The Good Stuff:

The Tatuaje Escasos is not to be confused with the Cazadores line. while they share similarities in look and blend, they are different cigars. While the release details are a bit dark, the Escasos had made brief appearances in the past few years as very limited US and European releases. Pete Johnson explains that he will release the Escasos in very limited 50 box runs from time to time. The Tatuaje Escasos starts out with an Ecuadorian Rosado Habano Claro wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan Filler. While on paper, the Cazadores line features a similar blend, Pete Johnson has confirmed that the Escasos blend is slightly different. The cigar is offered in six different formats: HC (6 3/8 x 43), U (6 1/8 x 52), N (5 1/8 x 48), T (7 5/8 x 49), E (7 1/2 x 38) and the R (5 1/2 x 50). The letters spell out “HUNTER”, much like the first letter in each name in the Cazadores line. Hunter is none other than Pete Johnson’s dog. Gotta love that dog love. Each format comes packaged in boxes of 25 ranging between $10 and $14 a stick. Big shout out to JG who passed a few of these over my way as I am not sure these are available in the US at this point.

Note: Just after posting this I read the Halfwheel article found here where Pete Johnson has added two new sizes to the Escasos line: the Robusto Especial and Toro Especial. They also mentioned that the Escasos line is going through a blend change that replaces the Ecuadorian Rosado Habano wrapper with Corojo 99 on any Escasos cigars with a box date of April 2020 or later. The cigars smoked in this review in fact have a box date of April 2020 so I have updated the blend below to reflect the corrected change.

• Size: 5 1/8 x 48
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo 99
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Medium
• Strength: Medium
• Price: $10
• Pairing: St. Bernardus Christmas Ale (Abbey 10% ABV)

Prelight:

The Tatuaje Escasos starts out with a very rustic, patchy looking wrapper that’s mostly a mixture of light brown and off-orange colors with darker browned scattered throughout. The wrapper’s texture is very smooth and silky with only light tooth, and a good amount of oils. The wrapper itself feels very thin and brittle while the cigar as a whole feels light yet nicely compacted. There are a few very minor veins and naturally tobacco webbing in the wrapper leaf as it’s laid seamlessly over itself leading up to the cigars round, triple-wrapped cap. The cigar is polished off with the standard brown and white band we find on the Miami/Cazadores blends along with a gold and black secondary band with a scripted “Escasos” crest embossed in the front.

The wrapper on the Tatuaje Escasos gives off very little aroma with only hints of natural tobacco while the foot of the cigar releases only light musk scents. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw surprisingly releases a ton of cinnamon, musk, and natural tobacco flavors.

First Third:

The Tatuaje Escasos starts out with a quick, immediate black pepper burst which only last through the first few puffs allowing the cigar to showcase some great musk, pecan, and light black coffee over dry herbal/earthy flavors with a very light floral undertone. The draw is absolutely perfect. Each tiny puff kicks out a massive cloud of thick white smoke which hangs around for a considerable about of time before dissipating while the cigar itself releases a whole mess of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burnline is dead even and razor thin leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted light gray ash which held on for about and inch before giving way.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Tatuaje Escasos and the body of the cigar has really ramped up. The pecan and musk are still in charge here backed by a ton of earthy flavors over light cinnamon and floral flavors. The retrohale brings out some spice that seems to be buried deep within the smoke and I find myself doing it quite often as it adds a step of extra complexity to the experience. The burnline is still dead even and I close out the second third with only a very minor nicotine kick.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Tatuaje Escasos and not a whole lot has changed here. the Pecan and musk are still the dominant flavors backed by a very dry mixture of earthiness, hay, oat and floral flavors. It took me an hour and a half to smoke this cigar down to the nub. I experienced no harshness, nor any extended heat. There was a bit of sap towards the end which just reminded me to slow down my smoking speed. I close out with only a very light nicotine kick.

Overview:

To me the Cazadores line always had this nice sweetness to it, but the Escasos is a much more dry experience in a very special way. The cigar is complex, and the flavors are very enjoyable. While the blend is similar in some aspects to the Cazadores, the experience is not. This blend actually seems like they took a more Cuban spin on the Cazadores line, which may be why it’s been circulated more in Europe as they tend to smoke more Cubans that us Americans do. Either way, its a great, special cigar and I can’t wait to get my hands on more.

