.  I really enjoyed it, and I am now on the hunt to find a ceramic jar full of them.  This is quite possibly my favorite Tatujaje of them all, and I am a HUGE Tatuaje fan!

Cigar rating: 

No related posts.

Hey Guys,

I am out of the country but thought I would take the time to give some info on La Riqueza. Sipping on a glass of Bordeaux makes me think of all the wealth of life that is out there to enjoy and that what this cigar is all about.

This is a new cigar that I am making with Pepin and Jaime. I am using a brand new wrapper for the factory and by far one of my all time favorites. Conn. Broadleaf to me is one of the most flavorful wrappers in the world.
The blend is more medium and has no Ligero. The wrapper gives it some of the biggest flavors you could imagine and I can’t even explain how beautiful the aroma is. Fills up the room with chocolate, coffee, and earthy notes.

Blend is classic and traditional Cuban. I think the wrapper will confuse the strength level for people. The wrapper is rich (like the name) and gives flavors that would make people think that it is a strong blended cigar. This cigar is just balanced with tons of flavor. Full flavored for me is always better than strong for the sake of being strong.

I hope to have these out is a few months and I hope you will enjoy them.
I guess if no one likes them, I will have many cigars to smoke that I love. So it works out both ways…….

Enjoy,
Pete

I, for one, am excited about it, but then again, I’ve never met a Tatuaje product I wasn’t instantly in love with. I love everything from their inexpensive P series line all the way up to the Conoju and beyond. Good luck to Pete and Tatuaje with this new cigar!

And if you’ve never been to CigarLive.com, I suggest you check it out. It’s a great place to learn about cigars and meet other cigar lovers like yourselves.

No related posts.

Image provided by Vitolas.net

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo 99 wrapper
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Havana VI blend (Nicaragua)

I was at my local cigar shop, and decided to pick up the Tatuaje Havana VI Almirantes, which is the first one pictured. The Almirantes is the largest vitola of the Havana VI line, at 7×47. This cigar is also commonly referred to as the Tatuaje Red Label, due to its band on the cigar being red. As I lit up this cigar, I half knew what to expect, as this is the cigar I generally pick up at my local shop every time I am down there. The first few puffs were nice and smooth, with some leathery flavors. As I got farther down the smoke, past the halfway point, the leathery flavors seemed to die down, and as expected, I was almost PUNCHED in the face with peppery spice. The peppery spice lasted for only a few puffs, but I have found that just about every time, when I smoke this cigar, that peppery hit always lasts just a few puffs after I get to the halfway point.

As I continued through, and on to the last 3^rd, the pepper seemed to die down significantly, and the leathery and earthy flavors came back. They did not diminish until I finally put this cigar to rest. I was smoking this in the company of a few friends and this smoke lasted me longer than 2 hours. All in all, this is a very nice, relaxing cigar, and is best enjoyed when you have a couple of hours to sit down and smoke. My personal plan is to have at least a box of these in my humidor in the near future. This is one I suggest EVERYONE try at least once.

No related posts.