Tatuaje The Bride Review

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Tatuaje The Bride Cigar Review3

Up for review today is the Tatuaje The Bride, the final release in the famous Tatuaje “Monster” series that began in 2008.The Monster Series has always been a fun product to see released every year, mainly because it combines two of my favorite product marketing ploys: limited edition release and seasonal release.

According to Halfwheel, Pete Johnson called this cigar an “elegant monster”, clocking in at medium as opposed to some of his more full bodied monster releases (though you wouldn’t know that from the look of it). If this is to be the last of the Monster Series, I’d expect it to be…ergm.. Spooktacular. Or something.

Let’s find out.

Product Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Tatuaje The Bride
  • Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • Size: 7 1/8 x 49

Appearance & Construction

Tatuaje The Bride is an extremely attractive cigar (no pun intended). The outer Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper is a dark, rich brown, with lots of texture and ruggedness. There is one major imperfection on the leaf which you can see on the last photo in this review, and I’m curious to see if it impedes the overall experience of the cigar. Either way, it’s got quite an inviting look and I’m excited to smoke it.

The cigar is packed evenly, though there is one soft spot about two inches from the foot. Off the foot, I can detect notes of barnyard, black pepper, baking spices, and milk chocolate. Testing the cold draw (which is just about perfect in terms of restrictiveness), there’s a spice note that lingers on the tip of the tongue, along with cedar, dark chocolate, and touches of caramel. If the Tatuaje The Bride smokes anything like the pre-light ritual suggests, it will be a hell of a cigar.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

Tatuaje The Bride opens with lush, flavorful, and aromatic smoke. In order of strength are notes of black pepper, bitter espresso, salted meat, minerals, chocolate, peanuts, and finally sweet blackberry. It strikes a nice balance between salty, savory, bitter and sweet flavor categories. Testing out the retrohale, I’m greeted with a LOT of finely ground pepper and savory meats. The cigar clocks in above medium on both flavor and body, with above average smoke production. Overall, a solid start to The Bride, and I’m looking forward to the story developing.

At about twenty minutes in, the flavors shift subtly. The savory meat notes become more prominent, with a tangy sweet and sour sauce riding next to it. It’s an interesting combination for sure, but not the most complementary in my mind. Construction wise, the cigar is performing well, with a slightly uneven burn and an ash that doesn’t fall for two full inches.

As Tatuaje The Bride burns into the second third, the smoke takes on a dominant dry wood character, with supporting leather and pepper balanced out by cream and stone fruit notes. It’s quite nice, and even better because the retrohale has tamed down to something much more manageable and enjoyable. The second clump of ash is still holding on as well, with a perfectly straight burn line.

As the second third burns to a close, the strength and body of The Bride increases to just shy of full, though the retrohale remains fairly tame with a neutral, charcoal like flavor. Flavors shift dramatically away from that dominant dry wood and toward sweet, with creamy chocolate and confectionary spices balanced nicely against black pepper, charcoal, and leather. A fittingly sweet end for a Halloween themed Monster.

Conclusion

Tatuaje The Bride serves up quite a bit of unique experiences throughout its hour and fifteen minute life span, and I can heartily recommend snapping up a few before they’re gone. The profile journeys from sweet and savory, through bitter and spicy and back again, offering up lots of complexity and great construction along the way. I will say though that the profile is not always balanced or entirely complementary, so it doesn’t earn the highest marks.

Final Score: 91

Crafted By Jaime Garcia Toro Review

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crafted by jaime garcia review

Jaime Garcia son of the master blender Don “Pepin” Garcia has created a cigar that’s an homage to his father. “Crafted” By Jaime Garcia is a Nicaraguan Puro donning a Habano Rosado wrapper with Nicaraguan binders and filler grown on the Garcia’s farm. I have been a fan of the JG Especiale’s and have been looking forward to trying this cigar.

The Crafted By Jaime Garcia was released in three sizes:

  • Robusto: 5 x 50
  • Toro: 6 x 52
  • Toro Gordo: 6 x 60

Enjoy the review!

