Originally started back in 2011, the Tatuaje TAA release is one of the most anticipated each year from Pete Johnson of Tatuaje. This years is no different, and with the exception of the 2013 Grand Chasseur, this is the same blend each year in a different vitola. However last year the inaugural size and blend of 2011 was re-released, and following that tradition this year the release is a re-release of the 2012 vitola and blend. Made with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers to make a toothy and very hearty looking cigar with an attractive closed foot and box press. For those who are not aware, TAA stands for Tobacconists Association of America which is a group of roughly 80 retailers throughout the USA that meet once per year. For 2016 they met in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in early March and many created exclusive cigars only available to TAA tobacconists, as found in Halfwheel (http://halfwheel.com/tatuaje-taa-2012-returns-for-2016/106162). I will say that as I have smoked several TAA sticks indlucing Tatuaje before, I am quite excited to sacrifice this cigar on the altar of ash and cant wait to see what it has in store for me… now onto the show!
Construction: 10/10 A very toothy wrapper with prominent veins and an attractive closed foot with indian head band are immediately apparent. I have always liked the red, white, and blue coloring on the sides of the bands of these and other exclusive Tat cigars and feel they really set off this near black wrapper well. The draw at first has just a touch more resistance than I like but opens up perfectly just a little ways in so I don’t detract it from the score, the smoke is full and plentiful and the ash holds strong to nearly 2” without falling, overall a perfectly constructed cigar!
Taste: 9/10 A meaty, peppery blast is what immediately assaults you right away as you get with most all blends that originate in the My Father Cigars factory from Pete Johnson and DPG. There is a base line flavor of cocoa powder, leather and oak that starts this stick off well. Shortly into the cigar the pepper cals down and the chocolate comes out more alongside the leather and the beginning of some nuttiness that is terrific and was a note I was hoping for with this profile so far. Alongside the leather and chocolate coming through just on the retrohale for now is a hint of anise and some mild spice filtering in and out that I cant quite pinpoint but helps to balance the oak and leather very well. It also helps with the complexity, as up to this point the profile is good but a touch one dimensional so this added layering really helps and brings some new dimensions in keeping things interesting. By the halfway point the stick has changed dramatically, the complexity is definitely there now and the flavors are much stronger and richer leading to me having to tell myself to slow down since I want to constantly be puffing on this beauty! The nuttiness has cleared up and is a definite peanut now, and the chocolate and leather are even bigger and more prominent. Now on the finish of the retrohale I am picking up some dried fruit notes alongside the peanut that is to die for and something I don’t get with many sticks but love with this one. It balances the rest of the rich chocolate and oiled leather well and is a complimentary flavor to the anise which is also bigger and more in your face by now. As it nears the end of the cigar the dominant players are the chocolate, anise, leather and dried fruit and is making me salivate it is so good, I just cant put this cigar down!!!
Overall: 9.5/10 I have to say the way this started fairly mild and a bit boring had me worried, but so very quickly it showed how much patience can be rewarded if you are willing to let it because this was a truly exceptional cigar, and once again I am not the only one saying it is box worthy, but trust me folks, it IS!
Thanks for reading y'all and as always comments are asked for and appreciated so please feel free to share!
I chose this cigar this morning mostly due to the size but in a larger part due to how much I have enjoyed RoMa Craft sticks lately, and several of them being the smaller vitolas like the Knuckle Dragger Aquitaine and the like. This little 4” x 46rg petito was a perfect little companion for my morning before I had to head into work after waking up early and heading for a run. I have had some great success with Brazilian Arapiraca wrappers and this one was looking outstanding with a toothy wrapper and plenty of oils! On the RoMa Craft website this is what I found about the origins of how the Intemperance line was founded (http://romacrafttobac.com/intemperance.html): “Following the ratification of the 18th Amendment, an intemperance movement was born. The Volstead Act had effectively turned every consumer, merchant and producer of alcohol into a criminal; organized crime took root. Without market and regulatory controls, alcohol became more dangerous to consume. The court system was brought to the brink of failure under the weight of criminal and civil cases related to prohibition. After a little more than a decade, public opinion had been turned and the effort to repeal prohibition emerged victorious with the ratification of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
Despite the dismal failure of this ‘noble experiment’, the temperance movement marches on. Perhaps this is no better represented than in the form of the modern tobacco control movement, also known as the anti-smoking movement.
In the last sixty years, this anti-smoking movement has grown in influence and power much in the same way the temperance movement before it grew. We believe that it is well past time to initiate our own modern intemperance movement.”
Prohibition is an infamous time in American history and many effects are still seen to some degree today. I can certainly start to draw some parallels with the current attitude towards premium hand made cigars with the recent outcry against the FDA involvement and several other issues related to that. It will be very interesting seeing what comes out of the August 8th deadline and the upcoming lawsuits against the FDA that are also pending. With all of that being said lets get down to brass tacts and get this review underway.
Construction: 9/10 This is a small but attractive cigar wit ha dark colorado wrapper and moderate veins with a good oily sheen and a short 1/8” roughly shag foot, something I always like whenever I see them! The draw is bang on and exactly where I like it at just a tad loose. The Intemperance lights quickly with the triple flame torch and immediately starts producing gobs of smoke. Seriously, the smoke production out of this little cigar is amazing! The burn is slightly wavy but for the most part corrects itself and doesn't really detract from the smoke though I do have to do a few touch ups for my OCD, overall very good construction.