Pairing:

St. Bernardus Christmas ale is my favorite winter beer and one I drink at least a few time every year. This 10% ABV Belgian Abbey ale leads with tons of apple, pear, caramel, cinnamon, and nutmeg with a heavy mouthfeel before finishing with more pear, caramel, and a bit of yeastiness with an overall sweet composition. I love this damn beer and it made for a great pairing with the Tatuaje Escasos as it really helped the dryer cigar move into a more sweetly-balanced pairing without overpowering the cigar.

The post Tatuaje Escasos N appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Ever since Matt Booth made a reappearance in the cigar industry waves have been created. Farce is his newest offering making it’s debut earlier this year as a pre-release in the Phoenix, Arizona market before a full release this month. Produced at the Tabacalera William Ventura factory the Farce starts out with an Ecuadorian wrapper over an Indonesian binder packed with filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Pennsylvania. The cigar is offered in five different sizes: Papi Chulo (4 x 42), Robusto (5 x 52), Toro ( 6 1/4 x 54), Gordo (6 1/2 x 60), and Lonsdale (6 1/2 x 42) which all come packaged in sets of 20. As for the prices I am unsure of most of the formats, but the Toro I am reviewing today comes in at $10.79 a stick. Fox Cigar Bar was kind enough to send a few of these our way for review and were one of the very few select retailers who were chosen to host the pre-release.

Size: 6 1/4 x 54
Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Dominican / Nicaraguan / Pennsylvanian
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $10.79
Pairing: Saint Arnold’s Bishop Barrel 20 (Dubbel 8.5% ABV)

Prelight:

The Room 101 Farce starts out with a beautiful smooth, silky, consistently-colored medium brown wrapper. The only discoloration is a few darker areas around the foot of the cigar. The cigar’s texture is very smooth with a good amount of oil. While the wrapper feels very thin and delicate the cigar as a whole is very heavy and tightly packed. The wrapper carries a few smaller veins leading from through the cigar’s thick body up to it’s round, triple-wrapped cap. The cigar is polished off with a simple white pre-release band with Room 101, Farce, and Pre-Release written across the front. 

The wrapper on the Room 101 Farce gives off a bold cedar and spiced aroma while the foot of the cigar smells much sweeter with notes of cinnamon, plum, and natural tobacco. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw is very oaty/grainy with notes of cedar, plum, and lots of spice.

First Third:

The Room 101 Farce starts out with some nice subtle black pepper notes backed by bold spice, cedar, honey, musk and really subtle floral notes that seem to come and go. The draw is brilliant as each small puff releases a good amount of thick white smoke which dissipates pretty quickly while the cigar itself releases only a trace amount of thin stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is dead even and razor thin leaving behind a trail of very tightly compacted light gray ash which held one or an inch before giving way. 

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Room 101 Farce and the flavors are incredible. The cigar is leading with musk and honey backed by spice, brown sugar, natural tobacco, soft pine, and a great floral flavor that keeps peeking in and out. I really dig the flavor profile on this cigar and it’s not one you encounter very often. The retrohale really helps bring out the spice as well as the floral flavors. The cigar is still burning beautifully and I close out the second third with only a tiny little nicotine kick.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Room 101 Farce and the cigar is really ramping up in both Body and Strength. For a majority of the experience the cigar sat in the higher medium range, but is now cresting the top of medium/full. The flavor profile still leads with a ton of spice and cedar backed my a mix of vanilla, honey, pine, cashew and even a bit of the pepper that quickly left the experience in the first few puffs. The cigar took me two hours to take down to the nub and I experience absolutely no harshness nor extended heat but I am certainly feeling quite more of the nicotine effects that I anticipated going into this smoke. 

Overview:

I loved everything about the Room 101 Farce. To me, it seemed like the cigar was trying to take everything that is wonderful about milder cigars but with more body and strength. Using Pennsylvania filler was something I haven’t seen done too often before and the result was awesome. The cigar had a flavor profile that was different than any cigars I have had in my recent memory. This cigar is perfect for any seasoned cigar smoker looking for something different, and any novice looking for a bolder premium smoke that won’t break the bank. 

