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BoM Jan '11
Tatuaje, in Spanish it simply means “tattoo”, however, if uttered to any lover of Nicaraguan cigars, perhaps the words “tasty” or “superb” are more likely come to mind, or maybe that’s just me. Regardless, I’m sitting here today in the afternoon sun with a Tatuaje Cojonu 2003 at my side, hoping this cigar will encapsulate those words.
The cigar itself, a Nicaraguan Puro measuring 6.5X52 feels rather large for a Toro, but of course I’ve never judge a cigar by its size, alas it’s all about how it smokes. The wrapper itself is a wonderful milky brown Corojo with many small to medium veins and an oil sheen akin to the matt finish of a photograph. Some spotting and imperfections are apparent, but I suspect this is this is largely due to age. The filler has a semi-dry spongy presence to it and I can feel it crackling somewhat between my fingers, I remain hopeful this will burn well.
Pre-light: The beautifully formed triple cap clips evening producing a great draw, on which are carried notes of cedar, spice and mild tobacco hints. Fragrances from the wrapper and foot are of rather strong barnyard nuances with background notes of cedar coupled with hints of spice and mild tobacco.
Lighting: The foot cherries more quickly than I am accustomed too under the fire of my single jet flame lighter. The light is very mild as opposed to the spice that normally accompanies that of most Tatuaje sticks; Cedar, sweet nuances, light spice and faint hints of almond round out the flavours at the onset of this smoking experience.
First Third: This cigar remains extremely mild until WELL into the first third, even after 10 to 15 minutes there is little to no change in the flavour profile which I found rather unusual. Finally after 20-25 pass, the profile begins to deepen; Cedar and almond become slightly deeper with a rather heavy spice following closely behind that is completed by toasty nuances that linger nicely for some time after the draw. The retro-hale shares quite a few similarities with draw itself exuding fragrances of heavy cedar, almond, spice; The ambient burn also carries notes of cedar, almond and spice but is somewhat lighter. Despite the odd short comings of the flavor profile, the burn is superb with no blistering or issues while firmly holding 2 and a half inches of ash the first third comes to an end.
Second Third: Shortly after entering into the second third, the near three inch ash finally gives way in my stinky, eliminating the anxiety I held over ashing on my keyboard. It still takes quite some time for the burn to progress until a change takes place; About half way through the second, the almond notes present in the previous third begin to take on a prominent roll, accented by lovely toasty notes. Cedar and spice have faded away to a hint, although a pleasing finish of creamy leather has taken their place. The retro-hale also experienced a moderate change mimicking the draw, toasty almond and leather flavours become highlights to the senses as I take in wisps of expelled smoke, replacing notes of cedar and spice. The ambient burn has deepened some also, now taking on a rather deep cedar-almond with leather accents. The burn continues to progress in good form without any issues or blistering, firmly grasping 2 or more inches of ash before entering the finale.
Final Third: Unfortunately while entering the last third, the draw became tight and extinguished on me which forced me to ash and re-light, however, this produced a second wind of sorts. Spice picked up suddenly with force, now heading the pinnacle of the flavor profile, replacing the aforementioned almond entirely, though plenty of leather and toasty nuances continue to linger on the palate. The-retrohale comes through for a strong finish as well, the cedar has dropped away to make room for notes of toasted almond, with a heavily weighted finish of leather and spice. The ambient burn continues to produce a plethora of notes, cedar and toasty almond are quite full and are also completed by leather and spice. The burn towards the finale has taken a somewhat sporadic turn, it wasn’t as even as I would have liked to have seen and the ash became loose and dropped unevenly leaving a rather toothy and haggard appearance.
Final Thoughts: While aspects of this cigar were enjoyable, I found the overall experience to be somewhat displeasing. I picked this particular smoke up from a reputable retailer, so I would assume that it was stored and maintained properly to the point of being received by me where it was further stored in my humidor for another month or two at 68F and 65-70 RH. Now while any cigar is bound to become mellow with age, this one mellowed out beyond what I had expected. The flavour changes were what I would describe as sluggish and didn’t seem to waver much from the initial profile that was present at the light. To its credit however, what this cigar lacked in complexity it made up for in consistency, progressing steadily towards a strong finish that I would say fit the profile of many other cigars in the Tatuaje line.
The only thing I really remain undecided on is the burn. It progressed evenly and drew well for a whole two thirds, holding ash in excess of two inches and was completely absent of any issues until the finish where the draw suddenly became tight and the cigar went out. After removing the ash, it relit without a problem and drew well once again but the burn continued unevenly and barely held ash at all.
