The Good Stuff:

Another year, another Angel’s Anvil. This has steadily become one cigar I seek out year after year. Starting in 2014 The Crowned Heads have released a cigar they have dubbed “The Angel’s Anvil”. The initials for the blend “TAA” also stand for what the cigar celebrates, the Tobacconists Association of America. This small group of around 80 retailers meet annually to gather and share cigar related resources. The Angel’s Anvil is only available through these select manufacturers. You can read our review of the 2014 here, 2015 here, and 2016 here. While the name remains the same year after year, the blend does not. This year the Angel’s Anvil 2017 features a Habano wrapper along with an undisclosed binder, and filler. Like the previous 3 versions, the 2017 Angel’s Anvil is created at Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr’s Tabacalera La Alianza factory. The cigar is offered in a single 6 1/2 x 52 format. Each box comes packaged with 20 cigars which run $10.50 a stick with only 1,000 boxes produced. I purchased mine over from our friends at 2 Guys Smoke Shop.

Size: 6 1/2 x 52
Wrapper: Habano
Binder: Undisclosed
Filler: Undisclosed
Body: Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $10.50
Pairing: Jester King Das Wunderkind! (Saison 4.5% ABV)

Prelight:

The Crowned Head’s 2017 Angel’s Anvil starts out with a medium brown wrapper which is consistent in color for the most part with the exception of a few smaller orangish-brown splotches scattered throughout the wrapper’s leaf. The wrapper itself is laid seamlessly over itself show casing some very small veins, darker natural webbing in the leaf as well as a slightly oily, decently toothy texture. The wrapper feels fairly dense while the body is very tightly packed as I find absolutely no soft spots leading through the cigar’s thick body up to its round triple cap. The cigar is polished off with a gold, manilla, and black embossed version of the Angel’s Anvil band.

The wrapper on the cigar gives off a good amount of musk, cedar, and spice while the foot of the cigar smells much more natural with a bit of mossiness, dirt, natural tobacco and earthiness. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar double bladed cutter. The Cold draw is very grainy with lots of earthiness, spice, and some underlying black pepper.

First Third:

The Crowned Head’s 2017 Angel’s Anvil starts out with a big pepper blast which only lasted for a few puffs. After the pepper subsides I am greeted with a good amount of bold cedar and musk backed by some citrus, and a good amount of pecan and lots of grainy natural tobacco. The flavor profile on this cigar is pretty unique and so far incredibly enjoyable. The draw is perfect. Each puff kicks out a ton of thick, white smoke which hangs around for quite some time before dissipating. The burn line is a bit wavy, but razor sharp as it leaves behind a great trail of tightly compacted medium gray ash which held on for almost an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

There’s this awesome vanilla flavor pouring into the Crowned Head’s 2017 Angel’s Anvil into the second third. It marries up well with the citrus and cedar being backed by musk, pecan, and some subtle coffee notes. The retrohale helps bring a bit of the spice and pepper back into the mix making the cigar pretty complex. The burn line is still a bit wild but I haven’t had to reach for my torch, so no complaints here. I close out the second third with nothing in terms of a nicotine kick.

Finish:

The vanilla and citrus have really ramped up into the final third of the Crowned Head’s 2017 Angel’s Anvil along with the cedar making for a great flavor profile. While the strength of the cigar has remained in the medium range, the cigar is now up in the full bodied arena. It’s not everyday that you encounter a cigar so full on flavor yet so easy smoking. It took me two hours to take the Crowned Head’s 2017 Angel’s Anvil down to the nub and I experienced absolutely no harshness or extra heat. While the burn line was wild at times I never once had to touch up or relight the cigar.

Overview:

It’s easy to see why The Crowned Heads have quickly become one of the hottest cigar manufacturers in the industry. Jon Huber is extremely meticulous and that attention to detail is on display with each and every cigar coming out of his hands. The 2017 Angel’s Anvil is an extremely complex cigar that won’t knock you on your ass which is exactly what I look for in a cigar. The flavor profile is enjoyable, and suited my palate very well while the smoking experience was nearly flawless. I’m glad I scooped up quite a bit of these as they are extremely limited and will sell out soon.