Taste: 9/10 The Intemperance stats out immediately big and bold with a medium body and plenty of pepper and spice right on the tip of the tongue and traveling to the back of the mouth. Layered underneath that is dry cocoa powder, chewy leather and oak in good harmony and balancing the strong spice well. Coming in fairly quickly is a new note of nutty tastiness that reminds me of a black walnuts and toast flavor that I really am digging and adds a lot to the profile! The spice stays put especially in the retrohale but the pepper has nearly disappeared only a short while in reminding me of a DPG blend with how in your face the pepper starts and then how quickly it goes away and mellows out. I like it a lot and I think it helps to keep me on my toes and keeps me interested in the little firecracker. After the first ash drops the black walnut and tastiness grows along with the cocoa powder and a new vanilla cream note appears with the sweetness and is a good balance and counterpart to the nutty and ever present spice. As it nears the end an acidic coffee shows up and offsets the sweetness with a bit of tang and finishes this wonderfully with a very very good balance and complexity that I was not fully expecting from a cigar of this size… just goes to show you cant judge a cigar by size and looks alone!
Overall: 9/10 I’ll say this, Skip Martin knows what he is doing and this little smoke could hold its own against many much larger and more expensive cigars! Between the balance and complexity and the awesome smoke production and flavors and bang on construction this is a terrific cigar and one worth seeking out; especially when you consider the cheap price WOW!
Thanks for reading and as always comments and welcome and encouraged, they help me to stay on track and make sure I am putting out stuff that people want to read and enjoy!
I believe so it's the 1989 size and besides the Cote De Or is one of the newest things from Lat I believe. Picked it up at a lounge on my date day with my wife last Saturday. I also have a Cote De Or to smoke too but that's a pretty long smoke.
Brett
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
I haven't really heard anything about the AVO Nicaragua so my vote goes there. I liked the La Mision quite a bit. Solid stick for sure. Keep up the great reviews my friend.
I haven't really heard anything about the AVO Nicaragua so my vote goes there. I liked the La Mision quite a bit. Solid stick for sure. Keep up the great reviews my friend.
Thanks Dennis, I was about to get on and review the La Mission last night even cut the cap but then the kiddo has a serious Autism meltdown and I had to handle that. Wore me out so no cigar last night and will do it tonight instead. Since the La Mission is already cut I will smoke that guy but I will review the Nicaragua next and post it up Thanks for the kind words my friend, very appreciated and glad you enjoy the reads
Brett
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
Purchased from Havana Manor in Longmont, CO 7/23/16
La Mission L’Atelier is French for the Mastery of the Workshop, a seemingly apropos name considering the expertise of Pete Johnson and the factory and blenders he uses to produce these, Don Pepin Garcia and My Father Cigars. Recently Pete has had a lot of lines and even approaches from french wine lately including many L’Atelier cigars and even the Tatuaje La Vérité lines, of which a new 2013 line release is coming soon! The sizes are based off of years when famous critic Robert Parker has awarded the winery, Château La Mission Haut-Brion, a 100 point rating. Not being much of a wine person myself I cant say that is something that draws me in, however I do understand just how hard that rating is to achieve and what a milestone it is happening only a handful of times. The size I am smoking tonight, the 1989 is a 5 5/8” x 54rg with just a hint of a trunk press to it, and the band is for me by far the best looking band that L’Atelier has put out and really makes this look like a special and fairly regal cigar. The wrapper of the La Mission is a Mexican San Andrés while the binder and filler are Nicaraguan leading me to believe this might be a chocolatey and somewhat spicy cigar and one I am very much looking forward to! A small but interesting side note is that this cigar contains some Sancti Spiritus leaf that L’Atelier pioneered which is a cross between criollo and Pelo de Oro grown by the Garcia family and known as the “lost seed of Cuba”.
Construction: 8/10 A dark brown and slightly reddish and mottled wrapper greet you when you first lay eyes on the cigar. The Mexican San Andres wrapper has some tooth to it and a few visible veins here and there, but the overall construction seems top notch with almost seamless wrapper leaf and an open draw with just the slightest hint of resistance. The burn is mostly straight with a few minor touch ups needed here and there, with the ash dropping around the 1” mark consistently. Overall good construction, ash just wont hold very long and there is only average smoke production which is not a bad thing it just is.
Taste: 9.5/10 This La Mission starts out like most Tats with a pepper blast with some chocolate and slowly clams down to a mild spice. For now the profile starts at a mild spice with milk chocolate then flows into a nuttiness, toast, leather and ends in a most unusual but outstanding creamed butter note that is incredibly distinct and delicious, unlike any other note in this profile and something I have only ever tasted once or maybe twice in a cigar before! In the nose is more of the spice and chocolate but there is also a lot of musk, butter and mushroom that as I said earlier is extremely unique and unlike almost anything I have tried before but I am really really digging it! Around the halfway mark the spice picks up as well as the chocolate and nuttiness wit ha bit of toast. The chocolate, leather, spice and musk come through big in the nose and a new profile of syrup and peas which comes from the nuttiness that solidified to the pecan and syrup note. As it starts to wrap up I can tell you that the “Theme” of this La Mission is spice through the nose with butter, musk, nuts and chocolate through the whole thing, very tasty and very unique but overall very very good! I would like to try this in the robusto size as I have heard it is an even better vitola, but as long as it has the buttery musk note to it I would enjoy it I am sure.
