SERIES REVIEW: Tatuaje Seleccion de Cazador 7th Reserva (Pre Release)

Today's Pete Johnson pre-release cigar review is, perhaps, the new release stick I have most looked forward to smoking. The Seleccion de Cazador 7th Reserva, or more commonly known as Brown Label Reserva, is one of my two current favorite sizes in cigars and Brown Label Reserva sticks have always been on the money for me. There is something about the Brown Label blend paired with the broadleaf wrapper that creates a flavor profile that I enjoy more than most everything else on the market.

Something to note: This cigar is also made at the My Father factory in Esteli, Nicaragua and not in Miami.

Specifics
Vitola: Corona Gorda
Length: 5 5/8
Ring Gauge: 46
Wrapper: CT Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $9.00 in full boxes
Smoking Location: My back deck
Beverage: water

Pre-Light 

My Tatuaje 7th Reserva had an oily, dark brown wrapper with only a few noticeable veins. Compared to other broadleaf cigars, which tend to look more rustic, this cigar was pretty attractive. Pinching the stick from head to foot, I could tell that it was evenly packed and not tight at all. I have said it over and over, but the rollers Pepin has making these cigars down in Esteli are top notch. The pre-lit aroma was peppery with some deep earthy scents. The cold draw tasted noticeably sweet with subtle hints of nuts and coffee.

First Third   

I lit my Tatuaje Reserva #7 with a lotus triple flame and the cigar shot out of the gate, producing clouds of thick, flavorful smoke. On the front of my first few puffs, I picked up a strong, refined black pepper flavor that really woke me up after a long day of work. The finish is where things got interesting, however. There were flavors of black coffee on the immediate finish, but after a few seconds, it faded into something else. The best way for me to describe the flavor it is to compare it to a specialty ice cream we have here in Columbus (where we have many boutique parlors pushing the envelope on flavors.) The finish on this cigar reminded me of a flavor we have called Hot Chocolate. Basically, it's chocolate ice cream with cayenne pepper added. It sounds strange, but I think if you smoke this cigar, you will get where I'm coming from. The strength of the finish was long lasting and continued to be present until the next puff. Anther thing to note with this cigar (pictured above) is the bright white ash. The body was in the medium-full range.

Second Third  

Burning into the second third of my Tatuaje 7th Reserva, the flavors mellowed and blended more. The flavors were still very strong and tasty, but now the black pepper on the front was toned down a notch with the emergence of some warm leathery notes. The stick did not let up, continuing to produce clouds of thick smoke, both on the draw and while resting in the ash tray. I lost a lot of the coffee flavors on the finish, but they were barely missed because about 15 seconds after each puff, I was greeted with that delicious spicy chocolate taste. This flavor was really the star of the show. The burn during the second third was slightly wavy, but not ever to the point of needing a touch up from my torch. The body was a relaxing medium-full, reaching further into the full range.

Final Third and Final Thoughts 

The final third of my Tatuaje 7th Reserva was very similar to the second third and that was perfect for me. On the front of the flavor profile I got black pepper blending masterfully with leather, and on the finish, the spicy chocolate. Some of those chocolate notes started to creep into the front a little towards the nub, but by then I was burning my fingers and, sadly, I  had to put the stick down. The body finished firmly in the full range, but not enough to make me uncomfortable or dizzy.


My final thoughts on the Tatuaje Seleccion de Cazador 7th Reserva? This is a beautiful cigar, both in taste and in performance. I get asked all the time what my favorite cigar is and, for awhile now, it's been an easy answer: the Tatuaje Noellas Reserva. After smoking a few of the number 7, it's not as easy a question for me to answer. The beginning of this stick is great, but once into the second third and the flavor blending is in high gear, this stick shines. Even with the fuller-bodied finish, I could smoke this cigar everyday and have no complaints. 

Would I buy it again? This is a no brainer. Unlike the Noellas, which are a limited release, this is a full-production cigar and I will try to keep stock of these whenever my budget allows. 

Would I buy a box? If my wife reads this (which I know she will because she fixes all my bad spelling), I want to let her know...hey honey...birthday...xmas...anniversary...hint hint. 100% box worthy

I try not to gush this much about a cigar, but once in awhile one comes along and I can't help myself. If you'd like to try this stick, my friend Dan (NHCDAN on twitter) at New Havana Cigars has them included in his IPCPR Tatuaje sampler pack which you can pick up here for $55. Try it and please leave me a comment about your experience. I'd love to read others take on this one.