Pairing:

Another Jester King. That’s right. Cause Texas rules. This time we take a look at one of my favorites by them, the Das Wunderkind! As we all know by now Jester King is a brewery from Austin, Texas the specializes in farmhouse ales. The Das Wunderkind! is a 4.5% Saison. The beer leads with lots of citrus, hints of vanilla, floral, lactic acid, and sourness with an extremely light mouthfeel before finishing clean and crisp with more acid, citrus, slight hop, and more sourness. This is a perfect example of what I look for in a farmhouse saison. Crisp, clean, and flavorful. The vanilla and citrus notes is what really pulled me towards this pairing and it made for a great mate with the Crowned Head’s 2017 Angel’s Anvil.

The post The Crowned Heads Angel’s Anvil 2017 TAA Exclusive appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Every year the Crowned Heads releases a TAA exclusive released called the Angel’s Anvil. I’ve been lucky enough to get my hands on all three, you can review the 2014 here, and the 2015 here. TAA stands for the Tobacconists’ Association of America which is composed of about 80 retailers across the U.S. who gather each year to discuss issues facing the cigar industry. Halfwheel had some great information on where Jon Huber got the Angel’s Anvil name from during his time with CAO and Crowned Heads:

Legend has it that there was one fallen angel, in particular, who fell to Earth from the heavens, finding himself alone and lost. Unlike other fallen angels who were content to wander the earth in a soulless state of purgatory, this angel became bound and determined to find his way back to Heaven.

The angel soon realized that his only way back would be for him to forge a new set of wings by which he could ascend back to the heavenly skies. He walked the countryside for days and days, until he came upon a blacksmith. The blacksmith gave the angel a hammer and an anvil, and said to him, “With these tools you will forge your new wings. With these wings, you will announce the words, ‘Ascend Word He,‘ and you will find your way home.”

This year’s version comes in a single box-pressed robusto format measuring 5 1/2 x 54. The blend carries a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Nicaraguan Binder, and Nicaraguan filler and like the past two releases is produced by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. at his Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. in Dominican Republic. Only 1,000 boxes of 20 are being produced of this highly limited cigar and they will run $10.50 per cigar. I purchased a few of these over form our friends at Two Guys Smoke Shop.

Size: 5.5 x 54
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $10.50
Pairing: The Bruery White Oak (Wheatwine 12.5% ABV)

Prelight:

The Crowned Head’s Angel’s Anvil 2016 is an absolutely gorgeous cigar. We’ll start with the wrapper which carries an incredible deep, dark brown color which is almost flawless in consistency. The wrapper leaf is laid seamlessly over the box-pressed cigar with only extremely minor veins to be seen. The wrapper’s texture is incredibly toothy and rough with some slight oils while the wrapper is very hard, and dense to the touch. The entire cigar is hard, and has very little give when I squeeze it between my fingers. The cigar is polished off with a round triple cap, and a red, white, and gold version of the the Angel’s Anvil band we’ve grown to expect from these TAA releases.

The wrapper gives off a nice tart, cocoa, and oak aroma while the foot of the cigar is much more spicier with some pepper, natural tobacco, and sweetness. The cap cut very clean and easily using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw is really interesting, it leads with a ton of milk chocolate and oak with some subtle spice and citrus. I’m really hoping this translates over the the smoking experience.

First Third:

The Crowned Heads Angel’s Anvil 2016 starts out with a great little black pepper bang which quickly fades and showcases some deep oak, cocoa, vanilla and tartness. The draw is absolutely perfect. Each little puff kicks out a whole mess of thick, white smoke which tends to stick around a while before dissipating. The box-pressed format makes for an extremely comfortable smoke. the burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a tightly compacted trail of medium and dark gray ash which held on for about an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Crowned Heads Angel’s Anvil 2016 and the vanilla has really taken center stage. The backing flavors are a strong oak and cocoa backed by spice, tartness, and sweetness. It’s a great mixture, and much different than the previous two blends. The retrohale showcases a lot more spice than I pick up during the standard smoking experience while the burn line continues onward flawlessly. I close out the second third with almost nothing in the nicotine department.

