Today’s cigar is his latest edition to the regular production cigars that was unveiled officially at IPCPR 2011. It is the EP Carrillo Core Line Maduro. It will join the other regular line cigars which now include the EP Carrillo Core Line Natural and the New Wave Connecticut. If you read my above linked revore of the Natural Core Line, you’ll notice I wasn’t a huge fan. Having said that, I really enjoyed the New Wave Connecticut and so did Tony in his review of it. So is this another winner in the line-up?

The Core Line Maduro has the same band as the other regular production blends with the only difference being a black backdrop in the bottom section of the band. The similarities don’t jsut end there… The binder used on the Core Line Maduro is the same as the wrapper used on the regular Core Line Natural. Filler content is also the same but the percentage of Dominican vs Nicaraguan leaveswas adjusted slightly to set it apart and balance nicely with the new wrapper.

According to Ernesto, the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper used here is actually one of the same ones he originally used back in the 70’s when he was blending for La Gloria Cubana. That’s not to say the wrapper is 40+ years old… just a similar crop/region which should give a similar profile.

A Brazilian wrapper was also in the running for this cigar but Ernesto decided to go with the Connecticut Broadleaf instead. That’s a tough call, I enjoy both of those leaves as wrappers. Maybe we’ll see something in the future with that leaf if he’s already testing it out in some sample blends? We can hope and wait! But for now let’s see how the EP Carrillo Core Line Maduro stacks up!

Cigar: E.P. Carrillo Core Line Maduro
Drink: Cigar City Brewing Cubano-Style Espresso Brown Ale
Vitola: Club 52 (5.875 by 52)
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Ecuador Sumatra
Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan
Price: $7.20 MSRP
Burn Time: Just short of 1.5 hours

Construction:
• This is a fairly dark chocolate colored cigar with some occasional brownish areas
• The blemishes actually make it seem as if this cigar may be dyed a little bit
• For the most part it has a little bit of give and spring in it when squeezed and it’s consistent from one end to the other
• The top of the cigar is finished off with what looks to be a slightly scrunched triple cap, and it possibly has some extra dye on it cause it’s very dark
• The foot appears only moderately packed, hoping it doesn’t give me any tunneling problems
• The cap clipped off super cleanly and fell in one neat package to my ashtray
• The draw is a little bit open but it’s not overly airy so it should hold out well

Burn:
• The toasting was a bit difficult and uneven, most likely cause the foot had some holes in it
• Within the first inch I had a major canoeing problem that needed adjustment with my single torch lighter
• Ran into a pretty slight tunnel just past the halfway mark. Likely it was only the wrapper that wasn’t burning and it didn’t tunnel too far, a quick touch up fixed it
• A few more tunneling problems as I get to the end of the cigar

Smoke & Ash:
• The is a lot of smoke coming off this cigar right from the first draw
• The resting smoke is also fairly abundant and consistent
• The ash is pretty dark grey, almost black through the first couple inches but I’m blaming that on my relight at this point
• The ash seems a bit flaky but still holding on past the one inch mark, I will tap it off now before I make a mess
• The second ash had a little bit of a lighter grey tone to it but it flaked out like a blooming flower

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper on this cigar gives an almost sweet barnyard type of aroma, sounds weird to explain but that’s what I’m getting
• The foot has a bit of the barnyard and sweet aromas but it packs a fresh cedar aroma in there along with a touch of coffee
• Pre-light draw is giving me some sweet coffee notes and a very bitter chocolate mixed with that fresh cedar
• Initial draws have a nice mix of bitter and sweet chocolate and coffee. They take turns fighting for dominance
• The body has been mostly mild to start and the cedar is making an appearance now and then
• The slight bitterness I’m getting on the chocolate and coffee is very interesting, it’s not bad in any way. It’s almost like a very dark chocolate or a strong espresso without sugar, I’m enjoying it
• As I head into the halfway mark, there haven’t been too many change-ups. I think the bitterness has subsided and it’s getting a little sweeter, dominant flavors are still coffee, chocolate and some cedar
• Body remains mostly mild, and retrohale has been giving me a very soft bite with a smooth coffee flavored finish
• Luckily, the touch-ups for the non-burning wrapper tunnels haven’t affected the flavors all that much
• As I get to the last 3rd, the slight bitterness is back as well as some nutty flavors in there
• The cigar finished nicely with no harshness

Final Thoughts:
Overall I enjoyed this cigar. It was plagued with some burn issues but it doesn’t seem the flavors were affected by my touch ups. The flavors themselves were fairly straightforward but enjoyable if it’s the type of cigar you are looking for. This is a traditional maduro cigar so don’t expect a big kick of nicotine or a full bodied flavor here. I think it helps fill a niche that a lot of manufacturers are overlooking lately and helps balance out the EP Carrillo brand for more consumers. I found this to be an enjoyable and relaxing cigar that can be shared with new cigar smokers as well. I would recommend trying a couple of these if you can track them down. If you are someone who only smokes full bodied powerful smokes, then this probably isn’t the cigar for you.

Pairings:
As some of you may know, I recently took a little trip down south to Florida. While there, every place I went to was pushing a new brewery located in Tampa, not far from the historical cigar location of Ybor City. The brewery is called Cigar City Brewing and as you can guess, they have many cigar related, or cigar complimenting brews in their inventory. They seem to be making a huge splash in the area. Today’s brew in called Cubano-Style Espresso Brown Ale. The name pretty much explains what to expect when you drink this, it’s not a nice dark and slightly thick pour with a complimentary espresso flavor to it. It also mixes in some tasty malty flavors and drinks very smoothly. As for this pairing, I think it was perfect! Coffee flavors played a big part in both the EP Carrillo Maduro and in the chosen brew, which made them compliment each other perfectly. The cigar isn’t overly powerful so stick to a pairing that allows you to enjoy the flavors it has. Some good picks would include coffee, another similarly flavored brown ale, or perhaps even a dark soda.

The wrapper on this cigar seems is very pretty, it’s got a very fresh and organic feel to it. At the same time it’s also pretty cryptic. On the front form top to bottom, you see “CAO”, “OSA” and “SOL” while on each side there are the words “San Agustin” and “Olancho”. Also in the white section it appears to be a map type of image with some names and rivers or roads on it. To help break the encryption for everyone, the “OSA” is simply the first initials of the regions where the tobaccos for this cigar were harvested. In this case it’s from ‘O’lancho, and ‘S’an ‘A’gustin.

I’m not sure exactly what the map is supposed to mean, possibly just tying into how the name is connected to it’s area of origin. The “Sol” in the name simply translates to “Sun” from Spanish. Likely signifying the Sungrown wrapper that surrounds the cigar. It’s also interesting to see that General Cigar kept the trend of naming the cigar after the location of it’s wrapper like CAO did. Although CAO usually named it after the wrappers after their country rather than region, such as the “Italia” or “Brazilia”

The blender for this new cigar is Rick Rodriguez of General Cigar. According to General/CAO, the leaves were chosen from the above mentioned regions in Honduras because of their unique weather conditions that result in some extra natural oils. I can’t say I noticed any excess of oils but it had a nice sheen to it. I will also say that General has some big shoes to fill after the massive success of CAO’s La Traviata and La Traviata Maduro.