Dan 

SERIES REVIEW: Tatuaje Havana VI Gordito (Pre Release)

Today's Pete Johnson pre-release cigar review comes from a stick that is an extension of his Havana VI line.  The Havana VI, better know as "red label", is often seen as a slightly lower line than the brown label in the Tatuaje catalog, mainly because of its lower price tag. However, to me, it houses some of my favorite sticks from Pete. Havana VI cigars are very affordable and still have the same high quality construction and tobacco well known to Johnson/Pepin sticks.

Some background information on Havana VI from New Havana Cigars: Havana VI was created in 2006 and boasts six vitolas (thus the VI in the name).  Referred to as the 'Red Label', the band duplicates the classic Cabinet band in red.  It is made in Esteli Nicaragua at the Tabacalera Cubana factory.  It is medium to full bodied and is truly a Nicaraguan Puro, consisting of Nicaraguan filler, binder and wrapper 

It is kind of funny that this line is called the Havana VI now, because with the Gordito release, there are now seven cigars. Really though, who cares what the name is? The real question is: how does it smoke?  Let's get started with the review.


Specifics
Vitola: Robusto extra?
Length: 5 1/2
Ring Gauge: 56
Wrapper: Nicaragua Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $9.00 in full boxes
Smoking Location: My back deck
Beverage: water

Pre-Light 

The Tatuaje red label Gordito is another BIG cigar. My stick was nicely packed and with a 56 ring gauge -- this vitola has some serious weight to it. The light brown wrapper on my sample of the Gordito had lots of big veins and a pretty prominate seam where the leaf wrapped around the binder. Overall, it was a pretty natural looking cigar. The aroma coming off the unlit stick was faint, but what I could detect was just some natural tobacco notes, mixed with a stronger peppery note at the open foot. The cold draw was a little loose for my preference and had a sweet, almost gingery taste.

First Third 

The first puff on my Gordito after evenly toasting the foot, was strong in flavor. The profile on the front of the draw was a mild black pepper and on the finish were flavors of bread and some other spice that I couldn't nail down. The black pepper was not mild in strength of flavor, just mild in the heat I sometimes associate with that taste. For such a large cigar this stick was very relaxing from the get go and not overpowering at all. Even with the massive amounts of smoke this cigar was producing, the body was in the medium range. One thing to note: if you are going to smoke this cigar inside, make sure you have a lot of ventilation. Like I wrote above, this cigar puts out a lot of smoke, even while resting. As you can see in the picture, the ash was compact, but what you can't see is how easily it falls. The next time I lifted this stick after the photo that ash fell right into the tray without any tapping.

Second Third  

The second third of my Tatuaje red label Gordito started out similar to the first third, except for the finish, which got a lot sweeter. The front still had that very tasty, tingly mild black pepper, and on the finish were still some of the bread flavors, but as I burned more and more into the second third, a caramel sweetness crept up and started taking over the finish. This was sweetness at its finest for me; the balance of pepper and caramel is one of my favorite combinations. Getting close to the end of my second third, I did have a few burn issues, but nothing that couldn't be corrected easily enough with my torch. The body in the second third might have been slightly stronger, but nothing enough to make my head spin or get the jitters.

Final Third and Final Thoughts  

"Here comes the black pepper" is what I have written down in my cigar journal for the start of the final third of my Tatuaje red label Gordito. As I recall, the black pepper is what dominated the final third. The main difference was the pepper was a little spicier this time than it was in the first two thirds. On the finish, the bread flavors had dissipated, but the sweet caramel was still prominent, and mouth-watering good. After the slight burn issues I had in the second third, the cigar preformed beautifully all the way to the nub. The body again ramped up slightly, so I would rate the end of this stick more in the medium to medium-full range.

My final thoughts on the Tatuaje Havana VI Gordito?  I'm going to go out on a limb and say this is the best Tatuaje red label to date. I know that is a big statement, but this is a big cigar and it tastes amazing. I loved the balance of the peppery front with the sweet caramel on the finish so much that I really had to pace myself from not rushing to take puff after puff. This stick is in the top 3 best of the new Tatuaje releases in my opinion, so don't look past it because of the size.