Overall: 8.5/10 This was one of the more unique cigars I’ve had profile wise, in some time. With a huge butter and musk and mushroom that I really loved on this one and haven't smoked something quite like this before. The only negatives that I could take from this is that I did need to touch up the burn a few times and the smoke production was just average at best, I wanted there to be more smoke and there was just something a bit off in the profile with the chocolate and spice being too muted until it hit the halfway point. If it would have been bolder and bigger with the leather, chocolate and spice earlier on I think the balance of the very strong butter and musk would have been better. Overall though this was still a very good smoke and one I would buy again, just want to try it in another vitola first.
Thanks for reading and as always please comment, love hearing feedback and it is the only way I improve my reviews and writing style to fit what y'all enjoy more!
I haven't really heard anything about the AVO Nicaragua so my vote goes there. I liked the La Mision quite a bit. Solid stick for sure. Keep up the great reviews my friend.
Thanks Dennis, I was about to get on and review the La Mission last night even cut the cap but then the kiddo has a serious Autism meltdown and I had to handle that. Wore me out so no cigar last night and will do it tonight instead. Since the La Mission is already cut I will smoke that guy but I will review the Nicaragua next and post it up Thanks for the kind words my friend, very appreciated and glad you enjoy the reads
Brett
great to see you have your priorities right, your kid is lucky.
The AVO Syncro Nicaragua is a new journey for AVO cigars, known for their mild and creamy character, now leading into uncharted for them territory of a spicy and bold cigar with Nicaraguan cojones! Here is what the AVO website has to say about it (http://www.avo.com/collection/single/avo-syncro) : “Inspired by the cosmopolitan lifestyle of Avo Uvezian, our Master Blender has ventured to the untamed heart of Central America. Capturing sweet and spicy flavors from the rich, volcanic soil of Nicaragua and blending them with the soft, creamy notes of the finest Dominican leaves. Resulting in a smooth and balanced box-pressed cigar with unexpected depth and complexity. As the first in our Syncro Series, AVO Nicaragua is truly a one-of-a-kind experience. One that begins on the remote island of Ometepe; a unique landscape where a rare and exceptional tobacco is grown. Known for its wild character and peppery notes, we carefully fuse this tobacco with earthy flavors from our estate in the Dominican Republic. The composition is an experience that is perfectly in sync with the moments worth sharing.”
The wrapper is a Habano 2000 clara from Ecuador with the binder being Dominican, and fillers from Nicaragua including the Ometepe region, Dominican Republic, and Peru. Included in this is Piloto Cubano, San Vicente, and a hybrid between Piloto and Olor. It is also the first regular production box pressed cigar from AVO and the first regular production box pressed cigar to come out of the Davidoff factory which is where these beauties originate from and are indeed a Hendrik “Henke” Kelner blend. The Syncro name refers to the synchronization of the Nicaraguan tobacco with the delicious Dominican and Peruvian tobacco in the blend, and in fact in the Toro size earned spot number 16 for 2015 on Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 cigars of 2015. Information for these facts was located from the Cigar Aficionado Website located here: http://top25.cigaraficionado.com/2015/avo-syncro-nicaragua-toro/. Now without further ado lets get into this and start smoking this Syncro…
Construction: 10/10 There is a beautifull colorado shape wrapper with a heavy box press and minimal veins and seams, definitely a beautiful and lush cigar with good weight in the hand for the small robusto. The draw is dead nuts on and throughout the smoke a straight and true burn stays solid never once needing a single touch up. The ash constantly holds for up to 1.5” each time before dropping. Overall a perfectly constructed cigar and earns top marks without question!
Taste: 9.5/10 The Synchro starts out very unique with lots of woodsy and floral tones and a bit of pepper. Hints of musk, pepper, flora, hay and leather with a mineral wood note to it, very unique but overall pretty good though the dry woody notes are a bit of a downer. Luckily less than 1” in and the woodsy note calms down a great deal and a nuttiness replaces it while the leather grows and compliments the new nuttiness very very well! The nuttiness reminds me of a delicious almond toffee flavor which pairs perfectly with the leather, spice and pepper that show up on the retrohale, just awesome and really hitting its stride as well as my palate perfectly! I can still pick out the Kelner musk right at the tip of my tongue as the smoke first comes in as well as on the finish in the retrohale, something that I happen to really like but I am a big Kelner musk fan! Before the hallway mark a perfect sweet cream explodes onto the scene and balance the spice and peppery Nicaraguan tobacco perfectly. This creamy, nutty, toffee and spice note maintains the rest of the cigar which is welcome and very well balanced. For so many small changes to occur in such a small robusto I have to say I am impressed and very surprised as I typically just get one or so changes whereas this one had at least two, almost two and half. As it winds down to a close I can say that the body grew to a medium+ and the cream stayed the whole time with some anise, woody nots, and mild chocolate showing up in the last 2” of it that was a very pleasant surprise. A perfectly balanced and executed cigar, I would fail to see how to improve on this one much at all honestly!