I have to admit I’m coming into this cigar review with mixed feelings. I’ve enjoyed many of CAO’s offerings but now that they’ve been acquired by General Cigar I have some concerns since I’ve not had a good track record with General’s offerings. Maybe I just haven’t found the line they make that appeals to me. So here I guess we will find if the acquisition worked out in favor of the CAO line or not…

A quick disclaimer, this cigar was sent as a sample from General Cigar but I can assure you my review and opinions are my own and are completely honest. Now with that out of the way, let’s get to the “Good Stuff” as Tony would say!

Cigar: CAO OSA SOL
Drink: Innia & Gunn Rum Cask Oak Aged Beer
Vitola: ”Lot 50” Robusto (5 x 50)
Wrapper: Honduran Sungrown
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaraguan/Honduran
Price: About $5.50 – $6
Burn Time: A little over an hour

Construction:
• The CAO OSA has a very velvety smooth wrapper that has a warm cinnamon color to it
• There are some visible veins along the wrapper but they are not bumpy at all
• The head of the cigar is finished with a very clean double cap
• The foot of the cigar seems a bit messy, it looks well packed but some of the leaves seem sort of folded in and not really cleanly cut
• From the cap to the foot, the entire cigar is very firm with very little give when squeezed, let’s hope that doesn’t translate to a tight draw…
• The cut was very easy and clean and left me with a slightly tight draw. It’s not overly difficult to draw so I’ll stick with it for now

Burn:
• Toasting was a little bit tedious and there were some dark spots near the center that would just not glow properly, but after a few puffs I think I’m well on my way
• The cigar has a slight wave to it within the first inch, we’ll see if the burn corrects itself or gets worse…
• The wave is slowly getting worse as the cigar progresses, I’ve made it to the half way mark without correction but it may need a touch up soon
• As predicted, I needed a hefty touch up shortly after the halfway point and it continue to go downhill after that…

Smoke & Ash:
• The first few draws were a little weak in the smoke department but it got going to a moderate amount per draw shortly after
• There is initially a lot of resting smoke after putting the cigar down but within a couple seconds it’s pretty much no resting smoke at all
• The ash on this cigar is looking to be very clean and strong with a medium gray and black color to it
• Ash held on nicely for about an inch before falling into the ashtray, still remaining tightly bound

Tasting Notes:
• The aroma on the wrapper of the CAO OSA has an interesting tart sweetness to it and a bit of a mild tobacco touch
• The foot keeps the slight tartness to it and adds a bit of spice and a dry foliage type of aroma
• The tartness makes another appearance in the pre-light draw, along with more of the dry foliage earthiness
• Within the first few puffs I get a very interesting spicy bite, it’s not quite pepper, maybe something like a chili flake. Mix that in with the sweetness that’s still around and this is making for a very tasty start!
• Sweet Chili Doritos come to mind as I continue smoking this… wow! Maybe even with a little dirt thrown in the bag for the earthy flavors! lol
• The chili flavors have settled down a bit and translated to a mild white pepper, the earthiness has taken it’s place mixed with some cedar. Seems the sweetness is mostly gone now
• The retrohale up to now has been pretty uneventful with almost no bite and a bland finish
• Body for the most part has been in the low end of medium for the first half
• The flavors have settled into a mostly plain cedar and earthy mix and the finish has gotten slightly dry, a HUGE change from my initial impression
• Sadly, the blandness continues as I smoke the cigar, the flavors are turning into an almost charred wood type of flavor
• After my touch up past the halfway point the flavors took another downward turn and really turned more into the charred zone. I’m hoping it picks up…
• After another touch-up I couldn’t smoke this one anymore. I was trying to take one for the team here and hoping for the best but it’s just not happening, setting it down early…

Final Thoughts:
I REALLY had some hope for this cigar after seeing it’s construction, aroma and interesting initial flavors. That wicked sweet chili start really got my attention but it sadly tapered off quickly after that. The sweetness and chili got replaced by some plain cedar and earthy flavors that did not compare at all, it was if I started smoking a whole different cigar. I have to say I can’t remember the last time I had such a huge difference of opinion from start to finish on the same cigar. If the initial flavors on this cigar continued, I would have given this a glowing review for it’s uniqueness and delicious profile, but sadly that didn’t happen. The price point on these is accessible but it doesn’t come close to comparing to CAO’s old flagship La Traviata which was at the same price or even cheaper.

Pairings:
Innis & Gunn, what can I say? It’s still one of my favorite breweries. I enjoy everything I’ve had from them and I continue to seek them out every time I go to the store. Today’s choice was their Rum Cask Oak Aged Beer which is a fantastic brew. It’s got some very tasty fruity sweetness and malty flavors mixed in with their trademark wonderful oaky notes. You can even catch some spicy flavors in there if you really pay attention. It’s got a fairly dark and full body on it so it can stand up to many fuller cigars including the CAO OSA. It made for a good pairing and added some interesting flavors to what ended up being a straightforward cigar. Other good pairings with this cigar would probably be some flavorful or full bodied beers or wines to keep your palate interested. Possiby a nice stout, Port or a strong cup of coffee to overpower the cigar… lol

The Good Stuff: La Casita Criolla or “The Creole Cottage” is the first, or one of the very few cigars that are actually constructed from 100% Connecticut Broadleaf. Pete Johnson goes into a bit more detail on the tobacco used for this cigar:

“Okay guys. To clear this up. Not all broadleaf is dark. The wrapper will be but the binders and fillers are made up of broadleaf tobacco also. When Jaime (Garcia) buys broadleaf, he buys in hopes to get good dark juicy wrapper, some medium color wrapper like La Riqueza and good binder but the other leaf that doesn’t make those grades is sorted by size and texture for filler. Again not every leaf will look like the wrapper. It’s all 100% USA Conn. Broadleaf. Jaime also buys all primings of broadleaf. Seco, Viso and Ligero. This is also how we are able to sort the filler to do the blend on the cigar.”

So yes, that’s right. 100% Broadleaf. I know that Broadleaf is expensive, and isn’t the easiest to come by so if anyone was able to create a cigar comprised of nothing but this leaf, it had to come from the My Father factory. The Garcias use more broadleaf than any other cigar manufacturer. And anyone that reads this blog knows that I am sucker for Broadleaf. Let’s hope this cigar doesn’t disappoint. The La Casita Criolla line will come in three different sizes, HCB – 5 1/8 x 42, HCBC – 5 5/8 x 46, and the HCBF – 6 1/2 x 48 and will be sold in the $7 range. That’s right, I was expecting a much higher price tag.

Size: HCBC 5 5/8” x 46  -  Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf  -  Binder/Filler: Broadleaf  -  Body: Medium

Prelight: What a vintage looking cigar, from the band down to the wrapper’s appearance. Although quite consistent in color the Casita Criolla sports a very rustic, almost beaten looking appearance. The construction is spot-on and the wrapper is a nice dark brown with lots of smaller darker spots around the ripples in the leaf. There are lots of very small veins throughout the slender body leading up to a nice round triple cap. The cigar is actually very first and puts up a ton of resistance when compressed with no soft spots at all.  The band is interesting and a departure form what we normally expect Pete to come up with. It’s very vintage looking with an almost old days, sewn on looking placement of the “La Casita Criolla” logo. As you rotate the cigar around you can see Pete’s embroidered logo as well as “Tatuaje Cigars Estelí” just before coming to a small sketch of a nice little cottage. Right away I get this crazy pungent smell from the Broadleaf wrapper.  It’s very barnyardesque with some nice chocolate and spice notes. The foot is almost just as stinky as the wrapper of the cigar bearing almost identical aromas.  The cap was easily clipped using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw was a lot smoother than I had originally expected pumping out some inviting spice and coffee notes with just a hint of pepper.