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Crafted By Jaime Garcia Toro
  • Wrapper:  Habano Rosado
  • Binder: Nicaraguan
  • Filler: Nicaraguan
  • Size:  6 x 52

crafted by jaime garcia review closeup

Appearance and Construction

The Jaime Garcia Crafted cigar is a richly hued red veiny wrapper. Full of tobacco with no soft spots and appears well rolled. It’s a solid toro with some heft in the hand. These are similar in color and design as the Especiale with the off white and blue label although this band simply reads “Jaime Garcia” then “Nicaragua” underneath.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

Before lighting the Jaime Garcia the wrapper has a saltiness to it which I’ve enjoyed with some Cuban cigars. As the cigar lights I am greeted by a bleach taste which I would surmise is due to insufficient fermentation of the Tobacco. Within the next few puffs the taste dissipates and milk chocolate and saltiness dominate. The sweetness of cocoa along with a blast of rich tobacco comes through and coats the palate. The salinity continues with cedar and a bit of oak.

crafted by jaime garcia toro review 2

The second half tobacco and earth intertwine with balsa wood and a bit of white pepper. The progression turns to minty flavors with more cedar. Sweetness begins to develop with earth on the finish. Midway some cinnamon and spice begin to cultivate giving the cigar a new liveliness to it. The milk chocolate returns on the retrohale as well as a bit of oak.

The last third delivers coffee and earthiness upfront with a finish of cocoa. Lots of spice and tobacco emerge and kick up the fullness of the cigar. The cigar burns a bit hot despite taking time to smoke. The salinity reappears although a lot more subtle than its start. As the Jaime Garcia reaches the end oak and tobacco round out the finish.

Conclusion

I’ve enjoyed the Jaime Garcia Especiale Reserva’s for their full flavor and spice. The Jaime Garcia “Craft” is a bit more subdued in taste than the Reserva line although it has a place in the JG profile. I was put off by the bleach flavor and a bit surprised as the Garcia’s have been known to be on top of their tobacco especially during the crucial fermentation process. I could guess with their larger factory it could be more of a rush to put product out but that is mere inference.  Regardless the cigar developed into some fine flavors harking back to the Especiale Reserva blend. If you’ve enjoyed the profile of the Jaime Garica Especiale’s then you should give Jaime Garcia Craft a comparative shot.

Powstanie Broadleaf Perfecto Review

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Powstanie Broadleaf Perfecto Review 5

Up for review today is the Powstanie Broadleaf Perfecto, a cigar that hails from the RoMa Craft factory.

I can’t say I knew much about these cigars before smoking them. Thankfully, Halfwheel has some good backstory:

The cigar is called Powstanie—poh-shan-yah—which is the Polish word for “uprising.” That theme extends over to the logo which was inspired by symbols used by the Polish resistance movement in World War II. As for the blends, there are actually two.

Mike Szczepankewicz told halfwheel that the brothers each created their own blends with the help of NicaSueño’s Esteban Disla and Skip Martin. They then let customers try the blends blind and give feedback as to which one they would like to have as a new line.

That out of the way, let’s get to the review.

Product Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Powstanie Broadleaf Perfecto
  • Wrapper: Broadleaf Maduro
  • Binder: Indonesia
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • Size: 5 x 50 Perfecto

Appearance & Construction

The Powstanie Broadleaf Perfecto comes with an interesting band: it’s modern, two-toned, and very eye catching. Shout out to the designers behind this label. The broadleaf wrapper is something to behold as well (I tried to catch as much detail as possible in the photos). The wrapper is quite rough and rugged, with a lot of texture and a very dark color. When squeezed, the cigar reveals itself to be packed tightly with very little give.

After cutting the cigar with the straight cut, I test the draw. It’s perfect, about a 7/10 in terms of amount of restrictiveness. The cold draw isn’t something to write home about. Just some pepper and cocoa notes. Off the foot of the cigar, I can smell dark chocolate chunks, cedar, and a little bit of pepper.

