I was at my local B&M on Tuesday for the first Raleigh First Tuesday Herf, when inside the humidor I spied a new (to me) Tatuaje reserva: The SW. Since "Tatuaje" = "must try!" in our household, I decided to grab the maduro and give it a puff.
This review will be written in "virutal time" as the cigar is smoked.
Prelight: I'm in for a haul with this smoke. Lovely construction, nice crisp scent to it. Cut. Draw seems a little firm. We'll see.
Light it up, and wow! It's a Tatuaje Reserva alright. Pow right in the kisser with the spice, accompanied by a touch of cedar.
That's just the warm-up, though. About half an inch in, the spice fades out and the cigar gains body. Woodsy notes are still there, cedar faded, and a mellow earthen-almost-herbacious flavor rounds it out.
Around an inch in, some chocolate is starting to come through. This has turned from a Pepin firecracker into a cool and elegant smoke
:-)
This would be a great coffee cigar. Perhaps a latte cigar.
Mmm, another inch down and it's getting some nuttiness to it. There's still life in this Tat.
Ack! Relight! I'm being somewhat casual in my smoking of this cigar. That'll show me. Touch of that "brand new leather or electronics" sharp, clean bite on the top, but still nutty and chocolatey.
Definitely a good latte cigar!
Oh yeah, y'all like talking about volume of smoke produced. This has been something of a quiet an elegant smoke. Low to medium-low amount of smoke.
Drat. Relight again, not half an inch past the last one. No damage to the cigar.
Nuttiness dropped off the map all of the sudden about 1/4" after last relight accompanied by an upswing in strength. Finish has a delicious tobacco note now.
It'd be nice if the ash would hang on for longer. Then again, I could just hold the darned thing instead of putting it down after every few drags.
Relight again. This guy is having issues. Then again, I'm not all that great with these longer sticks. The draw, however, has been smooth and consistent the entire way. My worries never came to fruition. Also, lost some strength upon relight. ... oh wait, no, there is is again
:-) :-) Touch of cream joining the party now.
Relight AGAIN.
:-) It's not me, SW, it's you. A bit more tar on the tongue on the finish.
Oh good. Half an inch later, the tar is gone. I'm about an inch away from the band now. Chocolateyness increased.
Bands removed. It's picking up some fresh leathery notes around band-level.
About 2 inches from lips, needs a relight again. Sudden surge of spice that tickles the top of my head.
Around 1.5 inches from lips, finish draws out with a roasted meat with fresh herbs flavor. Warm on the lips, cool on the tongue. ... and immediately needs a relight. Roast and herbs move to front notes, finish is clean and smooth, slightly creamy.
1 inch from lips. Time to grab the nub tool tedrogers passed me at the Lake Herf. Thanks again, man! Distinct coffee and cream now.
Went out again. Too little to relight.
:-)
Final thoughts:
- Great smoke. 8 out of 10, despite relights.
- Roughly a 2 hour smoke.
- Good construction, even draw all the way down, stays cool. Ash has a tendency to fall off until the end, but this was not to the cigar's detrement.
- Pair with a latte or a smooth coffee for excellent results.
- On the Tatuaje scale, 7/10. Don't be afraid to save yourself a few dollars and grab a Reserva J21 or Reggios. Or, grab 4 Petite Tatuaje.
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