First Smoke: Wow, the Tatuaje La Casita Criolla starts off as what I would call the epitome of smooth. Right away I am greeting with some very nice woodsy, cocoa, espresso notes that tend to transition into a bit of spice after a while. No pepper at all, but a whole ton of sweetness. The draw on this Casita Criolla is super effortless pumping out huge clouds of thick smoke with every little draw. The cigar doesn’t give off much stationary smoke, but the smell is pungent! Be prepared, this probably isn’t something you’d want to smoke around people who aren’t really into cigar smoke (or could work in your favor by keeping them away). The burnline is pretty thick but produces a very nicely compacted, light grey ash. The ash held on for about an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: The dark chocolate and sharp espresso flavors are really taking over this cigar, along with a nice creamy fruit hint here and there mixed in with some subtle spice. The Casita Criolla started out really smooth and has managed to become even more-so into the second third. Even the retrohale on this cigar is creamy and smooth coating with a nice creamed coffee style flavor. I’m really not feeling any nicotine, but this cigar is burning a little quicker than I expected. The burnline is still dead even.

Finish: Into the final third of the Casita Criolla and the spice that has been nothing but an aftertaste has really start to shine through. The cocoa and espresso are still the there in force, with a more creamier, milky flavor starting to creep in with still a dash of sweetness. This cigar took only a little over an hour to finish, requiring no touch-ups or relights. I started to feel a little nicotine at the tail end of the experience, but not really enough to call this cigar anything stronger than medium.

Overview: It may be a little early to call it, but I think Tatuaje’s La Casita Criolla has a VERY good chance in making it’s way towards the top of our “Top 10 Cigars of 2011” list. The flavors are smooth and powerful with only slight changeups where needed to keep me on my toes, the construction on these cigars are perfect, and the price point is actually cheaper then I expected knowing that these are composed 100% of Connecticut Broadleaf.

Pairing: Despite what most people think, Fat Tire was actually New Belgium’s second beer. The first being their award winning Abbey. Since then New Belgium has actually created a stronger, more premium Abbey with limited releases through their “Lips of Faith” collection. They call this their “Grand Cru Abbey Ale” and it’s exactly what I decided to pair this Tatuaje La Casita Criolla with. Abbey is a traditional strong, dark ale perfected by Belgium Trappist Monks, and in my opinion, one of the best brew styles available. With a malty flavor with nice Banana, Caramel, and Lemon hints its hard to believe that he beer boasts a 9.5% ABV. The sweet, creamy style of the beer blended perfectly with the smoothness of this cigar. It really made for a perfect pairing, even if it does leave you a bit loopy afterwards. I think this cigar would go well with any stout, porter, or brown ale as well as Dr. Pepper or sweet tea.

Out of the bunch of Torano cigars that were sent to me I’m already enjoyed a couple of them including the Noventa 90 and the Exodus 1959 50 Years. For today’s review I picked out the Carlos Torano Casa Torano. The wrapper on this one caught my eye due to it’s oily sheen, see more on this in the Construction section below. The Torano Family of cigars has been involved in the tobacco business since the early 1900’s. They have a rich and deep history and would highly recommend reading about it on the Torano website. The have a rich variety of lines catering to a large audience.

The Casa Torano line is avaialble in both Maduro and Natural wrappers and span 4 sizes, Robusto, Toro, Torpedo and Lancero. Today’s pick is the Robusto size. Originally, the Casa Torano blend was only offered as unbanded and freshly rolled cigars at various events. As the success of this blend grew it became it’s own line. Let’s see how this cigar stacks up on one of the warmest days so far this year in the Great White North!

Cigar: Carlos Torano Casa Torano Maduro
Drink: Diet Coke
Vitola: Robusto (4.75 x 52)
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan
Price: Between $4 and $5
Burn Time: Just over an hour

Construction:
• The wrapper of this cigar has a variety of color ranging from a medium brown to a very dark brown, almost black color
• The wrapper presented with a nice oily sheen to it that made it initially attractive
• The patchiness of the colors makes it seem like the wrapper may be dyed
• There are no major veins along the wrapper but it is extremely bumpy and some spots look as if branches are poking out the side
• The cigar is very firm throughout the body and hardly any spring when squeezed
• The foot appears to be very well packed
• The triple cap is cleanly applied but also looks to be one of the parts of the cigar that is almost black in color
• My double bladed guillotine cutter sliced through easily but it made a mess of filler all over the place
• Draw is a little more open then I’d like

Burn:
• The foot lit up easily and glowed evenly after a short toasting
• Burn has been razor sharp through the first inch
• The burn has been just perfect through the first half of the cigar, very nice
• Great burn straight to the end

Smoke & Ash:
• A fair bit of smoke from each draw but it could be a bit more full
• There is a moderate amount of resting smoke from the cigar as it sits in the ashtray
• The ash appears strong with no flaking and a light grey coloration to it
• Ash held on for over an inch and a half, no flaking or mess at all
• Subsequent ashes were not as long but they were still clean and fell nicely into the ashtray

Tasting Notes:
• There isn’t much aroma on this wrapper at all, maybe just a bit of faint tobacco
• The foot on the other hand is full of woodsy, spice and tart fruity aromas
• The pre-light draw is mostly woodsy with some hints of peppery spice on the lips
• Initial draws taste mostly of burnt wood, and not in a very good way…
• The burnt flavors slowly dissipated and I’m left with mostly woodsy and some light spice as I get into the second third
• As I hit the half-way mark I’m still getting no new flavors or further development, disappointed so far
• The body has been medium through the cigar and it’s creeping a bit into full near the end
• The retrohale had a small kick to it but the finish was mostly the burnt wood flavor so I didn’t retrohale much at all with this cigar
• As I approach the nub here the burnt wood flavors are returning and some bitterness is creeping in, forcing me to put this cigar down a bit early

Final Thoughts:
Well I think the notes speak for themselves and I can honestly say I was disappointed with this cigar. It didn’t offer me any very interesting flavors and no dimensionality. The only upside to this cigar was it’s great burn and ash. That is clearly not enough to make this cigar a winner in my books…

Pairings:
I actually paired this cigar just with a plain ol’ Diet Coke. Nothing fancy but I find it makes a good pairing for most cigars. I wouldn’t really recommend smoking this cigar if you can avoid it, but if you must pair it with a stiff and strong drink to mask out the boring flavors.

This cigar is one stirring up lots of talk on the twitter boards as of late, as it is the brain child of one of the #CGARClan’s very own Skip Martin, in combination with Mike over at Adrian’s Cigar. Everyone pretty much within the twitter cigar community knows of both of these guys, and thier superior knowledge in all things tobacco related. Knowing this, combined with Skip’s distinct full bodied blends of choice, i knew we were in for a nice little treat way before hearing any type of reviews.

The Good Stuff: The CroMagnon line, from what I know, isn’t fully available yet. And when it is, I believe the only place to get it will be direction from @CroMagnonCigar, or from the Hava Cigar Shop (which is an online store that Skip runs ever since the hurricane blasted through his B&M). I picked up the first run sampler pack from Skip a few weeks ago that he calls the “Taxonomy”, and really enjoyed smoking through the entire line. Skip made mention that the first sampler packs were intended for his disposal, but he was so happy with the blend that he couldn’t wait to get these cigars in the hands of BOTL and SOTL everywhere.  The entire selection will have nice “Cro Magnon” themed names and will come in five sizes: The Knuckle Dragger (4 x 52), the Anthroplogy (5.74 x 46), the Mandible (5 x 60 at first release but will be 4.5 x 60 going forward) , the EMH a.k.a the Early Modern Human (5 x 56), and the Cranium (6 x 54) and will run you around six to eight bucks a stick. Today, I decided to review the Knuckle Dragger. You can purchase any of the Cromagnon line direct for Havacigarshop.com.

Size: 4 x 52  -  Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf  - Binder: Cameroon  -  Filler: Nicaraguan  -  Body: Full

Prelight: The CroMagnon Knuckle Dragger is one ridiculously oily cigar. In fact, this has to be one of oiliest cigars I have ever hand. Just handling the cigar leaves a silky layer of oil on my fingertips. The CroMagnon sports a very hefty, thick, very dark almost bittersweet chocolate brown wrapper. There are patches of darker spots throughout the leaf that covers the body of the cigar. The construction is impeccable. The body of the cigar shows only very small, smooth veins leading up to a nice, rounded,  double cap. It’s worth the note that some of the cigars I received in my sampler pack from Adrian’s actually had triple caps. This Knuckle dragger may have a partially covered up one. I’m not sure if they will be double, or triple, but hopefully Skip will read this and shed some light. The cigar is really firm to the touch, and the wrapper feels very durable.

The CroMagnon gives off a hell of a lot of pungent, sweet tobacco scent with hints of cedar and even a bit of bready dough scent coming from the foot of the cigar. The cap clipped very easily using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw released by the CroMagnon Knuckle Dragger starts off with just a wisp of pepper backed by a ton of sweet tobacco, and some mixed in earthy flavors.

First Smoke: The CroMagnon kicks out a ton of thick smoke, be ready for it! The first couple of draws surprised me with a nice little pepper punch that was nothing more than a memory after about 5 minutes of smoking. After the pepper faded out I was welcomed to a very sweet tobacco flavor with some very woodsy undertones. I can’t really place it, but it’s not cedar. Something more rich and deep with accents of dark chocolate. As I stated before the draw is very thick, and very easy, you may not want to hit this too many times each draw. The smoke produced is very thick, and very pungent. Although the CroMagnon doesn’t give off a lot of stationary smoke, the draw is enough to annoy the hell out of any non-smoker that may be sitting around you. The ash left behind from the perfectly even burline is a very tightly compacted white with light grey and held on for about an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: Probably due to the Cameroon, there is this very nice floral flavor being added to the flavor mix into the second third of the CroMagnon Knuckle Dragger. Outside of the floral addition the flavors are still rocking hard with the woodsy and chocolate flavors. There is also a little bit of slight fruit mixed in. This cigar really packs the flavor. The burnline is still dead-on and I’m really not feeling too much strength off this cigar. Sure there is some there, but after so many people made such a big deal about the power this cigar pushes through, I have yet to see it. This also goes along with something I have touched on before. Not all cigars effect everyone the same when it comes to the body of the blend. There has been some more medium cigars that I thought were ass-kicking and just as well there has been some stronger cigars that I thought were less than impressive in the strength category. Cigar smoking is purely subjective from any angle you look at it. I’m just simply stating my personal opinions.

Finish: The CroMagnon Knuckle Dragger, and every vitola I have smoked, has really taken a long time to get through. These things burn incredibly slow, which usually leads to harshness into the final third. Surprisingly enough the cigar has actually mellowed out a bit into the final third. The flavors are still holding true, but the cigar has gotten much easier to smoke. The dominant flavors are the woodsy and tobacco flavors backed up by soft hints of chocolate, some coffee hints, and even notes of the pepper making a brief re-appearance. The body is still there as well, but it really isn’t anything concerning. All in all the small stature of the Knuckle Dragger took a little over an hour to smoke.

Overview: One thing I liked about this cigar was the marketing. It was a nice little “CroMagnon” theme and each of the names for the vitolas matched up. Along with the theme Skip and Adrian’s took a very social media heavy approach to getting the word out focusing strongly as Twitter. But, they didn’t hype this cigar up at all. Instead, they let the community know it was out there, gave them the first peeks, and then let Twitter speak for the cigar itself. From what I have gathered, the outcome has been very positive. It’s not about how much you can hype up your blend, its how well the cigar community views it. They will tell you if it’s worth your hard work, and in this case they have. I for one, really enjoyed this cigar. I would have been one of the first people to tell you otherwise too. I know Skip well, and he’s the type that wouldn’t let anything less than stellar hit the market and it shows. The CroMagnon is a perfect full-body, full-flavor cigar that won’t knock you on your ass. At least it didn’t for me. Would I purchase it again, oh I will. Is it box worthy? For sure.

Pairing: I decided to pair this CroMagnon with an all time favorite, and my all time go-to beer New Belgium’s 1554. 1554 is a traditional Brussel’s style black ale brewed by the New Belgium brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado with an ABV% of 5.6. I smoked a bunch of these CroMagnon’s and each time I kept thinking to myself how awesome they would go with some 1554. The tart fruity flavors, with the chocolate malt and caramel undertones really married up to the similar flavors I pulled out of this CroMagnon. This cigar would also pair great with just about any stout, some black coffee, sweet tea, and even your favorite port.

Up for review today we have a special edition release from Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars. If you haven’t been following Pete or Tatuaje, you should know that he has a successful line of both limited and regular release blends and he shows no signs of slowing down. You can review some of the other cigars we’ve reviewed from Tatuaje, such as the recently released Halloween special, “The Face”, the Verocu Red Tubo or the Black Corona Gorda. You can also see more by clicking on “Cigar Reviews” at the top of the page and scrolling down to Tatuaje.

Today’s cigar is a special release as part of Tatuaje’s “Exclusive Series” and was made specially for the 100th Anniversary of Barclay Rex Fine Tobacconists. There’s not much extended information around about this cigar. It has a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper which was one of the reasons I really wanted to track it down and give it a try. When it arrived it looked very tasty and appealing. Without further adieu let’s jump right in!