Powstanie Broadleaf Perfecto Review 4

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

The Powstanie Broadleaf opens with strong, highly concentrated smoke. Flavors include charred wood, grass, cocoa, earth, and pepper, and the retrohale features a very fine black pepper that’s strong but not totally overwhelming. Overall, it’s a dark, fairly straightforward profile that leans on the spicy/bitter end of the spectrum. On the construction side, smoke production is good, and it falls above medium but below full body.

At an inch in, the ash is holding strong and the burn is straight. Unfortunately, the flavor hasn’t developed so nicely. Instead, it’s reduced down almost entirely to black pepper, earth, some salt and mild cocoa powder. By halfway, there’s been little change to the profile, and the cigar overall is lacking complexity. Strength and body are both at full here.

The final third of the Powstanie Broadleaf Perfecto develops a bit with the addition of a generic sweet note, but it’s too little too late. The smoke heats up dramatically, making it necessary to end the smoke early.

Conclusion

The Powstanie Broadleaf Perfecto has a lot of potential, but it’s ultimately an underperforming cigar. It scores high marks on construction, but that’s about it. I spent most of the hour long smoke hoping that it would develop some nuance to the flavors, and it never did. I can’t recommend this cigar, but I am going to hunt down some of the other blends and try those.

Final Score: 78

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La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Reserva Maximo Review

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la aroma de cuba mi amor reserva maximo review

Pepin Garcia has been created legendary blends for others as well as himself for quite some time now. When the La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor came on the scene sporting a Mexican San Andres wrapper that showed many what flavors quality Mexican wrapper can deliver, the cigar was met with praise and became a staple in the Pepin Profile. The La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Reserva Maximo sports a Mexican Oscuro wrapper which gives something extra to this blend and the line. I was able to smoke the Maximo last week and these are my thoughts. Enjoy!

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Reserva Maximo
  • Wrapper:  Mexican Oscuro
  • Binder: Nicaraguan
  • Filler: Nicaraguan
  • Size:  5 1/2 x 54

Appearance and Construction

The La Aroma de Cuba has a gorgeous dark chocolate wrapper with the classic La Aroma De Cuba band in elegant gold, yellows and blue with the female portrait resting in the middle. There is a secondary band “Mi Amor Reserva” in red, white and surrounded by gold leaf noting the new line. The cigar is slightly firm to the touch and full of tobacco. There are some veins to this wrapper which doesn’t detract from the quality of the roll.

la aroma de cuba mi amor reserva maximo review 2

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

Lighting the La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Reserva Maximo, you get smokiness and toast at first. As the flavor builds a bit of spice and lush tobacco draws full into the mouthfeel. The spice upfront yields to graham cracker on the finish. In the next few puffs, nougat and cedar are coming forward big time. The cigar is already starting to show its complexity in the first third.

The second half of the La Aroma turns savory with tobacco, meat and leather.  The spice soon returns along with earth and cocoa powder. The flavors are really pronounced at this point, with earth dominating. The richness of the tobacco complimented by toasted wood and leather gets the palate salivating.

The final third brings milk chocolate followed by smokiness much like the beginning of the cigar. Earth and a core of pepper emerge that kicks up the profile and enlivens the senses. As the cigar comes to its conclusion spice, earth and toast intermingle creating a long finish.

A top notch smoke.

Conclusion

Don Pepin has hit the mark many times in his lines and with other peoples cigars that he’s blended. One could argue he has been overextended as some smokes don’t always deliver in terms of lasting flavor. I will say after meeting the man and picking him up at the airport once with his partner: he is a man that knows how to care for tobacco and the quality is always evident. The La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Reserva shows you how wonderful different types of Mexican leaf can be when blended and cared for properly. I felt this cigar is a masterful blend.

You should be smoking and buying a box for your humidor!

Davidoff Florida Selection Review

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Davidoff Florida Selection Review5

What’s better than a cigar and a book?

Answer: a Davidoff cigar, and a fantastic piece of religious writings (Wellsprings of Faith: The Imitation of Christ / The Dark Night of the Soul / The Interior Castle pictured above).

Today we review a very special cigar: the Davidoff Florida Selection, a 2018 Davidoff release that features Floridian tobacco. Before you too excited, you should know that contrary to what the name of this cigar might suggest, this isn’t a cigar that utilizes much Floridian tobacco. No Floridian wrapper or binder – just a bit of Floridian seco in the filler. More on that from Tobacco Business:

Made with a blend of Ecuadorean Habano 2000 wrapper, Nicaraguan binder grown in the Jalapa Valley and filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and including Florida Sun Grown from Jeff Borysiewicz’s Clermont, Florida, farm, Florida Selection 2018 presents a flavor profile that is intense, spicy and sweet that offers notes of licorice, fruit, oak, honey and spices.

To me, a bit disappointing that the name of the cigar bears such small proportional significance. Still, it is Davidoff, which means it demands attention, especially since production is limited to just 2,500 boxes of 10 for 25k total. So let’s get to the review.

Product Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Davidoff Florida Selection
  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
  • Binder: Nicaragua (Jalapa)
  • Filler: Dominican (piloto viso, San Vicente seco, Yamasa ligero) / Floridian seco
  • Size: 6 x 52 Belicoso

Appearance & Construction

The Davidoff Florida Selection features a rustic, textured Ecuadorian Habano wrapper with a few very prominent veins and a marbled brown color. On closer inspection, the cigar is packed pretty tightly and seems to be packed consistently, with very little give when squeezed.  The aroma off the foot of the cigar is divided evenly between hay bales, dry grass, oak, light coffee and assorted nuts. The pre light draw is packed with long lingering spiciness, cayenne pepper, and Oak.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

The Davidoff Florida Selection opens very much like a standard Davidoff.  Excellent smoke production, cool temperature, with notes of dominant cedar, mild white pepper, touches of cream and an overall dusty sort of texture on the nose. But four or five puffs later, the flavor on the palate shifts substantially, favoring heavy leather, cedar, and red and white pepper activating the tip of the tongue. Overall, the profile at the beginning leans toward bitter and spicy, with the retrohale split between wood, grass and white pepper.  It’s enjoyable, but noticeably out of balance. Flavor and strength here are both above medium, and it’s apparent that I’ll need a glass of water on hand for this cigar.

At half an inch in, a building cream note begins (thankfully) to balance out the dry wood and pepper, though spice still lingers on the tongue. The burn has begun to stray, requiring a touch up with a match. By an inch in, the cigar has found an excellent balance between notes of cooking spices, cedar, and cracked pepper and sweeter notes of cream, floral, and grass. Smoke temperature is cool and production remains voluminous. The ash, on the other hand, is pretty flaky and can’t seem to hold longer than 3/4 of an inch.

As the Davidoff Florida Selection moves into the second third, the burn wavers again and more substantially, requiring two more touch ups with soft flame. The flavors develop nicely, with lemon peel, toasted bread, and black pepper on the palate.

It’s in the beginning of final third though that the Davidoff Florida Selection finally hits its stride. Strength and body remain just above medium, and the dry cedar shifts to a creamy, sweet oak note which reduces the bitterness substantially. Alongside is black pepper, toasted bread, lemon meringue, and leather. Unfortunately, and the final inch and a half sees the heat of the smoke increase, and the flavor is reduced to just pepper, cedar, and burnt bread.

Not the ending I was hoping for.

Conclusion

The Davidoff Florida Selection has a lot going for it, but it doesn’t achieve the level of quality I expect from Davidoff cigars. Construction is lacking, as is balance for much of the smoking time.

Don’t get me wrong. The Davidoff Florida Selection smokes like a good $15 – $20 cigar. But no way does it smoke like a $35 cigar.

I’ll grab something a bit more interesting (and less expensive) for my next reading session.

Final Score: 86

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