Finish:

Into the final third of this Crowned Heads Angel’s Anvil 2016 and some nice honey has started to creep into the complex flavor profile which still leads with the oak and vanilla backed by spice, cocoa, and tartness. The body of this cigar is full for sure, while the strength has hovered right between medium and full with a big ramp up in the final third. It took me 2 hours to smoke this cigar down to the very nub and I enjoyed every single second of it. I experienced no hashness, and it burned like a dream the entire time. I never once had to reach for my torch for any touchups or relights. I close it out with only a medium sized nicotine kick.

Overview:

I have grown to expect cigars a bit more on the lighter side from the Carrillo compound, but the Angel’s Anvil 2016 really showcases what depth they have over there. It has a classic maduro approach yet rises into the full body, and almost full strength category without overpowering in either direction. The flavor profile was very unexpected and I absolutely loved it. It was relentless, complex, and extremely enjoyable. This cigar is well worth the coin, and the journey to find them. Snatch them up while you can cause they absolutely will be gone before you know it. I know I’m going to be searching some more out for sure.

Pairing:

White Oak is 50% Wheatwine aged in bourbon barrels and 50% Mischief which is a Belgian style Golden Ale brewed at the Bruery’s campus in Placentia, California. The resulting mixture creates a great flavor profile which leads with caramel, oak, bourbon, apple, and vanilla with a decently heavy mouthfeel before finishing off with some slight honey, more bourbon caramel and vanilla with just a touch of spice. This is a damn good beer and it really packs a punch. The pairing was wonderful as the vanilla, caramel, spice, and oak matched up perfectly with the flavors in the Angel’s Anvil. This cigar would also pair great with a hefty bourbon barrel stout, or quad.

The post Crowned Heads Angel’s Anvil 2016 TAA Exclusive appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Angel’s Anvil is rolled by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. at the Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. factory in Dominican Republic. The Angel’s Anvil is only available at TAA, or Tobacconists’ Association of America retailers across the United States. The blend starts out with an Ecuadorian Havana wrapper around a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan fillers. The cigar is offered in a single format, a 7 1/8 x 49 Churchill. The Crowned Heads Angel’s Anvil 2014 came in boxes of 20, with only 1,000 boxes produced, meaning they are probably a rarity these days. I smoked a handful of these over the last year but never fully got a review up which shocked me when I sat down to write my review of the 2015 version not too long ago.

Size: 7 1/8 x 49
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Havana
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $10.50

Prelight:

The Angel’s Anvil starts off with a very thin, incredibly toothy, medium brown wrapper. This thing feels like sandpaper. The wrapper is incredibly consistent in color with only a few darker areas around the minor veins running through the cigar’s body. This thing weighs a ton. It’s very well packed with only a few softer spots around the cigar’s foot. As I stated before the wrapper is very thin and feels pretty delicate as it leads up to the round double cap. The Angel’s Anvil is polished off with the same band design we found on the 2015 version only its gold, royal blue, and manilla. The wrapper gives off a whole mess of sweet cedar while the foot of the cigar is much more muted with only some slight natural tobacco aromas.

Flavor Profile:

The Crowned Heads Angel’s Anvil starts out with a nice pepper blast which quickly faded allowing the cigar to release a great mixture of sweet honey, cedar, and a bit of floral flavors. As I smoked on the cedar became much more dominant as the floral was replaced with some nice spice. The cigar’s flavor lingered in the medium-bodied area for the most part with a decent ramp up in the final third. The flavors really didn’t change up too much as the cigar finished with the sweet honey and cedar leading the way, with some slight floral and spice flavors backing up.

Burn/Draw:

The draw on the Crowned Heads Angel’s Anvil was immense. I was a bit worried as the prelight/cold draw featured a really tightly packed body. Each little puff kicked out a great amount of thick, white smoke while the cigar released a decent amount of stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line started slightly wavy but cleaned up mid-way through the first third and remained solid the rest of the experience. I never once had to reach for my lighter to touchup or relight the cigar.