Cigar: Tatuaje Exclusive Series – Barclay Rex 100th Anniverary
Drink: Hirsh Brau – Holzar Bier Bavarian
Vitola: Toro (6 x 52)
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $10
Burn Time: 2 hours

Construction:
• Very smooth and round chocolate brown wrapper
• The foot is uncut, leaving the extra wrapper to wrap over the foot
• Fairly springy to the touch but even throughout
• The triple cap has a very clean finish
• No major veins but the minor veins offer a nice lighter shade of brown
• Cut was clean but made a bit of a mess
• Draw is perfect, not too open and not too tight

Burn:
• Toasting was fairly easy even without trimming off the excess wrapper on the foot
• Burn has been nice and razor sharp for the first third
• As I hit the halfway mark I’m still getting a razor sharp and slow burn
• No problems all the way to the end

Smoke & Ash:
• A fair bit of resting smoke rises off this cigar in the ashtray
• The cigar also gives a nice mouthful of smoke on each draw
• The ash is a nice light grey color and appears fairly strong and tight although the first one fell gently into the ashtray at about one inch
• Subsequent ashes were about the same length but still kept tight and clean

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper gives off a mostly barnyard or hay like aroma, but a bit of spice can be detected
• Given that the wrapper extends over the foot it has the same aroma at this point
• Pre-light draw is almost non-existent, very mild tobacco flavor with a bit of peppery spice on the lips
• Initial draws hold a bunch of pepper and cedar with some cloves on the finish, interesting start
• The pepper is continuing to be the dominant flavor through the first third with some added toasted wood
• The retrohale has a peppery bite with a nice cedar finish, so far we’re starting out near the medium range
• The toasted wood is developing a but more with some new coffee flavors as the pepper slowly tapers off
• The coffee is balancing nicely with the toasted wood, at this point the pepper is almost gone but the clove flavor is still around complimented with some nutmeg
• The cloves are building as the coffee develops, very interesting mix, I may need to put some cloves in my coffee grinds next time…
• Body is definitely building up, already at full as I head into the last third but still very smooth
• The cigar finished strong but was still smooth and flavorful to the end

Final Thoughts:
This is yet another great cigar from a blending master. It started out fairly strong and peppery but the change-up around mid-point proved to be very enjoyable. The burn and general construction of this cigar was spot on the whole way through. The price is also fairly accessible although they are yet another limited edition and that may turn away some people from purchasing them. If you are a Broadleaf or Tatuaje fan these are definitely worth a try as they do not disappoint. They finish fairly strong so make sure to have a good beverage and a full stomach before lighting one up.

Pairings:
The beer is completely new to me and I stumbled upon it for the first time in one of the holiday packs at my local store. It’s from a brewery called Hirsh Brau and the packaging claims it to be a “Bavarian Beer from Germany”. The English on the packaging and bottle after that is pretty much non-existant, it’s all German. A little online digging shows that this is a Dunkel (Dark Lager) from Sonthofen, Germany. It has a ton of flavor packed into with nice swing top bottle. Despite being a dark lager it is a fairly light drinking ale with bright flavors. It has a nice bitter finish with some hints of fruit and honey and lots of hoppiness. I don’t think it was the best pairing for this cigar, probably a bit too light. I think a nice dark stout or porter would have paired better. Also, this cigar would go fantastic with a good Scotch or Port as well as a nice strong cup of coffee.

I sound like a broken record but I strongly urge any of you readers who have not had the chance to check out Brooks’ site, to do so. He’s got some of the most honest reviews and best photography of some of the most ridiculously expensive, and hard to find cigars ever produced.

Without further adieu, let’s get to the review.

Prelight: Blind cigar #4 carries a very old, rustic looking maduro looking wrapper. The color is an off chocolate brown with shades of almost black, and even bright orange. The wrapper looks like it has seen better days, but some of the tastiest cigars look, and smell awful. The oily wrapper leads up to a very crooked, round, triple wrapped cap. The construction is a bit odd. The body is composed of tons of larger veins that I hope don’t offset the experience. The cap and nub leading up to it are slightly crooked. Almost as if someone grabbed the top of it and yanked on it. This definitely looks like something that’s been around a while. The body is firm for the most part, but gets very soft the closer you get to the foot. The wrapper gives off a very sweet and almost floral aroma. The foot only releases a very light floral scent that is quickly overpowered with a ton of spice.

Cigar #4 clipped very cleanly, although it was a little resilient to my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw produce this extremely pleasant, and smooth natural tobacco taste with just the slightest hint of spice on the aftertaste.

First Smoke: Right off the bat I am getting a really deep, meaty, woodsy taste off this cigar with hints of earthy undertones, espresso, and maybe even a bit of clove mixed in there. The draw is effortless, and average sized pumping out a thick cloud of white smoke. The burnline is pretty thick for the most part, but burning perfectly. There is very little stationary smoke coming off this cigar, but it smells like straight up cedar. I’m getting a slight saltiness from the wrapper, but nothing compared to the Cohiba Brooks surprised me with last review. The ash is well compacted, and light grey with very small darker grey stripes which only head onto the foot of the cigar for about an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway there: The more I smoke this cigar the more familiar it becomes. It really tastes like a blend I may have had before, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what on earth this cigar is.  I’m getting a slight mix of pepper and spice creeping into the flavor profile now. The dominant flavors are still heavy cedar/woodsy and espresso with a touch of bittersweet chocolate.  So far the larger veins haven’t hindered the experience in the least, but into the second third I am starting to get a lot of draw resistance. I am hoping this is only a phase.  The burnline and ash is still just absolutely perfect. Not only am I loving the flavor-packed consistency of this cigar, but the retrohale is to die for as well priming with a very sweet, dark chocolate and cedar. I am feeling very little nicotine, any lightheadedness was a product of the tight draw.

Finish: I am getting a ton of spice (not to be confused with pepper) from this cigar now that the draw has completely opened up. Mixed in with a splash of nutmeg, cocoa, and espresso, this cigar is finishing off much like an excellent cup of coffee. The entire experience has been smooth, and creamy, and the final third just brought that to a new level. The burnline and ash have been just perfect the whole way though. This little corona had a very slow burn, resulting in almost an hour and a half total smoke time. There was a slight bit of harshness into the very final inch of this cigar, but I think a lot of that had to do with me fighting the tighter draw early into the smoke. No nicotine at all.

Overview: This was yet another stellar cigar Brooks sent over. This has classic maduro written all over it. Very complex, very smooth, and extremely enjoyable. This is a stick I could see myself smoking anytime, any day. It would be an ideal cigar for those early mornings, but complex enough to hold your attention even as an evening smoke.

Final Guess: I have no idea what this cigar is, but yet, it seems so familiar. If I had to throw something out there I would say it was either a Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapos Maduro, or a Cuban Cohiba Maduro. Chances are, I am way off.

So what was it? A 2007 Henry Clay.

What a shocker! This is a cigar you can pick up just about anywhere for about $3 to $4. I’ve even seen them in random hole in the way liquor stores around town. Either way, it’s a great cigar to have around, especially at that price.

We all know I am a sucker for Connecticut Broadleaf, and that’s probably the main factor causing me to enjoy this cigar so much. If there was just a bit more pepper I would have been dead set on it being a Tatuaje. In talking with Brooks he brought to my attention that this cigar is actually one that Pete smoke quite a bit of, and has been for years. The inspiration shows through in my opinion.

The cigars themselves don’t seem to be too widely available as I write this with only a handful of online shops that seem to have them. I have found them in 3 sizes, Perfection No, 1 (Robusto), Churchill, and Perfection No. 2 (a slightly longer Churchill). They are also available with an Ecuadorian Sumatra and a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. Usually those are two of my favorite wrappers, but a wrapper is only a small portion of what makes a good cigar. Let’s see how this one stood up in the review.

