Tatuaje Reserva J21

I'm tripping out to the garage for a night of expensive blockbusters, with a Tatuaje Reserva J21 and a DVD of 'Transformers 3: dark of the Moon'. The former, an orgy of delicious Nicaraguan tobaccos and the latter, an orgy of spectacular CGI robots. I'm hopeful for lots of action on both fronts.

First kiss of the toothy wrapper, even before ignition, brings spice to my lips. Once flame commences, the explosions of peppery spice and bold, earthy wood light up my palate like a Tatuaje Miami on steroids. The spicy intro gives way to a bold melange of earthy wood, coffee, and bitter coca notes; signature Nicaraguan flavors. The spicy notes lurk in the background, and come closer to the fore near the nub.

 I think I'll just shut this horrific movie off so I can enjoy the exquisite nub in a semblance of peace. The blonde actress with the Angelina Jolie too-puffy lips is annoying, and I can't believe they scripted Nimoy's CGI robot to spew the line about the "needs of the many.."

For the occasional treat, Tatuaje Reserva is worth the extra couple bucks over the standard, brown-band Miami line. I'd buy another Reserva, but I don't know about any more dreadful Michael Bay films. Not unless he brings back Megan Fox.

Tatuaje Miami Noella

For many years, I seldom had any cigars in my humidor with ring gauge of less than 50, with the mid 50s being preferable. Fat cigars fit my fat fingers and fat face, so that's what I rolled with. Perdomo 10th Anniversary, check. Camacho Diploma, check. Even the tubby Nub, check.

Until the day I grabbed a Tatuaje Miami Noella. Wow. Though the 42-ring cigar felt tiny in the grip of my bratwurst-shaped fingers, the flavors and experience opened up new avenues to explore.

Tatuaje Miami Noella

One of Pete Johnson's earlier lines, Tatuaje Miami is a stalwart Nicaraguan puro rolled by Pepin Garcia. The chocolate brown wrapper is webbed with small veins, but has a silky texture with a mildly oily sheen. The draw has a perfect balance of resistance and smoke. Ash only holds on for just over an inch, perhaps due to the narrowish ring gauge.

The first half-inch is an explosion of woody spice, retrohaling will give you splinters here. The blast tones down to a steady pace of bold, woody tones with dark earth and leather. The spice subtly comes in again near the nub. Definitely a medium-bodied cigar with a muscular intro.

Tatuaje Miami Noellas are one of my frequent favorites, and I almost always leave the shop with a pair of these. If they would cost considerably less than $8, I'd walk away with considerably more of them. But, that's Life, right?

La Riqueza no. 3

What's in a name? Or, for that matter, a number? Some times a dish at your local Chinese restaurant, but in a cigar, a nod to Cuban cigar tradicion on both counts. 'La Riqueza' is a classic cigar name from Habana, and any habanophile will list off his favorites by numbers; Montecristo no. 2, Partagas Serie D no. 4, etc. Tatuaje mastermind Pete Johnson shows his affection for Cuban cigar tradition with both the name of this line and the numbering of the vitolas.

La Riqueza no. 3

The La Riqueza no. 3 is a box-pressy  5 5/8 x 46 Nicaraguan puro. If I remember right, I paid $60 for the box on the Devil's auction site. Not terribly expensive, though these will run you $7-8 in a cigar shop.

Once liberated from the cellophane sleeve, A quick whiff at the foot yields a smell of musty leather, wood. The dry, toothy wrapper isn't particularly smooth, but has a couple moderate veins.

Initial woody notes with a gentle, white pepper spice in the first 1/2 inch. After that, the spice subsides, and the rest of the cigar 's flavors are mainly wood and coffee. Just a nice, medium-bodied flavor that didn't vary much over the hour it took to burn.

The no. 3 is a nice, polite cigar that is heavy on neither the palate nor the wallet. Just like the Chow Mein #21 with egg roll..