Tag Archives: tatuaje

by | October 22, 2023 · 10:38 am

Some Tatuaje Cigars and a Visit to Legacy Cigar Lounge

This week was a week of events, I didn’t necessarily smoke any new cigars, but some that were new to me.  Nothing in my contract says I have to write about new to the market cigars every week, although I do try to stay current. Fortunately, due to the generosity of a long time reader, I have some new stuff coming up, so stay tuned!  This week was the tenth anniversary of Cigar Mojo, a local shop which I have been friendly with since the beginning.  I was there for the soft launch and have watched their progression from their first shop and lounge, to their current location, to a second location.  I really wanted to make the trip to the flagship location, only 10 miles down the road in King of Prussia, PA, but I had a physically exhausting day, and didn’t have it in me to deal with the traffic, and, honestly, be social.  I just wanted to relax at home and watch hockey. So I went to the new location (which is a mile from my house), and picked up a couple of Tatuaje 10th Anniversary cigars, which seemed appropriate. I got the Bon Chasseur size, because the 5 3/8″ x 52 shape appeals to me, in both the original and the Tuxtla blends, and smoked one Thursday and one Friday.  I started with the original. I should have adjusted my expectations going into this cigar. I was rather expecting a heavier cigar, but it was much more subtle, refined, I guess with a name like Bon Chasseur, it’s going to be a little hoity-toity. It has an Ecuador Habano wrapper over Nicaragua binder and filler.  They have a closed foot, and the wrapper has a lot of citrus tang in it, so that is apparent on lighting. It remains citrusy and sweet throughout,  and was a really delicious cigar.  I suppose I always grab the broadleaf Tatuajes, so this one surprised me, it was quite different.

 

Maybe the citrus wasn’t all in the Ecuador Habano wrapper of original Bon Chasseur,  because I sensed it in the Tuxtla version as well. This is the same size and blend, with the difference being the Mexican San Andrés wrapper. Again, I had a preconceived notion going into this one, having smoked tons of Mexican wrapped cigars over the years.  Oddly, the wrapper didn’t overwhelm the rest of the blend, it literally was like smoking the same cigar I had smoked the night before with a subtle difference.  What was that difference, you ask?  Oddly, it was an almost cloying earthy sweetness, not unpleasant, but noticeable. Oddly, as much of a fan I am of the San Andrés, I’d probably give the nod to the Ecuador Habano in this match up, for me. I liked the balance and elegance of the original blend, adding the Tuxtla wrapper while interesting, detracted from the sophistication a little for me.  But that’s just me, I’ve enjoyed the other Tuxtla versions, I guess my next back to back experiment will have to be the Belle Encre.  I look forward to walking over to the Cigar Mojo shop by me in ten years to celebrate that anniversary!

 

Last night my wife and I took a ride to Reading, PA (think Reading Railroad in your Monopoly game), and visited the new Legacy CIgar Lounge in West Reading. Rick and Adrean, a husband and wife team, opened in August and have a really nice spot. A lot of places in the country have full service cigar bar setups, PA isn’t really one of them, in my experience. There are cigar stores with lounges all over the place, but there aren’t a lot of full bar, kitchen, humidor establishments around.  Legacy fits that niche.  It was a 45 minute drive, and I know I just balked about going 10 miles to an event Thursday, let me explain.  It could literally take me the same 45 minutes to make the ten mile trip to Mojo at 5:30 on a Thursday as it did to go 40 miles to Legacy on a Saturday at the same time. Combine that with the Saturday afternoon nap, and I think you see my point.  We had been reading about Legacy for a few weeks, they have been active on social media promoting the business with videos, and seemed engaging enough, so we figured a visit was in order. I’m not a bar guy, but they appeared to have a well appointed bar, and we had seen something on the menu on the website and were disappointed when it wasn’t on the printed menu we were given. We asked, and they were happy to make us the Bacon Jams Grilled Cheese, which was delicious. 

 

It didn’t hurt that they were having a Protocol Cigars cut and light event there, so there would be at least one familiar face present! Kevin Keithan was there, with a selection, and I got the impression that this was a trial for the brand and they were thinking about bringing them into the humidor. I bought some Protocol cigars and enjoyed a Cyber Crimes unit. This is a box pressed Churchill, with a Nicaraguan Rosado Habano wrapper, and Nicaraguan binder and filler, made at the La Zona Factory. This cigar was on the cedary side with some spice and a creamy quality, quite different from the Blue and Red label Protocol cigars. We did miss seeing Juan, I wonder if he took part in the Karaoke, that might have been worth staying for!