Cigar: Exile by Cuban Imports Inc.
Drink: Quinta de Infantado Tawny Port (Bottled in 2004)
Vitola: Churchill (6.75 x 50)
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: About $5
Burn Time: Guessing around 3 hours…

Construction:
• A very dark chocolate brown wrapper with some spots being almost black
• Has a very bumpy texture to it and some major veins
• The double cap above is quite clean
• The band is interesting, sort of similar to a the style of a government seal on a box of cigars with some postal stamp-type markings on it
• There is also a secondary band at the bottom that is very much like newspaper topped with a gold ribbon and wrapped in a pig tail near the foot
• Most of the cigar is very firm with just a slight spring near the head
• Foot appears to be very well packed
• Draw is a little too tight at the start of this cigar

Burn:
• Toasting was fairly even with only one small black spot that wouldn’t glow
• A wavy burn right off the start required a correction in the first inch
• Cigar went out right around the first inch, needing a lot of effort to keep this one lit
• Despite some extra draws the cigar is still going out, had to cut further down the head to get a better draw
• Still need a ton of extra draws to keep this cigar lit and I’ve still had to relight it at least 3 times before the half-way mark
• Needed a major touchup at the half-way mark
• Yet another re-light past the half-way mark… I will not re-light if it goes out again
• Went out again, and I’m going to set this cigar down with about 2.5 inches left…

Smoke & Ash:
• Not much smoke on the draw at all
• When the cigar went out I was getting almost no smoke due to the tight draw
• Ash appears very tight with no flaking
• Only after cutting the head further, poking it with toothpick(many times) and giving it a firm roll between my fingers was I able to generate a somewhat workable draw, still like drinking a milkshake through a tiny straw…

Tasting Notes:
• Wrapper aroma is very mild with just a hint of cocoa and sweet tobacco
• Foot has a very earthy aroma to it with some hints of spice
• Pre-light draw is very earthy with some pepper on the lips
• Initial draws are mostly earthy with a dry finish
• Retrohale holds the same flavors with no bite, the whole experience is quite mild so far
• I still haven’t found more than earthiness and hay-like flavors through the first couple inches, I’m sure the draw issues are hampering any flavors in the cigar as well
• Still getting only a boring hay and earthy flavors at the halfway mark
• I must say I’m kind of impressed that with all the touch-ups and re-lights that I’m not getting any major harshness
• After the halfway point I finally started getting a little bit of coffee and nutty flavors, still very mild though, I hope they develop a bit more
• Still not much harshness near the end but the flavors disappeared again and the burn was just getting way too difficult to manage

Final Thoughts:
There’s not much I can say here, the notes pretty much speak for themselves. I spent most of my time fighting this cigar to stay lit, burn properly, and produce at least a decent amount of smoke on the draw. This was my third Exile of the same wrapper and vitola and all three have given me similar problems. As mentioned, the cigar never really got too harsh despite all the re-lights and touch ups but the flavors also never had a good chance to develop. Based on the three I’ve smoked I will be avoiding these in the future. If you’ve had a different experience with this cigar or perhaps a different vitola or wrapper please let me know, I’m curious to see if this is the general consensus or I just had a string of bad luck? Maybe if I’m wrong I’ll give them another try.

Pairings:
It’s been awhile since I’ve had a nice tawny port pairing in my reviews so I’m glad it’s back! The bottle I had today was bottled in 2004 by Quinta de Infantado. It has a fairly light red color to it and produces some nice oaky flavors complemented by dark berries, such as black berries and black cherries. It’s not too strong and comes in at an excellent value for the price. It’s definitely a good port to start with if you’re just considering trying it out for the first time or to have on hand to serve without feeling a wallet pinch. I didn’t enjoy this cigar but I did enjoy the port and I won’t bother recommending other pairings since I don’t really recommend this cigar.

I was a huge fan of CAO’s La Traviata and I think I can speak with most people in saying that the maduro version has been at the tip-top of my “wants” list since I have heard it was in production. This particular stick that I am reviewing was given to my by my good friend Adam over at Tobacco Rd.

The Good Stuff: CAO was one of the first manufacturer’s that I can remember that equalized the economic downfall with a top of the line, affordable cigar that not only played friends with customer’s wallets, but blew the doors off unnamed cigar rating projects when the Natural version failed to show face in last year’s best of the best. CAO’s La Traviata Maduro is composed of Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos, bound with a Cameroon, then wrapped with a Maduro Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. These bad boys should be hitting shelves as you are reading this review, and from my guess would retail around the same price as it’s natural brother, around $6 a stick.

Size: 5 x 5  - Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf – Binder: Cameroon – Filler: Nicaraguan/Dominican

Prelight: The La Traviata Maduro is an extremely dark complected cigar. The Natural La Traviata carried a darker brown but it can’t even hold a candle to the dark chocolate color of the Maduro. The wrapper is extremely toothy with tons of larger bumps making face. Much like the La Traviata Natural the Maduro’s oils make the cigar almost look like it was sprayed with a clear coat of protectant. The Traviata Maduro is an extremely firm cigar. It’s almost hard and feels very tightly packed. The cigar has quite a few tiny veins that I don’t foresee causing any problems and is topped off by a seamless, round double cap. The band is identical to the beige, gold, and maroon old school style band as the Natural only with the orangish red secondary band branding this cigar as a Maduro. The wrapper gives off almost no scent at all, pretty much the only thing I could pick up was a nutty, tobacco scent. The foot however bursts fourth with cocoa, tobacco, and spice aromas. The Traviata was a little tough to cut using my Palio double bladed cutter. I am really hoping this cigar isn’t packed too tightly. The cold draw seems to be fair and produce a very spicy, woodsy flavor. I’m anxious to fire this guy up.

First Smoke: The La Traviata Maduro took almost no effort to light up using my single flame cheapy torch that just happened to be by my back door. To my surprise the draw was effortless and produced a massive mouth full of thick, heavy smoke. There was a bit of spice off the bat, but not nearly as much as I was expecting. Just enough to tease the back of the throat. The main flavor was earthy tobacco with back up notes of soft cinnamon, cocoa, and spice. The retrohale is amazing and primes the nasal passage with a strong cedar coat with pepper afterthoughts. The La Traviata Maduro doesn’t give off much stationary smoke, but what it does give off is a very interesting, great scented cedar aroma. The burnline is excellent and right on target producing a very bright white and grey, tightly compacted path of destruction. The ash itself held on for almost and inch and a half before toppling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: Into the second third of this Traviata Maduro I am blown away by how ridiculously smooth this cigar is. I could hit this stick one, after another and never feel any kickback. That being said, I haven’t felt any real presence of nicotine yet. The spice is completely gone at this point and the remaining cedar and cocoa flavors are really taking off. There is a little bit of spice, and earthy tones but that cedar is rocking hard. The burnline is still crisp and clean. If I remember correctly the La Traviata Natural burned very slow. I am not having the same experience with the maduro. Either it seems to be burning a bit faster or I am really enjoying this cigar. I am finding myself not wanting to put it down.

Finish: I am honestly that, despite how hard I was going on this cigar that absolutely no harshness built up. The La Traviata finished even smoother than it started. The pepper never did make the comeback, and that’s totally ok. The main finishing flavor was cedar with a bit of coffee backed by bittersweet cocoa and spice. I did however, slightly start to feel a bit of the nicotine kick in towards the end, but not enough to even phase me. I took this bad boy all the way down until my fingers burned. Total smoke time was a little over an hour. If there is anything a cigar manufacturer can learn from CAO it’s how to apply glue to a band. These two came off with extreme ease.

Overview: I think it goes without saying that CAO’s La Traviata Maduro is yet another winner. Box worthy by far and probably one of the best cigars I have had all year. The smoothness is perfect for the most casual cigar smoker while the complexity and absolute top-shelf flavors are enough to please even the biggest critic. At a price point of around $6 a stick this is a perfect cigar for just about everyone, including myself, to have in their regular rotation.