Thoughts:

The Crowned Heads Angel’s Anvil 2014 was a solid cigar. The flavor profile was great, although a bit mild for my likes. The burn experience was spot-on and each cigar I smoked was very consistent. I personally liked the 2015 more as I usually gravitate towards bolder, more full bodied cigars. It’s a shame that these aren’t still available, they are a perfect cigar for a relaxing morning, or early afternoon therapy. This cigar would pair incredibly well with a cup of black coffee, a light marzen, or a sweet bourbon.

The post The Crowned Heads Angel’s Anvil 2014 – Quick Draw appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

May & June 2015 Recap

B&M purchases are nearly impossible in my new hometown, with the closest tobacconist about 2 1/2 hours away. I will be visiting El Paso in a few weeks and will be frequenting the local cigar lounge during my stay. I am an avid supporter of B&Ms. I just wish there was one a bit closer….maybe I should open one!

June Cigar Reviews

Review Highlights

Jeremy’s Reviews
Olive Cigar Co – Inferno 3rd Degree, a Famous Smoke Shop Exclusive

From start to finish, I thoroughly enjoyed the Inferno 3rd Degree. There were easily noticeable change-ups in the profile as the cigar progressed, but, more than anything, it just satisfied without any hassle. No touch-up, no flaky ash, just one heck of a cigar.

Ventura Cigar Co. – Psyko Seven Maduro

To say the least, the Psyko Seven Maduro far exceeded my expectations in both flavors and performance. From the core flavors of leather, pencil-shavings, and spice to the more unique saltiness, balanced out by the maduro sweetness, the Psyko Seven Maduro delivered an intriguing, but not overly complex, profile that never lost my interest. The cigar burned evenly, the ash held firm, and a mouth-full of smoke was produced with each draw.

Fusion Cigar – Headlines 2nd Edition Page 

Headlines 2nd Edition brings to the table a consistent profile that is dark, meaty, earthy, and woodsy. Several times throughout the smoke, an undesirable char flavor arrived distracting me from the more enjoyable flavors. However, the biggest issue I found in the flavor department was the complete lack of any type of sweetness, which really surprised me considering the honey and chocolate I picked up on during the pre-light on both the aroma and the dry draw. The absence of sweetness made the profile off-balanced and much to be desired.

Tony’s Reviews

Crowned Heads – The Angel Anvil 2015, TAA Exclusive

The Angel’s Anvil 2015 is a bold, strong, and solid cigar which had good dimension, without being overly complex. This cigar is great for the seasoned cigar smoker who wants a bold/strong experience that isn’t overruled by the strength in the cigar, and it’s great for the novice smoker who is looking for a solid, strong cigar with great flavor.

Tatuaje – Anarchy, Mircoblend Series, a Smoke Inn Exclusive

This was, and still is probably my favorite Microblend Series that Smoke Inn has released to date. The Tatuaje Anarchy leads with bold, semi-complex flavors packaged in a great, easy smoking format. Its a great cigar, at a great price, with a long burn time delivering on all marks.

Crowned Heads – Las Calaveras 2015

I was a big fan of last year’s Las Calaveras, but the 2015 blew last year’s out of the water. I know it’s still very, very early in the year but this is the best new release that I have had so far. I’m a big fan of bold cigars, and I am even a bigger fan of bold cigars that create amazing flavor profiles without being overloaded with strength. The Las Calaveras did just that.

llusione ~eccj~ 20th

The ~eccj~ is a great example of an absolutely great cigar experience. The bold, complex, yet complimentary flavors provide an amazing profile with great construction and flawless burned all delivered at a decent price point. Yes, it’s one of the more expensive cigars in Illusione’s portfolio but it more than satisfies and I’d pay it time and time again.

Drew Estate – Pope of Greenwich Village, Microblend Series, a Smoke Inn Exclusive

It’s got some great bold flavors with a more medium strength level resulting in a smooth, relaxing experience at a great price. I highly recommend this cigar if you are a fan of flavorful, milder cigars of if you are into Drew Estate’s Undercrown series at all. Get them while you can.