 

 Obviously, it takes time (and money) to stock up the humidor, but they had a reasonable selection.  My wife, who hasn’t had a cigar in years, decided to have a Tatiana of some sort, which she enjoyed. Rick told us that they already had over 80 members signed up for their members lounge, and are working on a rooftop area, and downstairs event space as well. They have a nice setup, have live music quite frequently, and diverse collection of events, including Karaoke and Chess.  We exited before the Karaoke started, I wanted to get home in time for the hockey game, where I enjoyed a Protocol Probable Cause Corona Gorda, perhaps my favorite in the line. We had noticed several billboards for Legacy along the highway  so they are promoting this bigtime, and if they continue to provide a quality product, they will be successful. I suspect we’ll be paying a visit again.

 

That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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by | June 4, 2023 · 9:40 am

Smoking Some Tobacco Plaza Ltd. 50th Anniversary Cigars

I was talking to Danny Ditkowich of Tobacco Plaza in Great Neck, NY recently and the subject of the store’s 50th Anniversary and the special cigars that accompanied it came up. So I decided to smoke some and highlight them here.  I’ll get it out of the way, the links I put in this post will go to the store’s website, where you could purchase each of these cigars. Danny mentioned that the Tatuaje (along with the Tuxtla series) are 10% off while supplies last, and there’s free shipping fo the month of June.  All that out of the way, let’s talk about these three tasty cigars!  The first one I smoked was the Tatuaje TP DD 50th Exclusive.  If I recall, Danny worked with Pete on a DD for the 40th anniversary, and it was 6″x 58 torpedo, this one is a 6″ x 60 torpedo, with a beautiful Broadleaf wrapper, over Nicaraguan fillers and binder, rolled at the My Father factory. The original was based on the Fausto blend, and I’m not sure if this one is too, but it’s a pretty strong cigar!  It’s loaded with the coffee and spice that I enjoy, and it was a really great cigar. I may smoke another one today!  If you’re a fan of the Tatuaje Broadleaf, or Tatuaje cigars in general, this would be a great one to try.  Not a cheap date, but what is anymore?

 

I took a relatively early walk yesterday after doing a bee inspection with my wife, planting a tree and doing some trimming, all before 10am for some reason.  So I grabbed the Tobacco Plaza 50th Anniversary Quesada Keg.  I don’t think I ever had the original Keg, as I am not immediately drawn to things drink related, so I can’t compare.  This is another 6″ x 60, and if it’s just a size variation, it has a Dominican Corojo seed wrapper, with Dominican binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers.  It’s presented in a 15 count box as opposed to a barrel. This is another cigar that I enjoyed quite a bit.  It had an interesting bready flavor, kind of a dark bread and it was on the medium bodied side. I know Danny has had a great relationship with Quesada as they make the Oceano brand in the La Sirena portfolio, another cigar I really enjoy.

 

The third and final cigar in Tobacco Plaza’s 50th anniversary series is the TPLFD Magnum Chisel Maduro.  This cigar is listed as 6″ x 58 box pressed, but it’s really 6½”. The chisel shape is cool, and one of the only, if not THE only, shape that’s legally protected by a patent. This is has a maduro wrapper, with the Tobacco Plaza logo applied to the cigar in a lighter leaf.  LFD has made a bit of a name for themselves with these artistic embellishments, I have one from the Ybor festival with a Rooster, and one from a dinner that Tobacco Plaza hosted in 2021 with an Iced Tea glass.  They are quite neat and must take a lot of effort to produce. Someone has to make a “cookie cutter” apparatus to punch the design out of a leaf.  It’s impressive. The cigar is impressive as well, it’s a great tasting smoke. I’ve been enjoying afternoons on my porch watching TV, the last few Saturday’s it’s been an Amazon show called “Clarkson’s Farm”, with Jeremy Clarkson, formerly of the British Top Gear and Amazon’s The Grand Tour (also hysterical).  This Magnum Chisel got me through the last two episodes, set aside 2 hours for this one.  It was rich with cocoa and spice.  Another winner.  I have to get up to Great Neck some time to visit Tobacco Plaza. 

 

That’s all I got for this week, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

 

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by | November 6, 2022 · 9:13 am

Two More Tatuaje Tuxtlas and a Book Review: How to Enjoy a Cigar

I couldn’t resist the urge to smoke the two other sizes in the Tatuaje Tuxtla series, so I pick a couple of each up and smoked them yesterday.  I mentioned in last Sunday’s post about how I should have just gotten all three, so I fixed that.  I started yesterday off with the 7th, which is a 5 5/8″ x 46 classic corona gorda.  This cigar is based on the Tatuaje Seleccion de Cazador 7th.  It has a Mexican wrapper, naturally, with the rest, I’m guessing, being Nicaraguan.  This was another very enjoyable cigar. I actually do like a Corona Gorda sized cigar, it’s a little shorter smoke than a Toro, and burns cooler than a corona. It had some spice, espresso and earthy flavors, not nearly as unique as the Avion.  I enjoyed it very much. 