Pairing: Being that I am low on my beer reserve I decided to pair this La Traviata Maduro with some St. Clair Vineyards Port. This port is an award winning, dark red with in your face flavors of plum, black current, and pepper. The port finishes off warm with hints of nutmeg, cinnamon, raspberry, and black cherry. I can’t think of anything that I would have rather paired this cigar with. The fruit made a perfect pair with the smooth cocoa flavors of the cigar. This cigar would pair perfectly with black coffee, stout, porter, tea, or any brown soda. Dear Daniel, I don’t want to hear any crap about my glass. I’ll get a proper one soon!

Tatuaje La Riqueza

 The Good Stuff: Sadly, I wasn’t able to dig up a lot of history or interesting facts on this cigar. Basically it’s exactly what you would expect from a Tatuaje. Produced in mid 2008, La Riqueza is another custom blend rolled by cigar master Jose Don Pepin Garcia at his factory in Nicaragua exclusively for Pete Johnson of Tatuaje cigars. Unlike other cigars produced by Tatuaje, La Riqueza is wrapped in a naturally dark  Connecticut Broadleaf that is actually produced by the Oliva Tobacco Company. Pete Johnson believes that this wrapper is amongst the most flavorful in the world, and it will be interesting to see what a Tauaje cigar tastes like with such a different take than what we are all used to.

Size: No. 2  — 5 1/2 x 52  – Wrapper :Connecticut Broadleaf  -  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan  -  Body: Medium

Tatuaje La Riqueza

 Prelight:La Riqueza is a nice, thick, what I would call semi-boxpress. The body of the cigar is just a bit too rounded to actually label the Riqueza a normal boxpress in my book (technically it is a boxpress). The wrapper is a very rich and consistent dark brown with scattered lighter brown blemishes.  There are tons of little glimmery specs on the wrapper that just add to the overall oily appeal of this cigar. There are little to no veins visible, nor are there any soft spots or signs of misconstruction. La Riqueza carries the rounded triple cap that Pepin is known for. La Riqueza gives off a massive amount of aroma that can big picked up the second it comes out of its cellophane. The wrapper gives off a chocolatey walnut aroma where as the foot of the cigar boast a massive amount of chocolate and espresso with slight floral scents. The cold draw matches that of the aroma to a tee. Very chocolatey with hints of coffee, spice, and walnut.

Tatuaje La Riqueza

First Smoke: La Riqueza started out with a sharp blast of pepper that faded away almost instantaneously and seemed to only stick around long enough to tease, and tickle the tip of my tongue. The cigar has a very bold and complex flavor. It starts off very floral with burned wood mixed in, but then finishes very cleanly with an earthy/coffee/chocolate taste followed up with a nutty aftertaste. This is an extremely pleasant cigar. I’m usually not a big fan of medium bodied cigars, but La Riqueza packed enough flavor to keep me entertained for hours on end. The draw is a bit tight, but produces the expected amount of this greyish-brown smoke. La Riqueza gives off a bit more stationary smoke than the average cigar, but makes up for it by giving off a very floral and cedar aroma that wouldn’t bother any people sitting nearby. The burnline is razor thin and burning pretty consistent for the most part. There are a few small, innocent waves opening up to a well-packed medium grey ash. The cigar held a little over an inch and a half before the ash gave in.

Tatuaje La Riqueza

 Halfway There: I can’t get over how flavorful this cigar is. I’m assuming most of the blend is similar in containment to what you would expect from Tatuaje and the only main difference is the wrapper. In retrospect, it makes me appreciate the cigar that much more. It may be a bit too early to say this but this is an incredible tasting cigar. Halfway in and the flavors are still holding true. At this point I was able to pull a bit more spice out of the mixture, it almost tastes like nutmeg, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. The floral, chocolate, and nut flavors are all very present, where as the coffee has dissipated quite a bit since the first portion of this cigar. There is also a bit of fruit thrown in there. I hate to say this for fear of getting flamed. but this is the closest thing to an infused cigar I have ever had that wasn’t actually an infused cigar. It has a lot to do with the massive amount of flavor this cigar produces I’m sure. The burn line is continuing to develop without any flaws and the ash seems to only be getting stronger as the cigar progresses. 

Tatuaje La Riqueza

 Finish: La Riqueza finished just as smooth as it began with absolutely no signs of harshness at all. Towards the end of the cigar the coffee and chocolate flavors began to fade out and the floral and spice flavors took center stage. I still can’t quite place the exact taste but I picked up a bit of nutmeg and jasmine in there that’s for sure. I never once had any burn issues with this cigar, nor did I ever have to worry about the ash falling off prematurely. In it’s entirety La Riqueza took about an hour and a half to smoke. It probably would have lasted two hours but I just couldn’t put it down.

Tatuaje La Riqueza

 Overview: Honestly, this was hands down, one of the best cigars I have ever had. I’m not quite sure that it crests my top 5, but it is definitely up there. The only bad thing I can think of is the fact that I CANNOT get them locally. So if there is anyone out there with a few on hand, lets trade!

As far as value goes, these sticks are priced around the 7 – 8 dollar range which I personally think is a great price tag for such a great cigar.

I WILL have these again, if I can get my hands on them. And I honestly think anyone else out there should give La Riqueza a try if you can find them.

Tatuaje La Riqueza

 This Tatuaje La Riqueza was paired with an Avery Brewing “The Reverend” Belgium Style Quadruple Ale

Tatuaje La Riqueza

Lee (@sirpantsornot) was nice enough to send me my first Arturo Fuente Anejo #77 in a trade we made a few weeks back. I think 2 or 3 of the cigars he sent alone, out price the value of my total package to him.

A. Fuente Anejo #77

I held on to this one for a few weeks, knowing that Thanksgiving was just around the bend. I wanted to make sure I had someting extra special, and the Anejo was no let down.

The Good Stuff: The A. Fuente Anejo #77 (better known as the “shark”) is one of the rarest, and most sought after cigars to come out of the Fuente factory. If I am not mistaken the shark started out to be one of the Fuente’s Opus X line of cigars. Due to a massive hurricane that  ripped through the Chateu de la Fuente crop in the late 1990′s Carlos Fuente Jr. was left short of prime tobacco to finish off the Anejo lines and made the decision to finish the cigar off with a Connecticut Broadleaf maduro Cognac 5-year aged wrapper. I’m not 100% positive of the amount of time the wrapper is actually aged in oaked cognac barrels, but it is said to be somewhere between 7-1o months. The Maduro wrapper fits snugly over only the most premium Dominican binder, and filler tobaccos.

The Anejo line is typically only found around Father’s day and Christmas making them incredibly difficult to find. The shark sports a torpedo vitola that transforms into a box-press as the body develops.

Size: 5 3/4 x 56  -  Wrapper:Cognac-aged Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro  -  Binder/Filler: Dominican  -  Strength: Full

A. Fuente Anejo #77

Prelight: The most obvious characteristic of the Shark is the rather odd shape. A. Fuente is known for their extreme precision in construction, and delicate vitolas. The shark boasts both. The shark starts off as a very pointy triple wrapped cap torpedo, but then halfway through the body morphs into a thick, elegant box press. I can’t even imagine the time and effort it takes to create such a complex shape. The wrapper is an extremely oily, almost black, dark brown. There were no signs of soft spots, nor any mis-construction. There was a massive vein running along side of this cigar that has me a bit fearful. The Anjeo Shark sports the common A. Fuente red and gold crested band, but also carries a soft red ribbon placed along the foot of the cigar. Unlike the rest of the Anejo line, the Shark is the only one that does not come in-cased in a cedar tube. The cellophane for the shark has “Reserva Xtra Viejo” printed in raised ink on it. The wrapper gives off a bitter chocolate scent, with soft hints of liquor. It smells a lot like “Godiva” liquor. The foot of the cigar gives off a much stronger, but similar scent, mixed in with hints of cedar and spice. The cold draw was very loose, and tasted much like the smell. Dark chocolate, nutmeg, grass, and hints of liquor. I could tell right away that I was in for a unique experience.