Pairing:

Saint Arnold’s Bishop’s Barrell 20 is a Sorachi Ace Dubbel Aged in Red Wine Barrels with Brettanomyces and Raspberries brewed at the Saint Arnold’s brewery in Houston, Texas. Coming in at 8.5% this beer leads with very heavy raspberry, tartness, caramel, sweetness, honey, and a bit of hop with a very light mouthfeel before finishing with even more raspberry, honey, herbal tea, and caramel. It’s a perfect mix before a sour and and Belgian dubbel and married up with some of the flavors in the Room 101 Farce beautifully while added an extra layer of fruit complexity. I’d pair this cigar with an Belgian Dubbel or Tripel, Double bock, or some sweetened iced tea. 

The post Room 101 Farce appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Warped cigars hit the cigar world by storm a few years with some fantastic, unique blends offering a new voice in the cigar industry. Ran by Kyle Gellis, the company released the Maestro del Tiempo blend last year and it’s been the talk of the town ever since. Created at the famous TABSA factory owned by Casa Fernandez in Nicaragua the Maestro del Tiempo features a Nicaraguan Jalapa Corojo 99 Clara wrapper over a Nicaraguan Criollo 98 and Corojo 99 binder holding in pure Nicaraguan fillers all of which are grown at the Casa Fernandez Aganorsa farms. The Maestro del Tiempo is offered in 3 sizes: 5205 (6 3/8 x 42), 5712 (4 1/2 x 52), 6102R (5 1/4 x 48). All of which are full production outside of the 6102R  which also features a slightly different blend. The 5205 and 5712 come packaged in boxes of 25 running between $8.99 and $9.65 a stick. I purchased mine over from out good friends at Ford on Fifth.

Size: 6 3/8 x 42
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Jalapa Corojo 99 Clara
Binder: Nicaraguan Criollo 98 and Corojo 99
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $8.99
Pairing: Alesmith Grand Cru (Belgian style strong ale 10% ABV)

Prelight:

The Warped Maestro del Tiempo starts out with a really rustic, beaten looking wrapper. It’s not beaten in terms of mishandling, the natural tobacco chosen for the wrapper leaf has a very unique texture. It’s very soft and sleek in some areas, very toothy in others while it carries a very bumpy mixture of small veins and natural webbing scattered throughout the cigar’s body. The color is a light brown, which is pretty consistent outside of the webbing areas. The wrapper feels very thin and delicate while the cigar as a whole is firm with no soft spots throughout the cigar’s slender body leading up to the round, triple cap. The cigar is polished off with a very small, elegant purple and gold band with the words “Maestro del Tiempo” printed in white ink across the front.

The wrapper on the Maestro del Tiempo gives off a very bold mixture of cedar, honey, and cashew while the foot of the cigar is more subtle with some great spice and pepper notes over natural tobacco. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar double bladed cutter. The cold draw gives off a good mixture of strong honey, brown sugar, spice, and cedar.

First Third:

The Warped Maestro del Tiempo starts out with an unexpected bold black pepper bang which quickly faded allowing the cigar to release some very sweet honey, cedar, spice, and citrus flavors. It’s a very interesting flavor profile. The draw is spectacular as each small puff kicks out a great deal of white smoke while the cigar releases a mild amount of stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a very light trail of white and light gray ash which actually fell off into my shoe about a quarter of in inch in. So beware, the cigar will ash when you least expect it to.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Maestro del Tiempo and the flavors have held up leading sweet honey, cedar, spice, citrus and a really nice floral undertone. The cigar has started to build up a bit of sap on the cap so I clipped a bit off and will need to slow down my smoking pace to ensure that it doesn’t build up again. The retrohale is beautiful, coating my nasal passage with a ton of sweetness, honey, and cedar. I close out the second third with absolutely nothing in terms of nicotine.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Maestro del Tiempo and the cigar has really started to pick I’m steam in the strength department reaching in the the medium/full arena. The flavors still lead with cedar, spice, sweetness and honey backed by floral and a nice resurrection of the pepper we saw at the beginning, only its much more mild this time around. It took me almost two hours to take this cigar down to the nub and I never once had to reach for my lighter to touch up, or relight the cigar. Despite the sap I encountered mid-way through, I never found this cigar to be much of a nuisance. Simply slowing down my pace remedied the sap situation and I encountered no harshness nor extended head down into the final inch. I close out the cigar with only a very mild nicotine kick.

