Tatuaje Anarchy Cigar Review
I won’t lie, I was excited when I received a couple of samples of this cigar from Abe “MING” Dababneh’s Smoke Inn, which is a cigar retailer in Florida with six different B&Ms and an online presence as well (link). Accompanying these samples is a letter with a brief description of this limited edition cigar:
The wrapper used is a very special proprietary crop of Ecuadorian Habano leaf that Pepin & Pete [you know who they are] personally chose for the project. The binder and filler is Nicaraguan, and blended to perfection.
Want a little more info? Watch this video with a post-apocalyptic feel to it from Pete Johnson.
Spooky, I could almost sense the marauding band of disheveled twenty-somethings throwing shopping carts through the windows of Pete’s house during that video.
Alright, enough with the sideshow, let’s talk about this cigar.
It truly is an interesting cigar to look at. The foot tapers off a little and the bulge, which at its thickest is a 52 ring gauge, is not that far off from the narrowest part of the cigar, which is a 48 ring gauge.
What is really unique, for me at least, is the cap. It looks like a miniature cinnamon roll without the frosting. Basically, I think the way that they did it was that “miniature cinnamon roll” was constructed out of a pigtail and then they twirled it on the foot.
Beyond all of that stuff the wrapper looks awesome. Dark brown in complexion and without a lot of veins to get in the way. The cigar is, however, a little hard to the touch. I have smoked one of these so far and I can tell you that the draw required a small amount of effort but, other than that, it didn’t affect the flavors.
Cigar Stats
Perfecto
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 48-52
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $49.95/Box of 5 | $149.85/Box of 15
It starts out like the good kind of rugged. You know the kind. John Wayne walks in from the desert to save a town that doesn’t really want his help kind of rugged. A parchingly dry spice is the first thing I noticed followed by a wisp of sweetness and a strong background of leather.
Copious amounts of cigar smoke are dancing around my head right now and I am liking this cigar even more than the first time I tried one. With the burn line a half an inch from the foot I cannot honestly say that this is a smooth cigar. Like I said, it’s rugged but it’s rugged in a way that augments the flavors. Spice and leather need a bit of wildness to them, I think. Obviously, as all good things, spice and leather can get a little too out of control. Fortunately with this cigar there is that sweetness that is lingering in the background and it does provide something of a restraint for that wildness.
After an inch I knock off the ash and the sweetness seems to be developing some. There is a hint of caramel there but it is way in the background. One interesting development is that the spice has moderated some and there is a definite smoky flavor that is coming through. This smokiness continues from the midway point to the end of the cigar.
With about three inches left on the cigar there is a nutty flavor that comes through a little bit and the main flavor present has become more earthy than anything else. Both are a nice addition to the overall flavor profile of this cigar and adds to the complexity as well.
There is a great review of this cigar on the Stogie Guys‘ website and in this review they noted a somewhat ragged burn line. The first one I smoked, shortly after receiving it, also had that problem. But with the extra couple of weeks in the humidor the burn line is just fine. The draw is good as well and it is a full bodied cigar.
All in all it is a great cigar. The flavors never disappoint. Get some while you still can.
94 points
Last Chance to RSVP for TPD Cigar Dinner
If you live in the Los Angeles or Orange County areas then come on over for a night of cigars! This Wednesday you will be treated to an Alec Bradley Family Blend and a Diesel Unlimited. There will also be Mexican food and some great Mexican beer. The event will be in Yorba Linda. The cost is $40 and all you need to do is RSVP to my email: travislindsay@theperfectdraw.com.
For more information see this post.
Avo Cigar Rights of America Cigar Review
One of the reasons I like writing is because you never have to pronounce any of the words. Take, for example, this cigar. Is the “A” in “Avo” a hard or soft “A”? I don’t know which it is but, if you absolutely need to know how I’m pronouncing it in my head, I am pronouncing it with a soft “A” in my head: Ah-vo.
Now let’s get into the part that you actually care about. This Avo is part of the Cigar Rights of America sampler that I purchased a number of months ago. I’ve liked all the cigars, some better than others, and I have high hopes for this cigar.