A. Fuente Anejo #77

First Smoke: The shark cut perfectly against my Palio double bladed cutter. It also lit up with ease under my single flame butane torch. The first flavors I pulled from the Shark were that of bittersweet chocolate, toasted cashew, strong liquor (cognac), cedar, and grape leaf. This was an extremely complex flavor pallet and it took my quite a few draws to distinguish between the flavors. The draw is extremely loose, and very smooth. Each draw coated my mouth with a new layer of flavors. The Anejo produces large amounts of thin smoke, and tons of stationary smoke. The smoke itself smelled of strong tobacco and cedar. The anejo gives off a very bittersweet aftertaste. The burnline seems a bit off and extremely wavy on one half of the cigar (the one one with the gigantic vein). The ash is a dark to medium grey and seems very tightly packed with small amounts if flaking. It caught me by surprise that the ash only held on for about an inch before it gave way.

A. Fuente Anejo #77

Halfway There: So far the smoothness of the shark has me enjoying every minute of it. As stated above, the anejo line is “full” bodied. I couldn’t even tell as I have felt absolutely no signs of nicotine. The Anejo burned through the box-press portion of the cigar pretty quickly, but as expected slowed quite considerably into the torpedo portion. Along with the slower burn, the shark’s draw is beginning to tighten up a bit as well. After the first ashing the shark actually corrected its own burn line and is now burning extremely straight. The flavors have switched up a bit. The chocolate is now taking a backburner as the liquor and cedar tastes are increasing in potency.

A. Fuente Anejo #77

A little more than halfway through the cigar I did encounter a rather large crack in the wrapper:

A. Fuente Anejo #77

I am almost positive this was due to extreme humidification of the binder/filler. I have been having trouble with my humidors as winter rolled in. The dryness of the air produced by my heater is taking its toll on them. To battle this I have increased the humidification in both of my humidors to almost triple of what I normally use. The humidity is still centered between 67% – 71% but the fluctuation is beating down a few of my sticks.

Finish: As I started to get down to the 2 inch mark the liquor taste grew in intensity and pretty much overpowered every other flavor the anejo was producing. I’ve never smoked anything that tasted anything similar to the Anejo, I might as well be drinking Cognac. The draw was still incredibly smooth despite the sharpness in flavor. I did have to touch up the cigar a few times towards the end, the vein just wouldn’t let up and kept burning much faster than the other half of the cigar. One odd note was the fact that the inner most core ash of the filler was an extreme bright white. Where as the rest of the ash was a medium grey with hints of brown. I finished this cigar, put it down, and walked away feeling absolutely no signs of nicotine. In total the Shark took about 2 hours to smoke down to the nub.

A. Fuente Anejo #77

Overview: Despite the price tag ($25 – $35) and the extreme exclusiveness of this cigar, I would still pick it up if I ran into it again. It’s definitely a cigar that everyone should look out for and try at least once. I’m not a big liquor fan so the taste wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea. But I really enjoyed the complexity of this cigar and could see why it is one of the rarest and most sought after cigars to date.

A. Fuente Anejo #77

Drew Estate Tabak Especial Cafe Con Leche

Outside of mail order, I hadn’t been able to find the Cafe Con Leche in any of the local brick and mortar shops. A few had looked into them for me, with no prevail. I finally gave in and mail ordered a few. I hadn’t tried a dual-shade wrapper prior to the Cafe con Leche, and I was quite interested to see how it turns out. The Negra, and Dulce, although both coffee infused cigars have very different tastes. Not to mention torpedoes are my vitola of choice.

The Good Stuff: The Cafe con Leche is a limited edition half-breed of the rich, dark, Tabak Especial Negra Maduro and the creamy, smooth Tabak Especial Dulce. Combine those two magnificent cigars together, add a bit of torpedo, and the outcome is pure genius. The Cafe con Leche is composed of aged, coffee infused Esteli-grown Nicaraguan long filler wrapped with a dark, Connecticut Broadleaf maduro foot and head, and a soft shade-grown Connecticut leaf.

Size: 5.5 x 54  -  Wrapper: Connecticut Maduro/Connecticut  -  Origin: Esteli, Nicaragua

Drew Estate Tabak Especial Cafe Con Leche

Prelight: Outside of the obvious dual-shade wrapper, the Cafe Con Leche sports incredible construction. I was unable to find any soft spots, or signs of unwrapping. There are two prominent veins, but nothing to worry about. The Cafe Con Leche sports two beautiful bands on both the head and foot of the cigar. I have always loved the bands on all the Drew Estate cigars, and this is no exception. I honestly think the thought put into the marketing, and appearance of cigars is almost as important as the construction of the cigar itself. Upon unwrapping the cigar is scented with strong cocoa, and coffee aromas. Especial in the maduro regions. The light body of the cigar is scented with hints of spice, chocolate, and light creamy coffee. The cigar is packed full and loose with medium colored filler tobacco.

Drew Estate Tabak Especial Cafe Con Leche

First Smoke: This Tabak Especial lit up real quick under my little single flame torch. The first few draws is as expected, remarkably sweet. Being that I love infused cigars, that’s a great thing. The cap itself is very sweet. You are immediately thrown into a frenzy of dark chocolate, mixed with rich, raw, espresso like coffee. The Cafe Con Leche produces large amounts of very dark, thick smoke. The smell of the smoke is amazing, and not annoying at all. The cigar is increasingly sweet after a few puffs, but not overpowering in anyway. At this point the burn is PERFECT, lets hope that keeps up. I got over an inch and a half before the ash gave out.

Halfway There: The taste of the cigar evens out a bit as you get to the lighter shaded body of the Cafe con Leche. The cap of the cigar is still really sweet, but the smoke itself is well balanced, and incredibly smooth. I could go at this one all night if possible. The flavor is still holding tight with the strong, raw coffee and rich chocolate. Honestly, I can’t think of anything better to infuse a cigar with other than coffee. Oddly I can say this cigar would probably go really well with a glass of milk. Too bad I’m lactose intolerant.

Finish: I nubbed the hell out of this cigar. The Cafe con Leche had a perfect burn all the way through. I never had to touch it up. Drew Estate has always been known for perfection and the Tabak Especial is no exception. Towards the nub of the cigar the chocolate coated espresso bean taste increased in strength, as well as the tobacco as well. This made quite an enjoyable finish, a bit strong, but well balanced.

Overview: This is one hell of a cigar. Due to the looser construction the nub itself burnt a bit hot, but nothing unbearable. I absolutely love the Tabak Especial line from Drew Estate, and I am really glad all the trouble I went through to get this cigar payed off. I would recommend it not only to an infused smoker, not only to a non infused smoker, but to anyone interested in starting cigars. The medium-bodied experienced was very smooth, and would win over even the toughest of critics.