So I stopped by one of the Tatuaje events in CO on Friday. It was great to see Pete again and we talked with him for a bit. I was telling him that I really liked the cigar he gave me back at the Big Smoke and asking questions about all his new stuff! Well it came up that my favorite size is a lonsdale. He had exactly one more of the La Riquezas left (he was going to smoke it, but instead offered it to me), and it happened to be the No. 1, which is the Cervantes. Cervantes is an old factory name for a Lonsdale with a ring gauge of 42 and (I think!) a length of 6.5" (other examples of factory lonsdale names include Dalias and Cazadores).
The cigar itself did not have the best appearance I have ever seen, mostly due to the Connecticuit Broadleaf wrapper. Very tasty wrapper, one of my favorites, but not the best-looking out there. Although appearance (in my opinion) is the least important aspect of a cigar.
Pre-light draw and smell were great. A very fresh, sweet taste, and you can tell that this stick is going to be a flavor bomb!
The first few puffs were pure bliss! This was honestly the best-tasting cigar that I had smoked in quite some time. The predominant flavor in the beginning was a sweet, grassy taste. Imagine that awesome smell of the grass when you step outside after a rainstorm, but even sweeter than that. One thing I really noticed, especially toward the beginning, was that when I exhaled through my nose there was no stinging or harshness whatsoever. I normally exhale about 30% of the smoke out of my nose, and I've been working on bringing that number up, but with the La Riqueza I could easily exhale at least half of the smoke through my nose. This cigar starts out very medium-bodied. I would hesitate to say anything by Pete Johnson is just a touch milder than a true medium-bodied stick, but the La Riquezas have delicacy and finesse that not many others have.
Some caramel/chocolaty tastes start coming through after a little bit, and the cigar definitely gets stronger as you go along. Great flavors throughout the entire stick. The post-rain sweetness miraculously managed to stick with this cigar until the very end. Very nice dark flavors that you would regularly pin on a maduro, although this wrapper is quite dark. Towards the last couple thirds there was a prominent earthy flavor. Not the typical earthy flavor that I usually notice, but this could be likened to the richest, darkest, most fertile soil you could imagine.
I wish I could describe/remember all of the flavors I was getting from this cigar. I would describe the body toward the end as just a bit stronger than medium, but I wouldn't say medium-full. It is quite possibly the most full-flavored cigar I smoked. There are a plethora of extremely strong flavors (not strong in harshness but strong as in how prevalent they were) such as that beautiful post-shower sweetness, the rich, earthy soil, the chocolate that seemed to have the tiniest amount of caramel to it (the caramel like I notice in some fresh Johnny-O! Lonsdales), and even a coffee-ish flavor (can't pinpoint this one, but it was closer to an actual brewed coffee than it was to the smell of oily, unground beans).
Talking to him halfway through it, I likened it to a couple of the Bolivar Lonsdales I smoked right when they were re-released last summer. I thought they shared a bit of the sweetness. Pete said he smoked a 2007 EL RyJ Escudos and almost thought it was a La Riqueza! I am really looking forward to trying out the other sizes, especially the CG (Mag 46s are/were probably my favorite regular production stick).
Pete stopped by the B&M I work at the next morning, and I gave him my last Bolivar Gold Medal from 6/07 that I had promised him the night before when I found out he hadn't had one of the new ones yet.
The La Riqueza had better win best cigar of the year in every cigar magazine. I haven't tried one of the Blacks yet, or the Cabaiguan Maduros, but after this La Riqueza I'm more excited about their release than any other cigar this year (including ERs, ELs, book releases, etc.).
The only other thing I could comment on is that I believe these cigars will be smoked best when fresh. There is no ligero that needs to mellow out for a few years, and I cannot see the intensity and number of flavors increasing with age. The La Riqueza is truly a great cigar, and I have a feeling that after smoking more of them they will easily make it to my top 5 list and might become my favorite regular-production cigar.
I'm sorry if you read through all of that just to get to the pictures. Here are a few of me smoking it in the shop and one on the way home.
Pic of the cigar in cellophane. Not how they'll look in boxes. The cigar I had was one rolled by a student/apprentice roller. And it was STILL one of the best cigars I've had to date!
Sittin' on the Palio!
Another glamor shot with my favorite cutter!
It's harder than it might seem to light a cigar while not looking at it! It was funny because I pulled out my Bic, looked at it, put it back. Pulled out my Ronson, looked at it, put it back. Then turned around and asked if anyond had a nicer lighter!
The most beautiful thing I have ever stuck in my mouth. :rofl:
A bit of the way into it. Very great burn. Draw was perfect.
Not even close to being finished with it!
That about does it! I believe they are due to be released sometime like late May/early June. Buy a box or two -- you won't regret it!