Guest Reviews by Jeff Oda

L’Atelier Imports – LAT46 Selection Spéciale

The way the flavors built in intensity and complexity and the contrast of the smooth entry on the palate and somewhat edgy retrohale was something to behold; and despite the initial draw problem and wavy burn, the construction of the cigar was very good.  Add to that a nice long smoking time, even though I was enjoying it so much in the middle portion that I was smoking a bit faster than I normally do, and the price is more than reasonable.

The post Monthly Recap – May & June 2015 – Jeremy Hensley Edition appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Starting last year, the Crowned Heads have released “Angel’s Anvil” which is a cigar created exclusively for TAA retailers. As with last year’s release, the 2015 Angel’s Anvil is rolled by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. at the Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. factory in Dominican republic and will only be available at TAA, or Tobacconists’ Association of America retailers across the United States. The Angel’s Anvil 2015 is based off of one of my personal favorite Crowned Heads releases, the Mule Kick (see my quick draw here) and features more body and strength than last year’s release. The cigar features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan Fillers. The Crowned Heads Angel’s Anvil 2015 is only offered in a single 6 x 52 toro format which differs form the 7 1/8 x 49 churchill offered for the previous release. Like the 2014 release, the Angel’s Anvil 2015 will coming in boxes of 20 with only 1,000 boxes released. Again, you can only get these at TAA retailers. I purchased a nice handful over from our friends at Smoke Inn who still had some in stock last time I checked.

Size: 6 x 52
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Full
Price: $10.50
Pairing: Adelbert’s The Traveler (Belgian IPA 7% ABV)

Prelight:

The Crowned Heads Angel’s Anvil starts out with a beautiful, medium brown wrapper. The color on the wrapper is insanely consistent while the texture features some slight tooth, slight oils, and a whole lot of silky smoothness with some smaller veins, and a round double cap. The Angel’s Anvil feels very, very hard and firm in the hand and has absolutely no give as I squeeze it between my fingers. This is a heavy cigar. The cigar is polished off with a band similar to what we found on the 2014 version with a color tweak which now carries red, black, gold and manilla ink.

The wrapper on the Crowned Heads Angel’s Anvil gives off a great molasses and brown sugar aroma while the foot of the cigar carries a very earthy, grassy, natural tobacco mixture of scents. The cap cut very clean, and extremely easily using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw produced a spicy, dirty, musky flavor mixture.

First Third:

The Crowned Heads Angel’s Anvil 2015 starts out with a strong black pepper blast that I wasn’t quite expecting. The pepper was strong enough to leave my lips and tingling a bit, but quickly started to fade out leaving behind some great musky flavors with some honey, molasses, a bit of sweetness and lots of grassy/earthiness. The draw is slightly tight on this particular cigar, but not enough to really damper the experience. As I continued towards the second third of the cigar the draw really started to open up as it pumped out some pretty decently thick, white smoke. The burn line has some slight waves, but nothing concerning as it leaves behind a tightly compacted, bright white and light gray trail of ash which held on for a little over an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Crowned Head’s Angel Anvil 2015 and I’m surprised that the black pepper is still holding on in the flavor profile. It’s not very bold, but it’s still present as it backs the molasses, honey, cedar, musk, and earthiness. The flavors haven’t switched up a whole lot but they have continuously ramped up since I lit this bad boy up. The retrohale is very bold pepper/spice and musk which is a bit too sharp for me to continue doing. The burn line is completely solid and razor thin now, the draw is absolutely perfect, and I am feeling only a slight nicotine kick as I close out the second third.

Finish:

As I venture into the final third of this Crowned Heads Angel’s Anvil both text body and strength have really jumped up to a whole new level as it kicks out strong cedar, spice, and musk flavors backed by the molasses, honey, and soft sweetness. Towards the final inch the black pepper had made a full force return and carried through down to the nub. It took me about an hour and a half to take this guy down to the nub and I experienced absolutely no harshness nor unwanted heat. It did however leave me with a nice little nicotine kick.

Overview:

Has Crowned Heads made a bad cigar? Seriously. Every cigar I’ve had from them has been exceptional, they are on a roll, and I don’t see them stopping any time soon. The Angel’s Anvil 2015 is a bold, strong, and solid cigar which had good dimension, without being overly complex. This cigar is great for the seasoned cigar smoker who wants a bold/strong experience that isn’t overruled by the strength in the cigar, and it’s great for the novice smoker who is looking for a solid, strong cigar with great flavor. The price is a bit steep, but I didn’t mind paying for it especially knowing that it helps support the TAA retailers who support our cigar rights. I haven’t had a chance to review the 2014 Angel’s Anvil so I can’t give a strong comparison between the two but I do still have some hanging out in my humidor a promise to pull them out and give them a go soon.

Pairing:

I don’t often pair cigar with IPA’s as it’s a bit tough to find one that marries up well, but the first time I smoked the 2015 Angel’s Anvil I knew this beer would fit the bill perfectly. Brewed in Austin, Texas Adelbert’s The Traveler is a Belgian inspired IPA. Coming in at 7% ABV this IPA leads with some soft hop, sweetness, citrus, and caramel before finishing a bit malty with more sweetness and a sharp bitter aftertaste. The citrus and sweetness is what drew me to this pair as they added a great extra layer of complexity with the existing flavors in the Angel’s Anvil. I think this cigar would also pair great with some strong, black coffee, A malty porter, or some sweet black tea.

The post The Crowned Heads Angel’s Anvil 2015 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Today we have a fairly limited cigar up for review that I actually don’t think got all that much Press. It comes from the B&M Exclusive line by Pete Johnson of Tatuaje. If you haven’t stumbled across any of these before, you can find one of the previous ones reviewed here on Casas Fumando, it was the Tatuaje Barclay Rex 100th Anniversary. Pete Johnson continues this line with the Tatuaje TAA Exclusive 2011.

The TAA in the name actually stands for the “Tobacconists Association of America” and unlike his previous B&M Exclusive releases, you will actually be able to find these in more than just 1 store. The total distribution went out to 40+ TAA retailers across the United States of America. There was also a larger production turned around for this cigar with numbers totaling up at 30,000 cigars. This worked out to 1,500 boxes of 20 cigars per box, and if you had a retailer in your area, they would have sold between $10 and $11 per cigar.

As with most exclusives from Tatuaje and Pete Johnson, they don’t last too long on shelves and are already fairly scarce in most areas. One thing that made them a bit of a draw to Tatuaje fans is that Pete hinted the blend was similar to that of the Pork Tenderloin and the Brex. Both of those were limited releases from Tatuaje that were difficult to track down. Pete also decided to change up the shape of this cigar a little bit. You can find that it is a slightly rectangular box-pressed shape and the 5.675 x 54 vitola is also non-standard. I actually found the vitola here to be a good balance between a Toro and Robusto.

The cigar itself comes wrapped in an interesting Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. Now the wrapper alone doesn’t make the cigar, but both Tony and I both seem to have a great appreciation for a lot of Broadleaf cigars so I’m hoping this continues the trend. It’s terribly cold out here today but I’ve got my propane heater to keep me warm from the outside and a nice tall bottle of beer to keep me warm on the inside. So let’s see what the Tatuaje TAA Exclusive 2011 has in store for me!

Cigar: Tatuaje TAA Exclusive 2011
Drink: Wychwood Brewery Bah Humbug Christmas Cheer
Vitola: Box-Pressed Toro/Robusto hybrid (5.625 x 54)
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: About $10
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• The Tatuaje TAA is actually a tad rough looking on first glance with a few medium to large sized veins and some uneven areas in the diameter
• The wrapper looks like a tasty chocolate bar with a bit of toothiness and I’m actually getting some sort of glitter type effect on it, could just be my lighting (I later realized the glitter was likely caused by the temperature being so cold that the humidity droplets were icing over…)
• The cigar sports a closed foot and a box pressed shape, the triple cap ties up the presentation nicely
• There is a bit of inconsistency with regards to firmness on the cigar too with some areas being soft and springy while others are very firm
• The cap clipped away fairly cleanly with my double-bladed guillotine cutter, I’m met with a bit of an open draw here that concerns me
• The draw remains very open which is disappointing