Overall: 9.5/10 I can definitely tell the Nicaraguan tobacco is in here, there is more body, spice and pepper than any other AVO that I have had before. That is a good thing though and this is a very well balanced and constructed cigar that Kelner and AVO pulled off very well. I was a bit worried how well a strong and bold Nicaraguan would work in what is always a creamy and complex brand, but this was done perfectly. Thats a term I have used a lot in this review though and I really do feel fits this blend, perfect for me at least. To wrap this up with a close, spicy, bold, blanked an creamy nutty while still most definitely being a Kelner blend with just the right amount of the famous Kelner musk that I do so love!
As always, thank you for reading and I hope you all enjoyed the little journey I tried to lead you on. Any and all comments are always welcomed and encouraged, after all I can't get better and can't appeal to an audience if I am not posting and reviewing in a way y'all enjoy so make sure to leave feedback!
I'm thinking my next reviewed smoke will likely be the Tatuaje Frank Jr. from the Little Monsters series from 2012, I have one left and will be smoking and reviewing it soon. After that I will probably be reviewing one of the My Father LE's
Brett
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
Tatuaje Frank Jr. of the Little Monsters Series - Corona Gorda 5 5/8” x 44rg
Original Release gifted by Brett @Firetruckguy June 2012
This is the first of the releases that became the Monster series offshoots as it started with the Little Monsters in 2012, then the Pudgy Monsters in 2014, and latest is the Skinny Monsters in 2016 with other new releases recently announced at this years IPCPR convention. To be honest, I have a hard time remembering that this really is 4 years old as I remember distinctly when the first Little Monsters came out and it just doesn't seem that long ago, but its been just past 4 years now and this Frank Jr. has some great age on it now and should be a helluva smoke. Draped in at Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and featuring all Nicaraguan binder and filler featuring a heavy box press with significant tooth, this does a good job at taking the characteristics of Frankenstein and putting them into a cigar vitola for a lil’ guy at least. The blends oddly enough stayed the same though and it was only the crop years that changed when blending comparatively to the original cigars, so while it may not be the same exact tobacco it IS the same varietals used and only a different crop of the same strains and blends. This is what Pete Johnson had to say on it as found in Halfwheel (http://halfwheel.com/review-tatuaje-frank-jr): “I used the same blends as the original, which was the best way to represent the original cigars. The tobacco varietals did not change. Only the crop years. Of course the Mimi Mum and The Mummy will be from the same crop.” An interesting side note is that the Little Monsters were the only release to have two of each cigar included, but this was due to the face that at the time only 4 Monsters were previously released with a 5th one upcoming in October which was the Mummy. Originally the orange boxes would have had the cartoon drawings of the Monsters on the outside as the artwork, but word has it that Pete was worried about being seen as marketing to minors and instead put it on the inside under the cigars in the box. So with enough backstory and history the time is right to get down to the review…
Construction: 9/10 This is very much a toothy wrapper with some visible veins and clean seams. There is a heavy box press with dark brown and lightly mottled wrapper with a floral and barnyard aroma coming off of it, very good. The draw is perfect with just a hint of resistance producing thick volumes of luscious smoke! The burn is wavy the whole time and needing touching up fairly regularly, but for me at least that is part of the fun of messing with it and rarely detracts from the enjoyment, otherwise this is a flawlessly constructed cigar with great feel in the hand.
Taste: 9.5/10 The very start is a pepper and spice bomb hitting you right in the teeth with loads of leather, cocoa and a hint of graham cracker, but mainly dominated by pepper and spice at the front end. As the Frank Jr. starts to settle in a bit more we still see a decent amount of black pepper and spice, but it has calmed down some hitting mostly on the tip of your tongue and showing up in the retrohale. Besides the pepper and spice however, we find that it is less in your face and balanced well by a very chewy and oily leather, milk chocolate, graham cracker and a woody earthy note that is new but rounds out the profile well making a better balance than the initial pepper hit. This is definitely full bodied flavor and strength is medium and growing rapidly. A little while later, the pepper drops back and the chocolate and leather from in harmony with a new note of walnut that is terrific with just a hint of anise in the nose, perfectly balanced with the strong and bold flavors previously mentioned. In fact the nutty and semi-sweet notes are a very welcomed offset to the big bold and still peppery and spicy notes that were previously mentioned. In the last half the strength grows and becomes a solid full bodied smoke, and a unique raisin and anise flavor shows up in the retrohale that I love. It is balanced by the leather, chocolate and graham cracker with woody tones that have been present through the entire smoke and the ever present pepper is nearly gone with just a mild spice showing up in the retrohale. The final burn of the Frank Jr. is much more mild than initially expected but very very good and leads to a perfect finish for a bold and in your face cigar as you would expect of a Monster Series release named after the first and most famous Monster Release of them all, Frank.