Overview:

I’ve been a fan of Warped cigars. Although I haven’t had a lot of the cigars from their portfolio, every one I’ve had has been lights out, and the Maestro del Tiempo is no exception. First, let it be known that I am a huge fan of the company sticking to more traditional Cuban formats. I really love smaller ring gauged cigars so this works right into my preference. The flavors an nuances in the Maestro del Tiempo also carried much of what I personally look for in a cigar. Bold flavors, good amount of sweetness, and great complexity. The construction was top notch which made for a flawless experience. This is a cigar I could see myself going back to quite often. Considering the decent price point and wide availability I think this cigar could easily find it’s way in my everyday rotation.

Pairing:

Coming out of San Diego, California is Alesmiths, Grand Cru. This particular bottle is from 2015. The Grand Cru is a Belgian-style brown ale that comes in at a whopping 10% ABV. The Grand Cru starts with a very robust mixture of Carmel and fruit over some light hops, sweetness, citrus, clove, and a bit of oak with a very light mouthfeel before finishing very crisp with plum, raisin, spice, clove, and a splash over oak. This was a perfect mixture not only for the Warped Maestro Del Tiempo but also for the fantastic summer weather.

The post Warped Cigars Maestro del Tiempo appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

As noted, the Padron Family Reserve 50 Years is created to celebrate Jose Padron, and the rest of the Padron family’s 50 years of success in a very tough cigar industry. The Family Reserve release made it’s debut 6 years ago, with the 44 Years and has since been one of the more talked about cigar releases each year. You can read Daniel’s review of the 44 here, and my review of the 46 here. This year, the 50 Years, carries an all Nicaraguan blend using 10 year aged tobaccos. The Family Reserve 50 Years comes in two different blends, the Maduro wrapped version that I’ll be smoking today, and the Natrual wrapped version. Both come in boxes of 20 and will run you the steep, yet expected price tag of $25 a stick. I picked a few of these up from the good guys of at 2 Guys Smoke Shop.

Size: 5 x 54 Box Pressed
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $25.00
Pairing: Ommegang Three Philosophers (Belgian Style Quad 9.7% ABV)

Prelight:

The Padron Family Reserve 50 years is an absolutely beautiful looking cigar. Let’s start with the wrapper. It’s incredibly toothy in texture. It feels a lot like some thick, stony sandpaper only it’s coated with some really thick oils. The wrapper on the Padron 50 is very deep, dark brown and while it’s very consistent there are a few darker spots, as well some some noticeable reddish tinted areas throughout the leaf. The wrapper is laid over itself seamlessly as it coats the wide, box-pressed body of the cigar. The Padron Family Reserve 50 Years is finished off with a wide, round, double cap. The cigar’s wrapper is very thick, and almost rock-like while the cigar itself is very heavy, yet a bit spongy to the touch. Especially around the foot area. The Padron Family Reserve 50 Years is finished of with a double band ensemble. The first is the standard Padron Family Reserve band that we all know. Maroon in color with a beige and green under-band sporting the cigar’s manufacture number. The second band is beige and red with “50 Years” embossed in gold metallic across the front. The Band designs are just as elegant as the cigar, and it’s history.

The wrapper on the Padron Family Reserve 50 Years gives off a whole ton of sweetness in it’s spicy aroma while the foot of the cigar showcases more spice and tobacco scents. The cap took a bit of extra effort to clip, but cut very cleanly once it sliced through the wrapper. The cold draw feels a bit loose as it produces a whole mess of sweetness, lots of chocolate, spice, and natural tobacco flavors.

First Third:

The Padron Family Reserve 50 Years starts of with a massive pepper boom. I wasn’t expecting it to be as powerful as it was. After the pepper began to fade a bit the cigar revealed it’s flavor profile leading off with lots of black cherry backed by lots of sweetness, chocolate, spice, and cedar. It’s a very sweet cigar with a nice pepper/spice bite and I really enjoy the way Padron’s cigars always seem to find a perfect balance. The draw is perfect despite being a bit loose in the cold draw. Each puff kicked out an insane amount of thick smoke. The stationary smoke is incredible as well as this cigar just keeps pouring it out as it sits in my ashtray. The burn line is a bit wavy, but not too concerning leaving behind a trail of nicely compacted medium/dark gray ash. The has held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Padron Family Reserve 50 Years Maduro and there is no letting up on the body here. While the strength is still in the medium range, the flavors are still pouring out of this thing. The black cherry, sweetness and spice are still leading the way and the chocolate and cedar are still there. The pepper has completely dropped out and there are some soft floral and honey notes started to sneak in. The retrohale is incredible in this cigar coating my nasal passage with lots and lots of sweetness and cedar. The burn line has been completely even, and razor thin since about an inch into the cigar and remains burning perfectly. I close out the second third feeling only a tiny bit in the nicotine department.