I suppose I remain reserved about the Tatuaje cojonu 2003 as I would like to smoke more of these cigars before I deliver a final judgement as it was far from a terrible experience, but at the price tag I just felt it left certain aspects to be desired.
Total Smoking time was just over an hour and a half.
Cheers,
Shawn
The cigar itself, a Nicaraguan Puro measuring 6.5X52 feels rather large for a Toro, but of course I’ve never judge a cigar by its size, alas it’s all about how it smokes. The wrapper itself is a wonderful milky brown Corojo with many small to medium veins and an oil sheen akin to the matt finish of a photograph. Some spotting and imperfections are apparent, but I suspect this is this is largely due to age. The filler has a semi-dry spongy presence to it and I can feel it crackling somewhat between my fingers, I remain hopeful this will burn well.
Pre-light: The beautifully formed triple cap clips evening producing a great draw, on which are carried notes of cedar, spice and mild tobacco hints. Fragrances from the wrapper and foot are of rather strong barnyard nuances with background notes of cedar coupled with hints of spice and mild tobacco.
Lighting: The foot cherries more quickly than I am accustomed too under the fire of my single jet flame lighter. The light is very mild as opposed to the spice that normally accompanies that of most Tatuaje sticks; Cedar, sweet nuances, light spice and faint hints of almond round out the flavours at the onset of this smoking experience.
First Third: This cigar remains extremely mild until WELL into the first third, even after 10 to 15 minutes there is little to no change in the flavour profile which I found rather unusual. Finally after 20-25 pass, the profile begins to deepen; Cedar and almond become slightly deeper with a rather heavy spice following closely behind that is completed by toasty nuances that linger nicely for some time after the draw. The retro-hale shares quite a few similarities with draw itself exuding fragrances of heavy cedar, almond, spice; The ambient burn also carries notes of cedar, almond and spice but is somewhat lighter. Despite the odd short comings of the flavor profile, the burn is superb with no blistering or issues while firmly holding 2 and a half inches of ash the first third comes to an end.
Second Third: Shortly after entering into the second third, the near three inch ash finally gives way in my stinky, eliminating the anxiety I held over ashing on my keyboard. It still takes quite some time for the burn to progress until a change takes place; About half way through the second, the almond notes present in the previous third begin to take on a prominent roll, accented by lovely toasty notes. Cedar and spice have faded away to a hint, although a pleasing finish of creamy leather has taken their place. The retro-hale also experienced a moderate change mimicking the draw, toasty almond and leather flavours become highlights to the senses as I take in wisps of expelled smoke, replacing notes of cedar and spice. The ambient burn has deepened some also, now taking on a rather deep cedar-almond with leather accents. The burn continues to progress in good form without any issues or blistering, firmly grasping 2 or more inches of ash before entering the finale.
Final Third: Unfortunately while entering the last third, the draw became tight and extinguished on me which forced me to ash and re-light, however, this produced a second wind of sorts. Spice picked up suddenly with force, now heading the pinnacle of the flavor profile, replacing the aforementioned almond entirely, though plenty of leather and toasty nuances continue to linger on the palate. The-retrohale comes through for a strong finish as well, the cedar has dropped away to make room for notes of toasted almond, with a heavily weighted finish of leather and spice. The ambient burn continues to produce a plethora of notes, cedar and toasty almond are quite full and are also completed by leather and spice. The burn towards the finale has taken a somewhat sporadic turn, it wasn’t as even as I would have liked to have seen and the ash became loose and dropped unevenly leaving a rather toothy and haggard appearance.
Final Thoughts: While aspects of this cigar were enjoyable, I found the overall experience to be somewhat displeasing. I picked this particular smoke up from a reputable retailer, so I would assume that it was stored and maintained properly to the point of being received by me where it was further stored in my humidor for another month or two at 68F and 65-70 RH. Now while any cigar is bound to become mellow with age, this one mellowed out beyond what I had expected. The flavour changes were what I would describe as sluggish and didn’t seem to waver much from the initial profile that was present at the light. To its credit however, what this cigar lacked in complexity it made up for in consistency, progressing steadily towards a strong finish that I would say fit the profile of many other cigars in the Tatuaje line.
The only thing I really remain undecided on is the burn. It progressed evenly and drew well for a whole two thirds, holding ash in excess of two inches and was completely absent of any issues until the finish where the draw suddenly became tight and the cigar went out. After removing the ash, it relit without a problem and drew well once again but the burn continued unevenly and barely held ash at all.
I suppose I remain reserved about the Tatuaje cojonu 2003 as I would like to smoke more of these cigars before I deliver a final judgement as it was far from a terrible experience, but at the price tag I just felt it left certain aspects to be desired.
Total Smoking time was just over an hour and a half.
Cheers,
Shawn
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