Overall: 9.25/10 This was a great cigar with wonderful balance and an overall harmony with the strength and complexity of flavors. It grew and developed a lot starting peppery and spicy but ending chewy, sweet and nutty and complex. Overall an outstanding smoke that I wish I had many many more of, especially for such a sweet little corona of a cigar!
Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed it, as always comments and questions are welcomed and encouraged as its the only way that I can improve on these things!
I just finished reading through from the beginning of this thread...great info Brett! Unfortunately you have now added several things to my wish list!!! LOL
LOL glad you enjoyed it Dave and thanks for the kind words, I enjoy doing reviews but I really post them up for others so it is nice to hear that it is appreciated and that people enjoy it
Brett
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
Comments
Brett
Brett
Tatuaje TAA 2016 - 6 1/4” x 50rg box pressed
Gifted to me by Lee @lee.mcglynn dated 7/16
Originally started back in 2011, the Tatuaje TAA release is one of the most anticipated each year from Pete Johnson of Tatuaje. This years is no different, and with the exception of the 2013 Grand Chasseur, this is the same blend each year in a different vitola. However last year the inaugural size and blend of 2011 was re-released, and following that tradition this year the release is a re-release of the 2012 vitola and blend. Made with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers to make a toothy and very hearty looking cigar with an attractive closed foot and box press. For those who are not aware, TAA stands for Tobacconists Association of America which is a group of roughly 80 retailers throughout the USA that meet once per year. For 2016 they met in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in early March and many created exclusive cigars only available to TAA tobacconists, as found in Halfwheel (http://halfwheel.com/tatuaje-taa-2012-returns-for-2016/106162). I will say that as I have smoked several TAA sticks indlucing Tatuaje before, I am quite excited to sacrifice this cigar on the altar of ash and cant wait to see what it has in store for me… now onto the show!
Construction: 10/10 A very toothy wrapper with prominent veins and an attractive closed foot with indian head band are immediately apparent. I have always liked the red, white, and blue coloring on the sides of the bands of these and other exclusive Tat cigars and feel they really set off this near black wrapper well. The draw at first has just a touch more resistance than I like but opens up perfectly just a little ways in so I don’t detract it from the score, the smoke is full and plentiful and the ash holds strong to nearly 2” without falling, overall a perfectly constructed cigar!
Taste: 9/10 A meaty, peppery blast is what immediately assaults you right away as you get with most all blends that originate in the My Father Cigars factory from Pete Johnson and DPG. There is a base line flavor of cocoa powder, leather and oak that starts this stick off well. Shortly into the cigar the pepper cals down and the chocolate comes out more alongside the leather and the beginning of some nuttiness that is terrific and was a note I was hoping for with this profile so far. Alongside the leather and chocolate coming through just on the retrohale for now is a hint of anise and some mild spice filtering in and out that I cant quite pinpoint but helps to balance the oak and leather very well. It also helps with the complexity, as up to this point the profile is good but a touch one dimensional so this added layering really helps and brings some new dimensions in keeping things interesting. By the halfway point the stick has changed dramatically, the complexity is definitely there now and the flavors are much stronger and richer leading to me having to tell myself to slow down since I want to constantly be puffing on this beauty! The nuttiness has cleared up and is a definite peanut now, and the chocolate and leather are even bigger and more prominent. Now on the finish of the retrohale I am picking up some dried fruit notes alongside the peanut that is to die for and something I don’t get with many sticks but love with this one. It balances the rest of the rich chocolate and oiled leather well and is a complimentary flavor to the anise which is also bigger and more in your face by now. As it nears the end of the cigar the dominant players are the chocolate, anise, leather and dried fruit and is making me salivate it is so good, I just cant put this cigar down!!!
Overall: 9.5/10 I have to say the way this started fairly mild and a bit boring had me worried, but so very quickly it showed how much patience can be rewarded if you are willing to let it because this was a truly exceptional cigar, and once again I am not the only one saying it is box worthy, but trust me folks, it IS!
Thanks for reading y'all and as always comments are asked for and appreciated so please feel free to share!
Brett
RoMa Craft Tobac Intemperance BA XXI “The Intrigue” - 4” x 46rg Petito
Gifted to me by Dennis King @Dennisking 7/16
I chose this cigar this morning mostly due to the size but in a larger part due to how much I have enjoyed RoMa Craft sticks lately, and several of them being the smaller vitolas like the Knuckle Dragger Aquitaine and the like. This little 4” x 46rg petito was a perfect little companion for my morning before I had to head into work after waking up early and heading for a run. I have had some great success with Brazilian Arapiraca wrappers and this one was looking outstanding with a toothy wrapper and plenty of oils! On the RoMa Craft website this is what I found about the origins of how the Intemperance line was founded (http://romacrafttobac.com/intemperance.html): “Following the ratification of the 18th Amendment, an intemperance movement was born. The Volstead Act had effectively turned every consumer, merchant and producer of alcohol into a criminal; organized crime took root. Without market and regulatory controls, alcohol became more dangerous to consume. The court system was brought to the brink of failure under the weight of criminal and civil cases related to prohibition. After a little more than a decade, public opinion had been turned and the effort to repeal prohibition emerged victorious with the ratification of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
Despite the dismal failure of this ‘noble experiment’, the temperance movement marches on. Perhaps this is no better represented than in the form of the modern tobacco control movement, also known as the anti-smoking movement.
In the last sixty years, this anti-smoking movement has grown in influence and power much in the same way the temperance movement before it grew. We believe that it is well past time to initiate our own modern intemperance movement.”
Prohibition is an infamous time in American history and many effects are still seen to some degree today. I can certainly start to draw some parallels with the current attitude towards premium hand made cigars with the recent outcry against the FDA involvement and several other issues related to that. It will be very interesting seeing what comes out of the August 8th deadline and the upcoming lawsuits against the FDA that are also pending. With all of that being said lets get down to brass tacts and get this review underway.
Construction: 9/10 This is a small but attractive cigar wit ha dark colorado wrapper and moderate veins with a good oily sheen and a short 1/8” roughly shag foot, something I always like whenever I see them! The draw is bang on and exactly where I like it at just a tad loose. The Intemperance lights quickly with the triple flame torch and immediately starts producing gobs of smoke. Seriously, the smoke production out of this little cigar is amazing! The burn is slightly wavy but for the most part corrects itself and doesn't really detract from the smoke though I do have to do a few touch ups for my OCD, overall very good construction.
Taste: 9/10 The Intemperance stats out immediately big and bold with a medium body and plenty of pepper and spice right on the tip of the tongue and traveling to the back of the mouth. Layered underneath that is dry cocoa powder, chewy leather and oak in good harmony and balancing the strong spice well. Coming in fairly quickly is a new note of nutty tastiness that reminds me of a black walnuts and toast flavor that I really am digging and adds a lot to the profile! The spice stays put especially in the retrohale but the pepper has nearly disappeared only a short while in reminding me of a DPG blend with how in your face the pepper starts and then how quickly it goes away and mellows out. I like it a lot and I think it helps to keep me on my toes and keeps me interested in the little firecracker. After the first ash drops the black walnut and tastiness grows along with the cocoa powder and a new vanilla cream note appears with the sweetness and is a good balance and counterpart to the nutty and ever present spice. As it nears the end an acidic coffee shows up and offsets the sweetness with a bit of tang and finishes this wonderfully with a very very good balance and complexity that I was not fully expecting from a cigar of this size… just goes to show you cant judge a cigar by size and looks alone!
Overall: 9/10 I’ll say this, Skip Martin knows what he is doing and this little smoke could hold its own against many much larger and more expensive cigars! Between the balance and complexity and the awesome smoke production and flavors and bang on construction this is a terrific cigar and one worth seeking out; especially when you consider the cheap price WOW!
Thanks for reading and as always comments and welcome and encouraged, they help me to stay on track and make sure I am putting out stuff that people want to read and enjoy!
Brett
Brett
"I ain't got no Opus's"
LLA - Lancero Lovers of America
2016 Gang War (South)
May I assss u a ?
Brett
Brett
L’Atelier La Mission “1989” - 5 5/8” x 54rg
Purchased from Havana Manor in Longmont, CO 7/23/16
La Mission L’Atelier is French for the Mastery of the Workshop, a seemingly apropos name considering the expertise of Pete Johnson and the factory and blenders he uses to produce these, Don Pepin Garcia and My Father Cigars. Recently Pete has had a lot of lines and even approaches from french wine lately including many L’Atelier cigars and even the Tatuaje La Vérité lines, of which a new 2013 line release is coming soon! The sizes are based off of years when famous critic Robert Parker has awarded the winery, Château La Mission Haut-Brion, a 100 point rating. Not being much of a wine person myself I cant say that is something that draws me in, however I do understand just how hard that rating is to achieve and what a milestone it is happening only a handful of times. The size I am smoking tonight, the 1989 is a 5 5/8” x 54rg with just a hint of a trunk press to it, and the band is for me by far the best looking band that L’Atelier has put out and really makes this look like a special and fairly regal cigar. The wrapper of the La Mission is a Mexican San Andrés while the binder and filler are Nicaraguan leading me to believe this might be a chocolatey and somewhat spicy cigar and one I am very much looking forward to! A small but interesting side note is that this cigar contains some Sancti Spiritus leaf that L’Atelier pioneered which is a cross between criollo and Pelo de Oro grown by the Garcia family and known as the “lost seed of Cuba”.
Construction: 8/10 A dark brown and slightly reddish and mottled wrapper greet you when you first lay eyes on the cigar. The Mexican San Andres wrapper has some tooth to it and a few visible veins here and there, but the overall construction seems top notch with almost seamless wrapper leaf and an open draw with just the slightest hint of resistance. The burn is mostly straight with a few minor touch ups needed here and there, with the ash dropping around the 1” mark consistently. Overall good construction, ash just wont hold very long and there is only average smoke production which is not a bad thing it just is.
