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.

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

Tatuaje Cabaiguan

I’ve been interested in these smokes for quite some time, unfortunately Tatuaje is one of the few brands that my local B&M shops do not carry. Luckily, The Great Torpedo from stogiereview.com sent a few with a handful of other sticks earlier this week. Big thanks Jerry!

Now onto The Good Stuff: Tatuaje is a brand created by Pete Johnson. Pete Johnson is a very experienced tatoo artist hence the name Tatuaje (“Tatoo” in spanish). Tatuaje is actually one of the many brands that Don Pepin has his hand in right now. In fact, Cabaiguan is actually named after Don Pepin’s hometown in Cuba. Tatuaje is currently under fire by Altadis for his use of the le fleur de lis symbol on his cigar. I won’t go into that though.

The Cabaiguan Guapo is a limited edition cigar with very similar characteristics as the normal Cabaiguan with the exception of the wrapper. The standard Cabaiguan carries a Shade Grown Wrapper where as the Guapo carries a Sun Grown Wrapper.

Size: 5 5/8 x 54  -  Wrapper: Sun Grown Equador Connecticut  -  Filler/Binder: Nicaraguan  -  Origin: Nicaragua

Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapo

Prelight: Tatuaje’s Cabaiguan Guapo is a hefty looking cigar. It’s very heavy and tightly packed compared to most cigars similar in size. The Guapo sports a very deep, rounded cap, with a small, tied nub at the end of it. I could only describe this as looking similar to the top of a chinese kids head, you know, in movies and video games. There are no softspots at all, this cigar is like a brick. The wrapper itself is quite a bit darker than the normal Connecticut that I’m used to, and it seems pretty hard, and fragile with tons of oil. I’ll have to handle this one with care. The wrapper omits almost no smell at all, the only real scent I could pull off was very light scents of cocoa. The foot was similar in absence of smell but i did give off a very hay-link aroma. It just wasn’t very powerful. There were quite a few veins, but nothing that will hinder the smoke of this cigar. The cold draw produced very earthy tastes, the cocoa didn’t come through on the the cold draw. The band, like most Tatuaje’s remains very simple and straight forward. It sports and Old English style “C” with the word “Cabaiguan” underneath accompanied by the words “CUBA” and “MIAMI” on either sides. The back carries the simple Tatuaje logo, and the Guapo has with it a small lacing of silver metallic on the edges of the band. This is something the standard Cuabaiguans do not have.

Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapo

First Smoke: The draw was a bit tedious to get going at first, but once I did it was non-stop. The guapo started off with a punch of pepper that only lasted to first couple of draws, then soon faded into a more soft, complex mixture of grass, leather, and what tastes like white meat. The draw itself was pretty massive, and smelled very similar to burnt grass with hints of oil. I don’t think this would be too annoying to your company. The smoke itself is very hefty, slightly brown, and lingers like there is no tomorrow. The Guapo produces mass amounts of stationary smoke, more so than most other cigars I have had. The burn line was pretty consistent once I got the entire foot going. I had a bit of trouble at the beginning but I evened itself a few puffs in. I got well over an inch and a half of ash before it dropped.

Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapo

Halfway There: outside of the vanquishing pepper, the Cabaiguan Guapo’s taste is remaining pretty consistent. I would best describe the taste as burning corn husk with hints of passion fruit. This is a very smooth and creamy cigar, and I don’t feel any nicotine in it at all. Honestly the Cabaiguan is turning out to be an incredible smoke. Perfect for that relaxing day. It’s great to be able to give my palate a rest. The burn began to get a bit wavy a little more than halfway though, but not enough to need any touching up of any sort.

Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapo

Finish: The pepper left and never came back. There were more hints of fruit towards the nub of this cigar. The fruit best resembled passion fruit or pomegranate, a bit citrusy, and very sweet. There were also subtle hints of vanilla and honesy towards the very end. The wavy burn line corrected itself almost right away and I didn’t encounter another burn issue again. The draw was just loose enough to produce massive amounts of smoke and flavor, but tight enough to smooth the experience out all the way though, and not get hot towards the nub. The band came off with ease.

Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapo

Overview: I feel ashamed that I let this cigar fly under my radar for as long as I did. This was one of the most enjoyable smokes that I have had recently. The flavors were just complex enough to keep me on my toes, but not slammed in there to overload my taste buds. The strength was very mild and smooth, with a great massive draw. Smoking time was about an hour and a half. I would, and will get more of these cigars. They are limited edition but according to Pete J. he is doing everything in his power to get the line back out on the market.

Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapo

This Taguaje Cabaiguan Guapo was paired with North Coast Brewing’s Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abbey Ale.

Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abbey Ale