Also, thanks to Havana Manor (www.havanamanor.com) in Longmont, CO (and Louisville, CO, but I didn't go to that one) for hosting this wonderful Tatuaje event! I also got the chance to pick up a box of RC184s. Those are delicious cigars, too!
TYLER
The cigar itself did not have the best appearance I have ever seen, mostly due to the Connecticuit Broadleaf wrapper. Very tasty wrapper, one of my favorites, but not the best-looking out there. Although appearance (in my opinion) is the least important aspect of a cigar.
Pre-light draw and smell were great. A very fresh, sweet taste, and you can tell that this stick is going to be a flavor bomb!
The first few puffs were pure bliss! This was honestly the best-tasting cigar that I had smoked in quite some time. The predominant flavor in the beginning was a sweet, grassy taste. Imagine that awesome smell of the grass when you step outside after a rainstorm, but even sweeter than that. One thing I really noticed, especially toward the beginning, was that when I exhaled through my nose there was no stinging or harshness whatsoever. I normally exhale about 30% of the smoke out of my nose, and I've been working on bringing that number up, but with the La Riqueza I could easily exhale at least half of the smoke through my nose. This cigar starts out very medium-bodied. I would hesitate to say anything by Pete Johnson is just a touch milder than a true medium-bodied stick, but the La Riquezas have delicacy and finesse that not many others have.
Some caramel/chocolaty tastes start coming through after a little bit, and the cigar definitely gets stronger as you go along. Great flavors throughout the entire stick. The post-rain sweetness miraculously managed to stick with this cigar until the very end. Very nice dark flavors that you would regularly pin on a maduro, although this wrapper is quite dark. Towards the last couple thirds there was a prominent earthy flavor. Not the typical earthy flavor that I usually notice, but this could be likened to the richest, darkest, most fertile soil you could imagine.
I wish I could describe/remember all of the flavors I was getting from this cigar. I would describe the body toward the end as just a bit stronger than medium, but I wouldn't say medium-full. It is quite possibly the most full-flavored cigar I smoked. There are a plethora of extremely strong flavors (not strong in harshness but strong as in how prevalent they were) such as that beautiful post-shower sweetness, the rich, earthy soil, the chocolate that seemed to have the tiniest amount of caramel to it (the caramel like I notice in some fresh Johnny-O! Lonsdales), and even a coffee-ish flavor (can't pinpoint this one, but it was closer to an actual brewed coffee than it was to the smell of oily, unground beans).
Talking to him halfway through it, I likened it to a couple of the Bolivar Lonsdales I smoked right when they were re-released last summer. I thought they shared a bit of the sweetness. Pete said he smoked a 2007 EL RyJ Escudos and almost thought it was a La Riqueza! I am really looking forward to trying out the other sizes, especially the CG (Mag 46s are/were probably my favorite regular production stick).
Pete stopped by the B&M I work at the next morning, and I gave him my last Bolivar Gold Medal from 6/07 that I had promised him the night before when I found out he hadn't had one of the new ones yet.
The La Riqueza had better win best cigar of the year in every cigar magazine. I haven't tried one of the Blacks yet, or the Cabaiguan Maduros, but after this La Riqueza I'm more excited about their release than any other cigar this year (including ERs, ELs, book releases, etc.).
The only other thing I could comment on is that I believe these cigars will be smoked best when fresh. There is no ligero that needs to mellow out for a few years, and I cannot see the intensity and number of flavors increasing with age. The La Riqueza is truly a great cigar, and I have a feeling that after smoking more of them they will easily make it to my top 5 list and might become my favorite regular-production cigar.
I'm sorry if you read through all of that just to get to the pictures. Here are a few of me smoking it in the shop and one on the way home.
Pic of the cigar in cellophane. Not how they'll look in boxes. The cigar I had was one rolled by a student/apprentice roller. And it was STILL one of the best cigars I've had to date!
Sittin' on the Palio!
Another glamor shot with my favorite cutter!
It's harder than it might seem to light a cigar while not looking at it! It was funny because I pulled out my Bic, looked at it, put it back. Pulled out my Ronson, looked at it, put it back. Then turned around and asked if anyond had a nicer lighter!
The most beautiful thing I have ever stuck in my mouth. :rofl:
A bit of the way into it. Very great burn. Draw was perfect.
Not even close to being finished with it!
That about does it! I believe they are due to be released sometime like late May/early June. Buy a box or two -- you won't regret it!
Also, thanks to Havana Manor (www.havanamanor.com) in Longmont, CO (and Louisville, CO, but I didn't go to that one) for hosting this wonderful Tatuaje event! I also got the chance to pick up a box of RC184s. Those are delicious cigars, too!
TYLER
I just bought my first, haven't smoked it yet, and this was the first review that showed up on Google.