Taste: 9.5/10 This La Mission starts out like most Tats with a pepper blast with some chocolate and slowly clams down to a mild spice. For now the profile starts at a mild spice with milk chocolate then flows into a nuttiness, toast, leather and ends in a most unusual but outstanding creamed butter note that is incredibly distinct and delicious, unlike any other note in this profile and something I have only ever tasted once or maybe twice in a cigar before! In the nose is more of the spice and chocolate but there is also a lot of musk, butter and mushroom that as I said earlier is extremely unique and unlike almost anything I have tried before but I am really really digging it! Around the halfway mark the spice picks up as well as the chocolate and nuttiness wit ha bit of toast. The chocolate, leather, spice and musk come through big in the nose and a new profile of syrup and peas which comes from the nuttiness that solidified to the pecan and syrup note. As it starts to wrap up I can tell you that the “Theme” of this La Mission is spice through the nose with butter, musk, nuts and chocolate through the whole thing, very tasty and very unique but overall very very good! I would like to try this in the robusto size as I have heard it is an even better vitola, but as long as it has the buttery musk note to it I would enjoy it I am sure.
Overall: 8.5/10 This was one of the more unique cigars I’ve had profile wise, in some time. With a huge butter and musk and mushroom that I really loved on this one and haven't smoked something quite like this before. The only negatives that I could take from this is that I did need to touch up the burn a few times and the smoke production was just average at best, I wanted there to be more smoke and there was just something a bit off in the profile with the chocolate and spice being too muted until it hit the halfway point. If it would have been bolder and bigger with the leather, chocolate and spice earlier on I think the balance of the very strong butter and musk would have been better. Overall though this was still a very good smoke and one I would buy again, just want to try it in another vitola first.
Thanks for reading and as always please comment, love hearing feedback and it is the only way I improve my reviews and writing style to fit what y'all enjoy more!
Brett
Brett
AVO Syncro Nicaragua - Box Pressed Robutso 5” x 50rg
Gifted by Brad @Avengethis 6/11/16
The AVO Syncro Nicaragua is a new journey for AVO cigars, known for their mild and creamy character, now leading into uncharted for them territory of a spicy and bold cigar with Nicaraguan cojones! Here is what the AVO website has to say about it (http://www.avo.com/collection/single/avo-syncro) : “Inspired by the cosmopolitan lifestyle of Avo Uvezian, our Master Blender has ventured to the untamed heart of Central America. Capturing sweet and spicy flavors from the rich, volcanic soil of Nicaragua and blending them with the soft, creamy notes of the finest Dominican leaves. Resulting in a smooth and balanced box-pressed cigar with unexpected depth and complexity. As the first in our Syncro Series, AVO Nicaragua is truly a one-of-a-kind experience. One that begins on the remote island of Ometepe; a unique landscape where a rare and exceptional tobacco is grown. Known for its wild character and peppery notes, we carefully fuse this tobacco with earthy flavors from our estate in the Dominican Republic. The composition is an experience that is perfectly in sync with the moments worth sharing.”
The wrapper is a Habano 2000 clara from Ecuador with the binder being Dominican, and fillers from Nicaragua including the Ometepe region, Dominican Republic, and Peru. Included in this is Piloto Cubano, San Vicente, and a hybrid between Piloto and Olor. It is also the first regular production box pressed cigar from AVO and the first regular production box pressed cigar to come out of the Davidoff factory which is where these beauties originate from and are indeed a Hendrik “Henke” Kelner blend. The Syncro name refers to the synchronization of the Nicaraguan tobacco with the delicious Dominican and Peruvian tobacco in the blend, and in fact in the Toro size earned spot number 16 for 2015 on Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 cigars of 2015. Information for these facts was located from the Cigar Aficionado Website located here: http://top25.cigaraficionado.com/2015/avo-syncro-nicaragua-toro/. Now without further ado lets get into this and start smoking this Syncro…
Construction: 10/10 There is a beautifull colorado shape wrapper with a heavy box press and minimal veins and seams, definitely a beautiful and lush cigar with good weight in the hand for the small robusto. The draw is dead nuts on and throughout the smoke a straight and true burn stays solid never once needing a single touch up. The ash constantly holds for up to 1.5” each time before dropping. Overall a perfectly constructed cigar and earns top marks without question!
Taste: 9.5/10 The Synchro starts out very unique with lots of woodsy and floral tones and a bit of pepper. Hints of musk, pepper, flora, hay and leather with a mineral wood note to it, very unique but overall pretty good though the dry woody notes are a bit of a downer. Luckily less than 1” in and the woodsy note calms down a great deal and a nuttiness replaces it while the leather grows and compliments the new nuttiness very very well! The nuttiness reminds me of a delicious almond toffee flavor which pairs perfectly with the leather, spice and pepper that show up on the retrohale, just awesome and really hitting its stride as well as my palate perfectly! I can still pick out the Kelner musk right at the tip of my tongue as the smoke first comes in as well as on the finish in the retrohale, something that I happen to really like but I am a big Kelner musk fan! Before the hallway mark a perfect sweet cream explodes onto the scene and balance the spice and peppery Nicaraguan tobacco perfectly. This creamy, nutty, toffee and spice note maintains the rest of the cigar which is welcome and very well balanced. For so many small changes to occur in such a small robusto I have to say I am impressed and very surprised as I typically just get one or so changes whereas this one had at least two, almost two and half. As it winds down to a close I can say that the body grew to a medium+ and the cream stayed the whole time with some anise, woody nots, and mild chocolate showing up in the last 2” of it that was a very pleasant surprise. A perfectly balanced and executed cigar, I would fail to see how to improve on this one much at all honestly!