Burn:
• I actually peeled away the closed foot pieces to reveal a nice clean foot for my toasting since I’ve had terrible luck in the past with closed feet
• This resulted in a nice and evenly toasted foot and kicked me off to a great start
• A bit of a wave started after the toasting, we’ll see how it progresses
• The wave is progressing to be worse and will definitely require some touch-up soon
• The cigar almost went out and needed a fairly hefty touch-up, but we’re chugging along again now
• The draw seemed to get a bit tighter after my relight/touch-up and the burn has been a little more consistent, although still a tad wavy

Smoke & Ash:
• There is an absolute insane amount of smoke coming from each draw of this cigar, I could make smoke signals rivalling campfires with this cigar!
• Surprisingly, there isn’t much resting smoke coming off the cigar, just a moderate amount giving off a burning wood aroma
• The ash appears nice and clean so far with a light grey color tone
• First ash lasted just about an inch before falling off into the ashtray
• Second ash seemed to keep with the 1 inch mark as it’s standard

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper has very little aroma, maybe just a bit of sweet tobacco
• Since the foot is closed, there isn’t much variance on the aroma but I do get a little bit of spice there
• The pre-light draw brings more sweet tobacco and spices, both in greater intensities now
• The initial draws offer an interesting mix of spices dominated by a white pepper type of flavor, mixed in there is also some cedar woodsiness that balances it all out
• The array of spices keeps changing as I smoke the Tatuaje TAA, there’s a variety of cloves, nutmeg and raw cinnamon along with the white pepper
• The initial sweetness I detected is pretty much gone but the cedar flavors seem to be balancing out the profile for now
• There is a very small bite on the retrohale and the finish is a nice smooth cedar flavor
• The body seems a little hard ot place right now, but I’ll say we’re near medium so far, I suspect that will increase soon though
• As I approach the half way mark I can’t say I’m getting much else in the flavor department, still spices and cedar
• It’s not a bad profile but I’m hoping it changes up a bit soon to keep me interested
• The balance of the cedar seems to be fading away and I’m getting more into a bland tobacco flavor paired with some mixed spices
• The Tatuaje TAA never really passed the medium threshold, stayed in the range until the end with only a slight buildup
• I really wish that initial sweetness made a presentation here, it would really bring a nice dimension to this cigar…
• Flavors going into the last 1.5 inches are really fading away, mostly getting a burnt woodsiness and some leathery flavors
• Had to put the cigar down a bit early as the flavors started getting harsh

Final Thoughts:
The Tatuaje showed some promise initially and I was enjoying the flavor profile from the start. Unfortunately, that profile didn’t change much as the cigar progressed and actually got a little bland shortly after the halfway mark. I also had a few issues with the burn and an extremely open draw. I think the cigar had some potential and maybe needed a little more rest time in the humidor, I’m not too sure. I’ve come to expect a higher calibre of cigars from Pete Johnson’s B&M exclusive lines and I don’t think this one lived up to the expectations I had. I’d definitely want to try another couple after they’ve had time to rest though and see how age treats them.

Pairings:
As we all know, Christmas is just around the corner and that means by favorite time of year in the brewery world! Christmas and Winter ales are probably my favorite seasonal brews and there’s always cool gift packs available too. You may recognize the Wychwood Brewery name from their famous Hobgoblin ruby ale which I’ve enjoyed in my review of Illusione 888 Slam and it’s own review here. This offering is called “Bah Humbug Christmas Cheer” and is one of theie seasonal ales. I actually found the flavors to be very similar to the Hobgoblin and not as “heavy” as you might expect. It’s basically got that smooth ruby ale character with an added touch of spices common in winter seasonal ales, such as cinnamon. I found it to be a very tasty pairing to the Tatuaje TAA since it offered a change of pace from the cigars profile and kept the whole experience a little more interesting.

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