Would I buy it again? Another great cigar for tailgating because of how long it smokes. I would say it took around 2 1/2 hours to nub it. I will be getting more.

Would I buy a box? This is 100% box worthy.  
Dan

SERIES REVIEW: El Triunfador #7 (Pre Release)

So I'm picking up where I last left off with the El Triunfador series review, with the new Pete Johnson pre-release stick El Triunfador #7! For those that are newer to my blog, I did a whole line review of the El Triunfador back in March when the initial 6 sizes were released. It was a great experience for me to smoke all of the different sizes and see just how different cigars within the same line could be. After smoking all six sticks, I really felt like I knew the blend inside and out.

As a refresher, here are some details on the New El Triunfador blend from New Havana Cigars: "A medium bodied blend that gets a ton of flavor from the Seco leaves originating on Pepin's La Estrella farm in Esteli, it features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan filler and is available in 6 sizes, including a lancero. (Not to be confused with the original lancero, which is still being produced with it's dark Broadleaf wrapper.)"

The El Triunfador #7 is by far the biggest vitola in the line and should produce some interesting characteristics of the blend.

Let's get to the review.

Specifics
Vitola: Robusto extra ?
Length: 5 7/8
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $8.00
Smoking Location: My back deck
Beverage: water

Pre-Light  

After smoking a lot of smaller-sized cigars recently, the first thing I noticed about my El Triunfador #7 was just how big it felt while holding it in my hand. The cigar is only 5-7/8 in length, but with the tightly packed weight of it, it really felt like a really big smoke. The light brown wrapper was dry and very toothy, with some large veins running around the body of the stick. Some of the veins were quite big, but almost all of them felt like they had been smoothed down, which gave me the impression that they would not cause any burn problems. The pre-lit aroma was sweet tobacco with more of a earthy barnyard smell at the open foot. I clipped the triple cap and the draw was free with slight resistance, and tasted of those sweet, natural tobacco notes.

First Third   

My El Triunfador #7 flavor profile started out with a mild white pepper that tingled my taste buds, mixed with mild cedar notes on the front. On the finish I was picking up a natural sweetness that was really obvious by the taste left on my lips from the wrapper. I also got lots of thick smoke on every draw although the burn was slightly wavy, though I never had to touch it up with my torch. The biggest difference I saw in the first third of my El Triunfador #7 from other sticks in this line was just how much slower this cigar was burning. Some people have complained that the El Triunfador line of cigars just blaze through to the nub. If all of the new El Triunfador #7 sticks are like my sample, that problem may have been resolved with this size. The body was in the mild to medium range.

Second Third

The second third of my El Triunfador #7 was much more flavorful than the first. The profile changed a bit and the strength of the flavors really picked up, with the exception of the pepper. The white pepper notes seemed to back off a bit more and now on the front I was getting a very strong cedar flavor that mixed in with a new almost sweet hay taste. On the finish, things got really interesting because I was still getting slight white pepper, but I also was getting kicks of mint notes. Not that the cigar was burning hot or anything, but with the large volume of smoke that it was producing, the mint was really cooling on the palate and refreshing. Like the first third, the cigar continued to burn very slowly and was very relaxing. The body of the stick was now firmly in the medium range.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

The same strong and rich flavors were what dominated the final third of my El Triunfador #7. The profile was the same as the second third -- cedar with sweet hay on the front,  white pepper and refreshing mint on the finish. It seemed that these were all blending and playing together nicely, creating a excellent finish to a very nice cigar. The body stayed in the medium range and the burn, although not continuously perfect (like a lot of the other Pete Johnson sticks) never needed relighting even after resting for minutes at a time.


My final thoughts on the El Triunfador #7? I love the El Triunfador blend. And I love it for different reasons than I love the brown label or the reserva lines. This stick is just really flavorful and relaxing to smoke. It never over powers you with spice, or tobacco strength. It just smokes cool, and goes about it's business with out disappointing. Being a big college football tailgater I can see the El Triunfador #7 being a great cigar for those occasions,  It burns slowly (over two hours for me on this one) doesn't need a lot of maintenance and most importantly,  I think the flavors would pair well with beer.

Would I buy it again? This is a great cigar for when you have a lot of time to smoke. I will be picking up more of these for before game time come Fall.

Would I buy a box? This is not a size I tend to smoke, but this is box worthy in my opinion.