Overall: 9.5/10 I can definitely tell the Nicaraguan tobacco is in here, there is more body, spice and pepper than any other AVO that I have had before. That is a good thing though and this is a very well balanced and constructed cigar that Kelner and AVO pulled off very well. I was a bit worried how well a strong and bold Nicaraguan would work in what is always a creamy and complex brand, but this was done perfectly. Thats a term I have used a lot in this review though and I really do feel fits this blend, perfect for me at least. To wrap this up with a close, spicy, bold, blanked an creamy nutty while still most definitely being a Kelner blend with just the right amount of the famous Kelner musk that I do so love!
As always, thank you for reading and I hope you all enjoyed the little journey I tried to lead you on. Any and all comments are always welcomed and encouraged, after all I can't get better and can't appeal to an audience if I am not posting and reviewing in a way y'all enjoy so make sure to leave feedback!
Thanks,
Brett
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Brett
Tatuaje Frank Jr. of the Little Monsters Series - Corona Gorda 5 5/8” x 44rg
Original Release gifted by Brett @Firetruckguy June 2012
This is the first of the releases that became the Monster series offshoots as it started with the Little Monsters in 2012, then the Pudgy Monsters in 2014, and latest is the Skinny Monsters in 2016 with other new releases recently announced at this years IPCPR convention. To be honest, I have a hard time remembering that this really is 4 years old as I remember distinctly when the first Little Monsters came out and it just doesn't seem that long ago, but its been just past 4 years now and this Frank Jr. has some great age on it now and should be a helluva smoke. Draped in at Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and featuring all Nicaraguan binder and filler featuring a heavy box press with significant tooth, this does a good job at taking the characteristics of Frankenstein and putting them into a cigar vitola for a lil’ guy at least. The blends oddly enough stayed the same though and it was only the crop years that changed when blending comparatively to the original cigars, so while it may not be the same exact tobacco it IS the same varietals used and only a different crop of the same strains and blends. This is what Pete Johnson had to say on it as found in Halfwheel (http://halfwheel.com/review-tatuaje-frank-jr): “I used the same blends as the original, which was the best way to represent the original cigars. The tobacco varietals did not change. Only the crop years. Of course the Mimi Mum and The Mummy will be from the same crop.” An interesting side note is that the Little Monsters were the only release to have two of each cigar included, but this was due to the face that at the time only 4 Monsters were previously released with a 5th one upcoming in October which was the Mummy. Originally the orange boxes would have had the cartoon drawings of the Monsters on the outside as the artwork, but word has it that Pete was worried about being seen as marketing to minors and instead put it on the inside under the cigars in the box. So with enough backstory and history the time is right to get down to the review…
Construction: 9/10 This is very much a toothy wrapper with some visible veins and clean seams. There is a heavy box press with dark brown and lightly mottled wrapper with a floral and barnyard aroma coming off of it, very good. The draw is perfect with just a hint of resistance producing thick volumes of luscious smoke! The burn is wavy the whole time and needing touching up fairly regularly, but for me at least that is part of the fun of messing with it and rarely detracts from the enjoyment, otherwise this is a flawlessly constructed cigar with great feel in the hand.
Taste: 9.5/10 The very start is a pepper and spice bomb hitting you right in the teeth with loads of leather, cocoa and a hint of graham cracker, but mainly dominated by pepper and spice at the front end. As the Frank Jr. starts to settle in a bit more we still see a decent amount of black pepper and spice, but it has calmed down some hitting mostly on the tip of your tongue and showing up in the retrohale. Besides the pepper and spice however, we find that it is less in your face and balanced well by a very chewy and oily leather, milk chocolate, graham cracker and a woody earthy note that is new but rounds out the profile well making a better balance than the initial pepper hit. This is definitely full bodied flavor and strength is medium and growing rapidly. A little while later, the pepper drops back and the chocolate and leather from in harmony with a new note of walnut that is terrific with just a hint of anise in the nose, perfectly balanced with the strong and bold flavors previously mentioned. In fact the nutty and semi-sweet notes are a very welcomed offset to the big bold and still peppery and spicy notes that were previously mentioned. In the last half the strength grows and becomes a solid full bodied smoke, and a unique raisin and anise flavor shows up in the retrohale that I love. It is balanced by the leather, chocolate and graham cracker with woody tones that have been present through the entire smoke and the ever present pepper is nearly gone with just a mild spice showing up in the retrohale. The final burn of the Frank Jr. is much more mild than initially expected but very very good and leads to a perfect finish for a bold and in your face cigar as you would expect of a Monster Series release named after the first and most famous Monster Release of them all, Frank.
Overall: 9.25/10 This was a great cigar with wonderful balance and an overall harmony with the strength and complexity of flavors. It grew and developed a lot starting peppery and spicy but ending chewy, sweet and nutty and complex. Overall an outstanding smoke that I wish I had many many more of, especially for such a sweet little corona of a cigar!
Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed it, as always comments and questions are welcomed and encouraged as its the only way that I can improve on these things!
Thank you,
Brett
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Dave
Roland
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