I recently started a blog with my buddy Ben called 2 Guys 1 Stick. For our first review, we did the OR Noella Reservas. What a treat! Anyway, here's the review!
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When Ben and I decided to start this site, there was no question in our minds that we needed to kick it off with a bang. We wanted an elusive cigar one that many had heard about but few had ever tasted. After pondering a variety of intriguing candidates, we settled upon the original Noella Reserva from Tatuaje. Only 230-some boxes were ever made of this Noella variant in late-2006, and it is the cigar that started the limited-run craze that many boutique cigar manufacturers are now capitalizing off of. The wrapper is from one of the Tatuaje Cojonu blends, but underwent a third fermentation, resulting in a delicious oscuro wrapper. Today we sparked up two of these ultra-rare Noellas, and here is what we found:
Pre-light: Cigar is extremely dark and oily. A sweet, musty alfalfa hay scent dominates over a subtle cocoa bean aroma.
First third: The Noella Reserva starts out with an organic spice in the first few puffs. We both got hints of basil, but those notes quickly changed to a strong black pepper and cinnamon taste. I must write more about the cinnamon flavor, as it was truly unique. Ben describes it as the best example of cinnamon I have ever tasted in a cigar. I would agree with that statement this Noella had a one-of-a-kind taste that you wouldnt believe unless you smoked one. A sharp, spicy black pepper became prevalent in this first third as well, leaving a nice aftertaste after each exhale.
I suppose I should also inform you how we are smoking these cigars. All flavors, except when noted, are obtained through retrohaling that is, blowing the smoke out of our noses instead of our mouths. This is, in our opinions, the only way to truly taste a cigar. We will occasionally let you know what the regular exhale tasted like, but because of its vast inferiority, we do not use this method very often.
Toward the end of this third, an extremely rich and sweet caramel took over. Ben and I were both amazed at how rich the caramel became. It was almost as sweet as caramel syrup on ice cream. When we exhaled regularly (through the mouth), the caramel was much less prevalent and all hints of pepper disappeared as well, leaving us with a very leathery taste. It should be noted how this cigar changes completely when retrohaling versus regular exhaling. At the current going rate for these cigars ($30, and thats if you can find any), if you dont retrohale you might as well just set it in the ashtray and look at it for an hour and a half.
Second third: I noticed the leather coming from the background and taking center stage in the beginning of our second third. Ben was lucky enough to still have much of the cinnamon at this point. Soon enough the caramel came back, and a white pepper showed up as well. This continues for a while, and toward the end of this third the Noella becomes leathery again. We both noted how small puffs on this cigar brought out the sweet caramel, and larger draws showed an abundance of leather. A regular exhale brought us leather and although there were no spices present, we both noticed a definite nicotine punch. It is amazing how much of a kick this cigar still has after 4+ years.
Final third: The Noella picked up strength in its last third. It was predominately sweet, although this time in the form of cane sugar as opposed to the caramel from earlier. Once again, this cigar turned to complete leather for a few minutes. After that, the caramel came back. We both agreed that it was about 80% rich, sweet caramel at this point and white pepper appeared in the background. Ben and I noted how refined this cigar has become no metallic hints or bitterness whatsoever. At the very nub, it became incredibly floral. Definitely make sure to completely nub this cigar if you ever smoke one, because those floral notes were absolutely spectacular. We reluctantly set these down after being unable to smoke them without burning our lips. Final smoking time for this near-perfect cigar was 95 minutes.
The Noella Reserva was outstanding when it was first released in 2006, and looking back I would not have thought it could get any better. But it has done nothing but improve with age, and we were floored at how incredibly complex it was. Flavors changed on a whim, and we noted the absolute best cinnamon and caramel flavors we have ever experienced from a cigar. Well worth the $30 per cigar we have recently seen it selling for, and be sure to smoke it slowly to get the most out of it.
-------------------------------------
When Ben and I decided to start this site, there was no question in our minds that we needed to kick it off with a bang. We wanted an elusive cigar one that many had heard about but few had ever tasted. After pondering a variety of intriguing candidates, we settled upon the original Noella Reserva from Tatuaje. Only 230-some boxes were ever made of this Noella variant in late-2006, and it is the cigar that started the limited-run craze that many boutique cigar manufacturers are now capitalizing off of. The wrapper is from one of the Tatuaje Cojonu blends, but underwent a third fermentation, resulting in a delicious oscuro wrapper. Today we sparked up two of these ultra-rare Noellas, and here is what we found:
Pre-light: Cigar is extremely dark and oily. A sweet, musty alfalfa hay scent dominates over a subtle cocoa bean aroma.
First third: The Noella Reserva starts out with an organic spice in the first few puffs. We both got hints of basil, but those notes quickly changed to a strong black pepper and cinnamon taste. I must write more about the cinnamon flavor, as it was truly unique. Ben describes it as the best example of cinnamon I have ever tasted in a cigar. I would agree with that statement this Noella had a one-of-a-kind taste that you wouldnt believe unless you smoked one. A sharp, spicy black pepper became prevalent in this first third as well, leaving a nice aftertaste after each exhale.
I suppose I should also inform you how we are smoking these cigars. All flavors, except when noted, are obtained through retrohaling that is, blowing the smoke out of our noses instead of our mouths. This is, in our opinions, the only way to truly taste a cigar. We will occasionally let you know what the regular exhale tasted like, but because of its vast inferiority, we do not use this method very often.
Toward the end of this third, an extremely rich and sweet caramel took over. Ben and I were both amazed at how rich the caramel became. It was almost as sweet as caramel syrup on ice cream. When we exhaled regularly (through the mouth), the caramel was much less prevalent and all hints of pepper disappeared as well, leaving us with a very leathery taste. It should be noted how this cigar changes completely when retrohaling versus regular exhaling. At the current going rate for these cigars ($30, and thats if you can find any), if you dont retrohale you might as well just set it in the ashtray and look at it for an hour and a half.
Second third: I noticed the leather coming from the background and taking center stage in the beginning of our second third. Ben was lucky enough to still have much of the cinnamon at this point. Soon enough the caramel came back, and a white pepper showed up as well. This continues for a while, and toward the end of this third the Noella becomes leathery again. We both noted how small puffs on this cigar brought out the sweet caramel, and larger draws showed an abundance of leather. A regular exhale brought us leather and although there were no spices present, we both noticed a definite nicotine punch. It is amazing how much of a kick this cigar still has after 4+ years.
Final third: The Noella picked up strength in its last third. It was predominately sweet, although this time in the form of cane sugar as opposed to the caramel from earlier. Once again, this cigar turned to complete leather for a few minutes. After that, the caramel came back. We both agreed that it was about 80% rich, sweet caramel at this point and white pepper appeared in the background. Ben and I noted how refined this cigar has become no metallic hints or bitterness whatsoever. At the very nub, it became incredibly floral. Definitely make sure to completely nub this cigar if you ever smoke one, because those floral notes were absolutely spectacular. We reluctantly set these down after being unable to smoke them without burning our lips. Final smoking time for this near-perfect cigar was 95 minutes.
The Noella Reserva was outstanding when it was first released in 2006, and looking back I would not have thought it could get any better. But it has done nothing but improve with age, and we were floored at how incredibly complex it was. Flavors changed on a whim, and we noted the absolute best cinnamon and caramel flavors we have ever experienced from a cigar. Well worth the $30 per cigar we have recently seen it selling for, and be sure to smoke it slowly to get the most out of it.
opeyes:
