Tatuaje Cojonu 2003

TATUAJE COJONU 2003
6 1/2 x 52

This big ass toro was the first cigar released in Tatuaje's "Cojonu" line, which is a series of cigars started in 2003, with a new addition to the line every 3 years ('06 and '09 are here, '12 will be next). The concept seems to be power (Cojonu... cojones... ballsy...) So I am expecting a bit of a punch from this big ***. I'm not a huge fan of larger format cigars, but when I smoke them, I prefer that they not be much fatter than this, and instead make up for size in length, so for a huge smoke, this is right up my alley. The appearance is very nice. It has a molten milk chocolate wrapper, with a fair amount of mottling (which in my experience, while not even and aesthetically great, tends to mean amazing wrapper flavor) like a bunch of oil has soaked into the wrapper. The seams are tight, and the cap is perfectly applied. The pack feels a little light near the foot, but otherwise is even with just a slight give to it. The foot gives an aroma of earthy dark chocolate with a very slight black cherry aroma, that is pretty cool. Honestly, this cigar LOOKS ballsy, so I am going to be surprised if it doesn't deliver. The cold draw has just a slight tug of resistance, and gives an explosive dose of hot pepper flavor, like Serrano or Jalapeno peppers, and even leaves a tingle across the palette. There is also a good earthy tobacco flavor that lingers after the pepper is gone.

Lit at 3:30

Right away there is a burst of hot black pepper, and a dry leathery character on the draw. The finish is long and peppery... black pepper. The burn line isn't perfect, but I had a heck of a time getting this cigar lit (beautiful day, too windy for a soft flame, too bright to see my torch haha) It seems to want to burn better on one side than the other, so we'll see if it corrects itself.

(ladybug)

Something sweet has started to develop in the first third, like a bitter dark chocolate which is nice, and brings some complexity to the earlier pepper and leather combo. The ash is flaky, and showing a lot of tooth, which is interesting, since there wasn't an outright toothy quality to the wrapper before lighting (though it did have the appearance of leaf that had soaked up a lot of oil) The wrapper is still burning unevenly on one side, so it's looking like I may need to give it a hit from the touchup-torch. The ash is flaky, but hasn't fallen by the one inch mark. We shall see how long it holds... And in one of those awesome Nature moments, a ladybug just landed on the stick while it was sitting in the ashtray. Going to try to snap a quick photo before it runs off... Despite the size, this cigar seems to need a draw fairly often to keep from wanting to go out, at least once a minute, if not more often, which is a little fast for my normal smoking pace. Ash just fell... all over my lap. Looks like there might be a small tunnel shaping up in one spot, which isn't great. Hit it with a touch up after the ash fell, and everything seems to be going well now. The breeze out here might be affecting the burn as well.

Getting into the second third, things have settled nicely, and the burn has sorted itself out (for now). The flavor profile is big and bold, mixing leather and coffee on the draw, followed by sweet chocolate, and a black pepper finish, with what I can only describe as a light fruit flavor, like cherry, through the nose. The pepper finish is black pepper, and lasts a good long while, but isn't overpowering in terms of palette zing. Burn has definitely fixed itself, and it was definitely my fault that I was having problems. This cigar just needs more attention than most. Drawing more often definitely keeps things in check. My bad.

In the final third, just getting there, the sweetness is back in a big way, cedary in character, with continuing leather and bigger pepper. The body has also come up a bit. For the first half or so I couldn't feel any strength from this "ballsy" cigar, but here in the last third, the Ligero is starting to have a bit of an effect. Pepper is really ramping up as well, from black pepper to hot red pepper, burning like a wildfire across my tongue. Ouch.

Finished and let this bad boy go out around 5:15, for a total time of an hour and 45 minutes. Probably would have lasted a good while longer if not for the somewhat brisk pace this cigar required me to smoke at. It happens, and seems likely that it was just an example of inconsistency within a given blend. Not really anything to worry about. Overall, this didn't quite live up to the strength I was expecting to get, but it did deliver in the flavor and overall size of experience (in terms of having thick, round flavors, and great smoke production).

My Father No.1

My Father no. 1
5.2x52 parejo



The My Father line has quickly earned a reputation as a great cigar from the Garcia family of cigar makers (Jose "Don Pepin" Garcia et al) but the My Father also has a sentimental story to it that adds to the experience. It also helps that the no.1 size was chosen as Cigar Aficionado's number 3 cigar of the year for 2009.

This robusto-ish stick features a dark caramel colored wrapper, with a visible network of small veins running over it (none of them pronounced or raised). It looks to have impeccable construction, featuring tight seams, and a crafty little triple cap giving nods to Pepin's Cuban past. The aroma from the wrapper is light giving a slightly grassy smell off. The foot on the other hand features a robust spicy aromatic tobacco, not sweet, more like chilis and maybe cinnamon. The cold draw is loose and packs a spicy wollop, with maybe a tiny bit of ammonia on the tongue that hopefully will not rear its ugly head later.



Lit at 11:29pm.

Despite the loose draw, smoke production is out of this world. Great billowing clouds of white smoke come off the foot, and the draw. flavors right off the bat are a heavy blast of spice and pepper, with a cedar finish. Not a light, sweet cedar, but a rich, overwhelming cedar.

About an inch in I'm really sort of remembering my past experiences with this cigar which is a good thing. Consistently performing this well is a good thing! The flavors are pretty powerful. Not a lot of flavors, just very powerful in their presentation. There is a pepper and spice blast on the draw, followed by a slighty creamy coffee bean flavor, and a continuing creamy cedar finish that lasts for a good length of time. The ash is holding on for an unusually long time. I got paranoid, and rolled it off just before the second third started, to avoid ashing my laptop.

Second third brings more of the same cedar, coffee, and spice, but the peppery heat is definitely lessened. The spicy flavors of pepper and cinnamon are still perfectly discernable, and very bold in the middle, but without the burn. Finish is very cedar filled. Of note is the burn. It isn't a razor sharp line, but it evens itself out with each draw. It also WANTS to burn. I have set this cigar down for well over a minute without drawing, and it still draws and burns perfectly when I remember it, and get it smouldering again.

The final third starts with a ramping up of cinnamon flavor, plus some other dessert like spices (maybe nutmeg?) that bring a little earthy sweetness. There is a heat coming back through the nose, and a sort of lingering "zing" on the back of the tongue. Smoke production continues to be massive. The band is very ornate, with lots of fine gold trim, and attractive colors. Unfortunately there is a sizeable blob of glue that takes some wrapper with it upon removal.

Smoked this one down to the last inch before it finally got a little hot. Oh, and as for strength... this one never gets above medium-full at most really, which personally I like. Ended at 12:55am for a total smoke time of one hour 26 minutes. Very satisfying time, and some great flavors! The Garcias definitely have a winner here.