 

After dinner, I smoked the Tatuaje Tuxtla T110, the 4 3/8″ x 52 short robusto.  This is typically too short a cigar for my preference, although there are times when it fits in.  Normally a Saturday evening with unseasonably warm weather wouldn’t be the time, but I was in the midst of a project, you know?  I would probably watch the better part of the Flyers game on the porch with a larger cigar.  But, I wanted to smoke the T110, so I did.  To be honest, it wasn’t that short a smoke, it probably smoked for an hour. I’ve sampled the other T110 cigars in the past, this seemed to smoke like the Broadleaf,  a nice, slow burn.  I also found this cigar enjoyable, although it still was missing something special that the Avion had, I think the Avion spoiled me! OK, so it’s not like these three cigars are the same blend in different sizes, because I don’t believe they are. I really liked them all, a lot, but I tend to like most of the Tatuaje cigars I’ve smoked. It was a fun tasting project.  I’ll go back to these again.  It should be noted that I started out my cigar smoking journey in the mid-90s with Te Amo Maduros, so when I see a Mexican/San Andres wrapped cigar, I gotta give it a try.

 

It’s been a while since I’ve done a book review, but I recently read a book (booklet?, pamphlet?) by my friend Kaplowitz over at Kaplowitz Media. The idea of this book is to read it during the smoking of a cigar, ideally for a first time cigar smoker. It, quite capably, walks the reader through every aspect of smoking his first cigar. It provides some good advice, and, through some anecdotes, gives a glimpse into some of the things that make the author tick. I actually smoked two cigars while reading this, but I got distracted early and had to pick it up again later. I used a cigar band as a bookmark so I’d know what page I was on when I put it down. It covers all the bullet points of smoking a cigar, without getting bogged down in minutia, perhaps Kap’s next book with cover that.  The information, the stories, all good stuff.  You can get it direct (it’s not on Amazon, or I’d be hitting you with an affiliate link!),  check out https://kaplowitz.blogspot.com/p/kaplowitz-media-books.html for how to order, and don’t forget to ask for an inscription! 

 

The K9s for Warriors raffle is ongoing, and wrapped up at the end of the week.  I should have Saka’s contribution here tomorrow, if you missed it, he offered up a one of a kind box of Liga Privada No.9 Pequeńos, never released. This is an amazing prize, and has helped raise over $4000 so far for the charity.  Kevin (CigarProp, I’d Tap That, Trash Panda) has offered another prize too, which may not make it in time, but we’re hoping to include it for a last minute push!  I have to thank DE, Steve and Kevin for their support!  This all just came from wanting to give away some cool swag, but wanting to add a charitable aspect, and it’s grown more than I ever guessed.  Thanks! That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

 

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by | October 30, 2022 · 10:09 am

Tatuaje Tuxtla, Alec Bradley Double Broadleaf and CAO BX3 Cigars

I finally got around to trying the three cigars I’ve been looking forward to smoking this week.  I picked up a few of these locally, and will definitely be revisiting these soon. It’s not often I get three winners in a row like this.  I started with the one I was most interested in smoking, the Tatuaje Tuxtla Avion 13. They had all three sizes, and I had a choice between picking up a couple of each size, or trying three different cigars and I chose the later. I would have said that I made the wrong choice, but I have no regrets.  The Avion 13 size is a perfecto shape, 6 7/8″ x 52.  It has a Mexican San Andrés wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers.  I’ve heard good things about this cigar, Pete talks about it in the video I did with him at the PCA show (which is my second most watched video on Youtube now). I’ve smoked, and enjoyed, an Avion before, but now I’m not sure which one it was, I think it might have been the 2012 version. Sometimes I expect the Mexican wrapper to overpower the blend of a cigar.  This cigar had incredible flavors, sure it had the espresso and cocoa I expected, but they were refined, slightly different.  It’s a beautiful cigar, and I see myself picking up the T110 and 7th sizes to see how they stack up. The Avion size was pretty amazing though.  

 

Another cigar I found that was on my wishlist was the Alec Bradley Double Broadleaf from their Experimental Series. I got the Gran Corona size, which is 7″ x 46, a neat size. This has a Connecticut seed Broadleaf wrapper and binder, which are grown in Honduras. I suppose this answers questions about how in a world of Broadleaf shortages, they managed to make a double Broadleaf.  I liked the size of this cigar, but I’m really curious how this smokes in a larger ring.  They had Robustos and Gordos, looks like there’s more cigars I have to get!  If you like Broadleaf, I think you’ll love this cigar.  It’s rich with sweet cocoa and coffee, dark fruit, and some spice. I can’t help but think what I perceived as spice may have been the sharpness that a narrower ring might have from burning hotter, I’ll let you know when I try different sizes, which I expect to be smoother.  Winner number two this week.  Good smoke. 