It feels a bit on the dry side. The construction is mostly good but there are some issues with the cap. No serious drawbacks that I can make out in the construction. The prelight draw, on the other hand, feels a little tight. Even so, I am getting a distinctly peppery flavor.
I Scream Light!
Oak is the first flavor that I can discern. After that there is dry prairie and after that a hint of cherry comes through a little bit.
Medium bodied cigar and the flavors are okay. There just isn’t that much interesting going on in this cigar during the first half. Part of the problem is that there is this off note that makes this cigar a little harsh.
And then, with the commencement of the second half, this Avo becomes smooth. That doesn’t mean the flavors are amazing or anything like that but it is better.
Oak is the dominant flavor followed by cherry and that dry, grassy flavor (that aforementioned pretentious sounding prairie).
Not much changes throughout; it is a fairly consistent cigar. There’s some complexity to the flavor profile but not a whole lot. It’s a good cigar and worth a smoke or two.
Like all the other cigars from the CRA sampler I will not give this one a score. If you haven’t done so already you should head over to the CRA website and become a member before smoking cigars is outlawed.
Tatuaje Anarchy
A couple of weeks ago I received a couple of these as samples. They have not been released yet but you can pre-order them right now (for more information on this go HERE). Pre-orders will ship by December 13th. I smoked one of the pair that I received earlier this week and it is an amazing cigar.
A little more info on this cigar:
In the Spring of 2009 I approached my good friend Pete Johnson with the Tatuaje Anarchy project idea. The hope was to create something special in a limited run. The size is something never seen before and symbolic of the movement. The cigar is made with a very limited leaf of Ecuadorian Habano Wrapper that Pete & the Garcia Family hand selected.
After 4-5 attempts of a filler recipe, We finally felt Pete struck gold with a a blend that made our whole staff cry when the samples were gone.
You will find this oily dark wrapper having almost a “fuzzy” feeling on your lips. This cigar is bold yet extremely smooth. We found it to improve as it was smoked and the draw was just right. Tatuaje Anarchy is something we are very proud of and believe in our hearts you will find it as special as we do. In fact we GUARANTEE IT!
Going against the grain of typical limited run releases, we wanted Tatuaje Anarchy to be priced reasonably, so that all who are fan’s of Pete’s brands could embrace this release without breaking the bank. The cigar is a perfecto a little over 6” and has a slow taper of 48 to 52 ring gauge. Only 1500 boxes were produced and it will be a sad day when they are gone. Life is short, so grab a good cigar, enjoy what your doing and JOIN THE ANARCHY!
Obviously, I have a conflict of interest here and I have only smoked one of these, so maybe I just got a really, really good one. But remember that this is a Tatuaje and there are only 1,500 boxes of 15 (That’s what? 22,500 cigars or something like that?) so I felt an obligation to alert you to this opportunity.
If you want to risk it you could wait for my forthcoming review that should come during the next week or so.
Oh, and while I’m at it, if you live in the Los Angeles/Orange County California area you must come to my Cigar Dinner this Wednesday!
AFGL: Dinner & Movie
A Few Good Links this time around is more like A Couple of Freaking Awesome Links this time but I’m not going to make a big fuss about it. Without further ado:
- The Wednesday after Thanksgiving, that would be December 1st, I am hosting the first ever TPD Cigar Dinner. For a reasonable price you will get a cigar that was rated 94 by Cigar Aficionado and 95 by me along with another awesome cigar that was recently released. You will also get some extremely tasty Mexican food and beer. For more info go to this post and please RSVP by Monday, November 29th.
- I like Camacho cigars. The Camacho Triple Maduro received top honors in my first Top Ten List and there were others highly rated (Corojo and Coyolar). And now Camacho has produced a kick ass video that documents the different stages of cigar production: from seed to smoke. You could click on that link or just watch it below.
Rancho Jamastran — Camacho Cigars from Camacho Cigars on Vimeo.
