Normally I don’t do a review based on one cigar, but I was asked to do a review of this by   of Reyes Family Cigars.  He’s very proud of this cigar and it’s only being released in limited numbers to limited retailers.  At least that’s how it stands now.  Sometimes “limited” is subjective in the cigar world.  Anyway, I decided to get some good pictures of this nice looking cigar to put in here as well.

This is a 6×52 toro made up of Nicaraguan and Dominican filler tobaccos.  The binder and wrapper are Ecuadorian Sumatra

Appearance: The cedar-wrapped cigar seems to be going away, but this Cuba Aliados sports one.  Its red, white, and gold band is simple but sharp and bold.  The wrap looks pretty well done with only one small blemish where the wrapper was too wet and wrinkled as it dried.  A few prominent veins route their way through the leaf.  The cap wasn’t perfect, but the part that was folded under was to be cut off anyway.  The foot shows a very nice tight, even bunch.

Taste: This started out with a medium strength laced with a light pepper and a full leather.  There was some cedar too.  This maintained that leather flavor throughout.  And the best way to describe it is ‘dry.’  Dry as in dry wine.  Don’t know how to explain it other than that.  Anyway, it maintained this flavor profile for pretty much the whole of the cigar with the pepper going in and out.  The strength, however, grew subtly from beginning to end, morphing into a smooth full-bodied smoke by the end.

Aroma: Usually a cedar-wrapped cigar bears the smell of that cedar.  This one, however, had a sweet floral smell that broke through that cedar.  Very nice. The smoke was rather harsh.

Construction: The cigar had the appropriate firmness and sponginess too.  The draw was excellent.  It took a little bit to light, but once it was lit it burned exquisitely until the last two inches.  At that point one side just stopped burning altogether.  I can’t ding it too much, though, because again, this is based on only one sample.  The ash was always tight and firm and wouldn’t tap off unless it was over an inch.  That’s always a good sign of quality construction.

Overall Impression: I think the Reyes Family has hit a home run with this cigar.  Not being fully accessible to the public yet, you might have a hard time finding these, but I definitely recommend trying one if you can get your hands on it.  I’m hoping they keep it out of certain retailer hand (notice I didn’t particularly name Cigars International) so that it doesn’t get overburdened and ground into the ground like I feel the Puros Indios line did.

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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.

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Appearance: This is a nice looking Connecticut wrapped cigar. Except for the band, which I think could be better printing quality (but hey we’re not smoking the band, right?), this cigar looks to be well rolled. The wrapper had a few prominent veins, but the wrapper was tight with no blemishes. Smooth and pristine, this cigar just looks good.

Taste: Now, admittedly, I’m not a huge Connecticut wrapper fan. But this cigar surprised me. Not complex at all, it delivers a consistent mix of earth and leather that just warmly sits on your tongue. Very smooth. It’s a mild cigar, to be sure, but flavorful..and did I say consistent? I was pleasantly surprised at how this cigar maintained it’s integrity throughout the whole of the smoke.

Aroma: Not a strong smelling cigar, holding the foot up to my nose I garnered the aroma of toasted pepper. Pleasant and not pungent. The smoke smelled like, well…smoke. Just pure raw tobacco aroma.

Construction: These things are just well made. Of the three that I had, they all burned wonderfully. A consistent, firm feel to them when squeezing with no soft spots or plugs. As I said, they burned wonderfully. Crisp and even the whole way through. Even when it was a little windy outside. The draw was firm but smooth and even.

Overall: This is a good slightly above average cigar. Consistent in flavor and construction, this cigar reminds me a lot of the Casa Torano, and at a slightly lower price tag. These are $79.99 for a box of 20. For the mild cigar lovers, or someone just looking for a good morning smoke, I suggest you try these out.

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Last night I had an E. Zarzuela cigar, size Toro Fuerte: 5×50. Made by Eddy Zarzuela in his recent venture for himself, this cigar is made with a Nicaraguan Cafe Habano wrapper that surrounds a Nicaraguan and Dominican binder and a Dominican filler. I picked some of these up from Eddy at the RTDA and listened to some good stories while there.That being said, the examples I had weren’t pretty to look at. A dark and mottled wrapper that had a few flaws in it (torn wrapper, shriveled spots from when it was rolled) didn’t make for a good presentation. It felt like a brick which I thought would give me draw problems, but it didn’t draw poorly; just tightly. The flavors started out interesting with some buttery leather flavors, but ammonia quickly gave way in each instance I’ve tried this. I had to put this one down half way through…

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