 

This last one had some controversy surrounding it. I understand having to protect one’s trademark, but it’s really hard for me to confuse the band on the CAO BX3 with the Opus X.  Of course, if Fuente let this one go, someone else might take it further until they actually did make a band that could be confused. Both Fuente and Pete Johnson are quite good at protecting their marques.  That being said, nobody is picking up a BX3 and saying “is this an Opus X?”. The BX3 has three Brazilian tobaccos in the blend, one of which is the dark, oily Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper.  It also has an Arapiraca binder and Brazilian, Honduran, Mexican and Nicaraguan fillers. When I lit this up I didn’t think I was going to like it. It had a bitterness that was off putting, but eventually became quite enjoyable. I got the 5″ x 52 Robusto, which I don’t generally buy anymore, but it must have been the only size they had.  This is loaded with flavor, and after the initial shock, it turned into a very satisfying cigar. It was like good, black coffee, with some earthiness. It certainly wasn’t my favorite of the three mentioned here, but it was quite enjoyable, and different from, say, the Brazilia or any of the Basin series.  

 

Friday I posted about a contest, so far everyone who’s entered will be a winner unless things pick up. These are pretty cool prizes, and a decent charity, so please have a look and get in on the action.  Go back one post, or click HERE to get details!  that’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

 

 

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by | September 4, 2022 · 9:39 am

A Cabaiguan, a Mystery Cigar and a Sancho Panza The Original

Once again I’m having a cigar while I write. I don’t usually smoke in the mornings, but I’ve been enjoying it the last few Sundays, because I know that very soon it won’t be a comfortable thing to do.  To be honest, I really don’t like this time of year. When my end of August birthday comes around, I get depressed, because it signals the end of summer.  I love summer, Fall is a major bummer for me.  I know many disagree, like cigars, everyone has their preferences, I prefer to be warm over cold.  So I’m enjoying every last drop of summer I can.  More on the cigar later, I just lit it up, and it’s pretty good!  But I smoked a few other cigar in the last half of the week, starting with a big Tatuaje Cabaiguan.  This is a new shape for this year, the Cabaiguan No.752, which is 7″ x 52 (good name, that worked out well!).  I thought maybe this was in the Guapos series because of the pigtail cap, but I believe I’m wrong.  This has an Ecuador Connecticut wrapper and Nicaraguan fillers and binder.  It was a very nice cigar, toasty with a hint of sweetness.  I definitely lean more toward the maduro in this line, but this was a really nice shade cigar.  

 

Near the end of this month, September 28th, Drew Estate is having another Freestyle Live events to reveal a new brand.  They put together packs with three sizes of the new cigar, as well as a cutter, case and flask set.  It amuses me that people are trying to guess what this cigar is, as if it were a line extension. I smoked the toro size yesterday and was really happy with the cigar.  I want to smoke the robusto and Churchill too, but I want to save one for the event! I am actually toying with the idea of buying another pack, but I don’t need more goodies, although I have a feeling I could probably find a good home for them 😉! The case and cutter are really nice, I have no need for a flask! Anyway, this cigar had a very unique flavor, a sweet spice I can’t identify.  It was, in my opinion, better than any Liga Privada. I was enamoured with it. I’m going to go out on a limb, for the sake of documentation, and say that I think it has a Nicaraguan Broadleaf wrapper.  It’s something very different, whatever it is, and Willy Herrera outdid himself on this one.  I hope it’s not outrageously priced. I love the Undercrown 10, and this was better.  I can’t wait to see what this is!  

 

Sometimes you smoke a cigar on a Saturday evening hoping to write about it on Sunday, and the cigar doesn’t perform the way you’d like. Perhaps it’s super tight until around the band, and  then it’s falling apart from playing with it to loosen it up.  The flavor is good, but it doesn’t end up being a good experience. This is why I’m smoking a new Sancho Panza The Original robusto as I write this. So far, this sup-$7 cigar is outperforming one that was several time the price. Sancho Panza has been around a long time, I remember buying a box of Extra Fuertes nearly 20 years ago for about $35. They recently worked with the new General Cigars Employee, Matt Booth, on the rebrand. The new look is growing on me and I’ve been looking forward to trying them.  This cigar has a Honduran Connecticut Shade wrapper, Mexican San Andrés binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Brazil.  I’m really enjoying this cigar with my morning coffee, it’s silky smooth and rich, not a mild, papery shade cigar.  I look forward to getting into the Super Fuerte and Double Maduro! These are super budget friendly and this one was really quite good.  

 

That’s all for today. It’s a holiday weekend, I guess, I don’t celebrate it as the end of summer, but having Monday off is a reward for my labors through the year, I suppose. Soon I’ll have to put the shorts away and get the hoodies out, something I dread. Anyway, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

 

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