Dan     

SERIES REVIEW: Tatuaje Seleccion de Cazador 7th Natural (Pre Release)

Today's Pete Johnson pre-release cigar review is the first dive into his main bread-and-butter Seleccion de Cazador line, more commonly known as brown label (no reserva). Other than some of Pete's special releases, the brown label is what most Tatuaje cigar fans reach for first when browsing online or at their local B&M. I put myself into that category, as I prefer the brown label sticks, but they tend to be a little tough on the budget. One main difference between these brown label cigars and others in the line is these are being produced at the My Father factory in Esteli, Nicaragua and not in Miami. I was told that the Miami factory is already producing at 100% capacity, so any new projects would not be able to be made there.


Specifics
Vitola: Corona Gorda
Length: 5 5/8
Ring Gauge: 46
Wrapper: Nicaragua Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $9.00 in full boxes
Smoking Location: My back deck
Beverage: water

Pre-Light  

I love the way the classic Tatuaje brown label line looks. The simple bands and the somewhat rustic wrappers make me think of the old-style sticks you read about in Havana cigar books. My brown label #7 looked exactly the part. The wrapper was a consistent medium brown color with lots of little veins. None of these veins really stood out over another, but they gave the cigar a very natural look. I pinched the cigar from head to foot and, as you would expect from a Johnson/Pepin stick, there were no soft spots. The pre-lit aroma was subtle and smelled of graham cracker, with some more sweet tobacco scents near the open foot.  The triple cap clipped easily and the cold draw had a strong taste of cedar.

First Third 

My Tatuaje brown label 7th opened up a little differently than I expected. The flavors I got from the first third of the cigar were a mild cedar and sweet honey on the front, with just a small kick of Nicaragua black pepper on the finish. The finish was very clean and didn't leave a film or any unpleasant feeling in my mouth. I was expecting more of the pepper that you normally get with brown label sticks, but it was only coming in very slightly. It was definitely there, but not in my face or exploding on my palate. The burn line on this cigar was one of the darkest I had seen in awhile. You can see in the picture how it almost looked like a woman's eyeliner surrounded the cigar right where the wrapper met the ash. Speaking of the ash, it held on for just over an inch before crashing into the ashtray by itself. Don't go for extreme ashes with this guy or you'll be dusting yourself off in no time. The body was in the medium-full range.

Second Third 

The second third started out pretty much the same way it had been smoking in the first third, except for the honey flavor. The sweet honey I had tasted before was now more of a undefined natural sweetness. If I had to label it, I would say it was more of a raw sweet tobacco flavor, but even that might be off the mark a little. If anyone reading has a better term, I'm all ears. The finish on the cigar was still a mild black pepper that, after resting on my pallet between puffs, turned into more of a cinnamon taste. The burn was still spot on and body rested more in the full range. Toward the end of the second third, I had another flavor change on the front end of the profile. The cedar notes backed off and were replaced by a distinct roasted pecan taste. This change up was very interesting and was a glimmer of what was to come.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

My Tatuaje brown label 7th's final third is where things got back to the classic. The flavors in the last third ramped up in strength and were now producing the classic Tatuaje brown label profile that a lot of us know and love. The front end was much richer, creamier, and darker (if you can use that for a flavor) and tasted like roasted nuts mixed with earthy notes. The finish was biting with delicious strong black pepper that coated my palate, lasting well over the time between normal draws. This was more like what I was expecting the stick to taste like the whole way through, but it seemed  it wanted to show up to the party fashionably late. The cigar never got hot or harsh, and the body was definitely in the full area.

My final thoughts on the Tatuaje Seleccion de Cazador 7th (Pre Release)?  The cigar started out good, but different than what I normally think of brown label Tats, and then grew into the monster that I love.  If these sticks keep this somewhat milder start, I think a lot of people will be wanting more spice. I like the way the stick really turned it on in the final third and gave a grand finale. It let my palate not be overrun from the beginning and pick up more of the sweet, more subtle flavors.

Would I buy it again? For the size alone, I would grab a few more of this stick. Petite robusto and Corona Gorda sized cigars are my two favorite sizes. It's nice to have at least one of them now available in the brown label.

Would I buy a box? I wouldn't buy a box at this time because there are other sticks in the new releases from Pete that I have enjoyed more. But in the future, I could see a box purchase no problem.

Dan