Final Third:

The body and strength have start to ramp up into the final third of the Padron Family Reserve 50 Years Maduro. The main flavors are still that sweetness, black cherry, and chocolate but some awesome espresso flavors have joined in the the cedar has really increased in intensity. The pepper came back a bit, but only enough to tease my palate. It took me about an hour and a half to take this cigar down and I loved every second of it. There was no harshness, and in Padron tradition the cigar finished so incredibly smooth and creamy. The burn line was flawless after the first inch and I never once had to reach for my lighter. The final third finished just barely into the medium/full range leaving me with only a very slight nicotine kick.

Overview:

Less be honest here, the only drawback in this cigar is the price. Well, I guess I’d like for it to burn a bit slower. Actually, I wish it would just burn forever and ever and never go out. That being said, the Padron Family Reserve 50 Years Maduro is an exceptional cigar delivering most notably in the flavor department. As any of you who are familiar with the Family Reserve releases would expect, the flavors were quite complex, yet very smooth and balanced. Not to mention they are ideal for beer pairing especially with the early winter seasonal releases. This probably isn’t a cigar that I’d suggest novice cigar smokers to jump right into but if you are a seasoned cigar smoker, not afraid to drop a bit of cash on an amazing cigar, this would be in your sights. Would I buy it again? Oh I absolutely will. I know what to expect from the Family Reserve Padron lines and it delivers exactly that. While the price is very steep, I will definitely keep a few of these on hand for special occasions.

Pairing:

The first time I smoked the Padron Family Reserve 50 Years Maduro I knew the exact beer I wanted to pair it with. This beer goes hand in hand with the cigar and makes for a perfect match. Ommegang’s Three Philosophers is a Belgian Style Quad brewed with 98% Ale and 2% Ale with Cherries added. Coming in at 9.7% ABV this Cooperstown New York beer isn’t to be taken lightly. The Three Philosophers is very complex. Leading with some nice bitterness, cherry, grape, spice, and malt with a medium mouthfeel and a zesty citrus and sweetness on the finish. It’s not hard to see why it paired in perfectly with the Padron Family Reserve 50 Years Maduro. Especially in terms of the sweetness, spice and cherry. This beer is found year round, and actually one of the more easier to find beers in my inventory. You can find these between $9 – $11 and it’s something I always want to have on hand.

The post Padron Family Reserve 50 Years Maduro appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: It’s hard to believe that it’s only been 10 years since Pete Johnson entered the cigar market. This cigar is made to celebrate his 10 years of premium cigar stardom. To celebrate, Pete decided to re-release the cigar that made him famous, the Brown Label. With the same basic blend Pete released two special sizes to celebrate. The 10^th anniversary comes in two sizes, the Belle Encre which is a 5 3/8 x 42 perfecto and the Bon Chasseur which is a 5 3/8 x 52 Robusto which carries an unfinished foot. These two sizes also get a packaging update replacing the simple brown Tatuaje band with a meatier, brown gold and white band with the words “tattoo” “Tatuaje” “Miami” “Seleccion de Cazador” and “10”  on the front”.

The 10^th anniversary will be produced at the My Father factory in Esteli, Nicaragua vs. Miami where the brown label was usually produced. The 10^th anniversary comes packaged in boxes of 20 and run $10 per cigar.  There is also a TAA 2013 exclusive format called the Gran Chasseur which is a 6 3/8 x 54 perfecto and it runs about $11 a stick. I got these over at Bonita Smoke Shop. Again, if you haven’t checked them out, you really should. Amazing selection, amazing prices, and the best customer service around.

Size: 5 3/8 x 42
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium / Full
Body: Medium / Full
Price: $10
Pairing: Ommegang Art of Darkness (Belgian Strong Dark Ale 8.9% ABV)

Prelight: Tatuaje’s 10^th Anniversary Belle Encre carries a crazy dark wrapper. If you look at the side by side wrapper you can actually see a huge color difference between the two. It’s not necessarily the difference in size that causes that, it’s simply the difference of contrast across the wrapper leaf chosen for the blend. The Belle Encre starts with a tapered little foot that quickly expands into the 42 ring gauge. The wrapper carries a lot of medium sized veins as it reaches up to the tapered, triple cap. The wrapper itself screams of reflective oils with some slight tooth. The cigar as a whole is very hard and well packed. I couldn’t find a single soft spot.

