Tatuaje Seleccion De Cazador 7th Reserva

I really don’t know much about this cigar at all. I believe it is called the “7th Reserva” because it is the 7th vitola in Tatuaje’s “Reserva” line. Makes sense enough. This was my first Tatuaje, (though not my first Pete Johnson cigar). It’s a very nice looking cigar, and I’m excited to dig in.

Statistics

CotM: May 2013







Chosen by: z6joker9

z6joker9





Shape: Parejo







Size: 5″5/8 x 46







Country of Origin: Nicaragua







Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf







Binder: Nicaraguan







Filler: Nicaraguan







Color: Colorado Maduro







Strength: Medium-Full







Price Paid: $9.00







Smoke Date: 7/09/2013

7/09/2013





Age: 2 months

Accessories Used

Cuban Crafters Perfect Cutter (Silver & Carbon Fiber), Bugatti B-2002 lighter with “pyramid” double-flame torch, Handmade English walnut ashtray made by wedgewoodrings.

Pairing

1998-year Lao Cha Tou Ripe Pu-erh tea in a Japanese blue dragonfly teapot with matching cup. This is an aged and fermented tea style, traditional to China. Lao Cha Tou are “nuggets” of fermented tea that become stuck together in the fermentation process. It produces a very rich, earthy tea, unlike what most Westerners are used to as “tea”. The sweet earthiness really brought home the chocolate flavors in the smoke.

Appearance/Nose

Ok, so this is something new for me. This cigar is sparkly. Looking closely at the wrapper, amid the ample toothiness, there seem to be little crystals that sparkle when they catch the light. It’s not really a dusting, just like a few flecks here and there. Is this plume? It is a bit like the cigar was sprinkled with glitter. (Or maybe this is an extension of their “Monsters” line: a sparkly vampire inspired by Twilight? Maybe not.) Sadly, I wasn’t able to capture the sparkles on camera. The wrapper itself was beautiful, dark brown, toothy and sparkly. The bands were simple and elegant. The “Tatuaje” band was reddish brown with a row of fleur de lises that seems inspired by the classic Montecristo band. The black and gold “Reserva” band was lightly embossed. The nose was chocolatey, with a good dose of pumpernickel bread at the foot.

Construction

The triple caps were a bit wobbly, and there were a couple of large veins on one side. There were no soft or hard spots, and everything else seemed excellent. The ash wash white and gray, and held for about an inch at a time. It was a bit flakey when it did fall.

Cold Draw

The cold draw was very tight, and had the flavors of black pepper and coffee.

Smoking

First third

Right away, smoke production was very high. The draw opened up to a smooth, medium pull.

The initial flavors were black pepper and chocolate. This was a very peppery beginning. There was a sweet undertone, a bit like sweet chili and red wine. The burn was razor sharp.

The smoke continued to be bountiful, and the flavors continued to be cocoa and coffee, with a lot of black pepper.

I got a bit of Indian spices and earthiness coming in as the first third wound down. The black pepper on the finish stayed potent.

Second third

The pepper stayed strong, and dominated the flavor. Smoke production calmed down a little bit.

By about the halfway point, the flavor was earthy with that same mega-dose of black pepper. The sweetness pretty much disappeared, never to be seen again. The finish was very dry.

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Final third

The burn continued to be exemplary, while the flavor continued on with black pepper, with a very earth tobacco taste. The retrohale stung my nostrils.

After both bands were removed, the smoke developed a creamy quality, and increased in quantity by a lot. My mouth remained buried underneath a heap black pepper right up to the end. The burn stayed straight, and the draw remained perfect.

Notes

Draw: Perfect

Perfect





Body: Full

Full





Primary Flavors: Black pepper, more black pepper, tobacco

Black pepper, more black pepper, tobacco





Smoke Output: High

High





Smoke Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Overall

After a promising start, this stick quickly turned into a bit of a pepper orgy. Pepper, pepper, pepper. I found myself wishing that this stick was sweeter–something to balance out the pepper! If the flavors from the first third had stuck around longer, I believe I would have liked the 7th Reserva quite a bit more. It was an excellent stick for people who are really into earth and (especially) black pepper. The construction was excellent; the draw was smooth, the burn never wavered, and the stick produced ample smoke the whole way through. I enjoyed it, especially in the first third, and for the beautiful construction and performance, but overall, the flavor profile just wasn’t my bag.

Rating