The wrapper gives off a whole ton of spice and pepper aromas while the foot of the cigar carries a bit of sweetness with some more spice and tobacco scents. The cap cut  very clean and easy with my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw was really spicy with some awesome sweetness, and syrupy flavors mixed in.

First Smoke: As predicted, the Tatuaje 10^th Anniversary Belle Encre started out with an explosion of spice and black pepper. Once the pepper began to fade off some really sweet tobacco, molasses, cedar, leather and lots of spice were showcased in the first third. The cigar lit up with ease using my single flame butane torch. I feared for a bit that the draw would be tight due to how much tobacco was packed into this little cigar, but it was spot on kicking out just the right amount of thick smoke with every little puff. Usually I get crappy burns through the first third of perfectos but the 10^th anniversary is rocking a razor thin edge and a flawless burnline leaving behind a trail of brilliantly white, and light gray tightly compacted ash which held of for about an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: The pepper took a bit, but it has finally completely fizzled out of the 10^th anniversary. The sweetness is still rocking hard as well as the molasses as some nice, sharp, cedar has crept in with just a faint leather on the aftertaste. The retrohale is incredibly spicy and very sharp. It’s not very easy so I only found myself doing it once or twice to get the flavor from it. The burnline has a very larger waves that don’t really concern me and I am feeling almost no nicotine as I close out the second third.

Finish: Into the final third there is a note I’d like to add. In each of the Belle Encre that I have smoked I got a little bit if sap/tar/whatever. You know, that really fowl tasting, brownish/black syrup we find on the cap of some of our cigars. Anyhow, I didn’t encounter this with any of the Bon Chasseur’s that I smoked and almost every time I do encounter it, it’s with a tapered cap regardless of the cigar’s make up or manufacturer. That being said, a little attention from my cutter clipping a bit more off the cap cleaned this right up and I was back to smoking cleanly in no time. Now into the final third of Tatuaje’s 10^th anniversary the body of the cigar really ramped up. The flavor profile still carries a lot of sweetness and molasses but the cedar has become much more bold and there was a bit of a pine flavor as well as a ramp up in spice. It’s a great way to end a cigar. The cigar burned perfectly the entire way and required absolutely no attention from my lighter. Don’t let the size fool you, it still too me about 1.75 hours to take this little guy down.

Overview: As always, the Brown Label delivered. I am always reminded of my first Tatuaje’s every time I fire up a brown label and just what it was that made me fall in love with Pete’s work. Complexity, construction, and great flavors while never really being over the top in terms of strength. The 10^th anniversary Belle Encre is a great edition as the format delivers with lots of sweetness and spice. The price is right where you would expect it and will never leave you disappointed. While I wouldn’t go too far out of my way to find this size, It’s a great experience to those of us who really enjoy this blend.

To Sum it Up: As always, this is a great cigar and is always in my regular rotation. The 10^th Anniversary Belle Encre didn’t stand out too much in comparison to other Brown Label blends, but the blend itself is complex enough to always satisfy the seasoned smoker overdoing it with the novice smokers. The price is nested right within the other formats in the brown label line. Box worthy by far.

Pairing: Art of Darkness is a limited edition Belgian Style Dark Strong ale coming out of the Brewery Ommegang in New York. Ommegang has been a long time favorite of mine as it’s one of the only breweries in my opinion that specialize in Belgian style brews. This special beer was actually a birthday gift from none other than our Jeremy Henseley. He spoils me. Clocking in at 8.9% ABV this beer isn’t for the faint of heart. Leading off with a ton of fruit (cherry, apple, date) this beer is full of flavor. It finishes off with the traditional Belgian bitterness and a ton of malty goodness. This beer is incredibly flavorful and could easily overpower most cigars. Lucky for us, Tatuaje’s 10^th Anniversary can hold its own. The strong spice was from the cigar was an amazing addition as it parried up with the fruit and bitterness from the beer. Another great matchup was the molasses from the cigar as it transitioned into a much more malty, caramel mash up with the beer. Great Pairing, success! Ommegang is pretty easy to find in these parts so I suggest picking this one up while it’s still available. If I’m not mistaken, there was only one run, so there won’t be much to go around.

The post Tatuaje – 10th Anniversary Belle Encre appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.