Tatuaje J21 Reserva Cigar Review

Posted in Cigar Reviews, Tatuaje | 5 comments

This week, we have another guest review from our friend Danny. Hope you enjoy!

The Verdict:
Appearance: 14/15

The box date of this cigar is October 2006, and it is in absolutely perfect condition. There are a few large veins, but the smaller veins are virtually invisible. There is a tiny bit of plume on the surprisingly oily milk chocolate colored wrapper, which is well adhered and has only one aesthetic defect: a water mark near the cap. The wrapper has a slight compost smell to it, accompanied by a faint sweetness. Extremely neutral, which is to be expected given the age on this stick.

Flavor: 25/25

The cold taste was straight up pepper which tingled on the lips for quite some time. The first third started off very surprisingly given the cold taste with loads of coffee, some pepper, and leather. It was very well balanced and very rich. The spice soon faded a bit giving way to a sightly minty flavor. The aroma was unbelievable, and smelled just like roasted coffee beans.
The second third was much more mellow than the first. The pepper was all but gone, and a strong cocoa flavor appeared. This third was much more earthy than the first, with the leather fading out as well. Coffee and cocoa was the name of the game.
Leather returned to in the final third, and the coffee flavor that had been front and center for the entire cigar started to lessen, and the cocoa became dominant. There was still very little spice. I have to say, this was without question one of the most complex cigars that I have ever smoked, and challenged my palate the entire duration. This cigar was in the medium-full category, but carried a hell of a nicotine kick. Take your time with this one.

Construction: 21/25

The flavors were out of this world, but the construction…was a very different story. The draw was impeccable, but the burn was atrocious, which unfortunately seems to be a recurring defect in many Tatuajes. The cigar started off burning like a razor, but soon started to wave. The ash held on for quite some time, but was extremely flaky. Into the second third, the burn started to correct itself, and then decided wave again to the point of needing a few corrections. This is forgivable, but the fact that this cigar went out on me several times in the final third is not. I really wish I was able to enjoy the great flavors of this cigar without having to reach for my lighter every 5 minutes.

Overall Impression: 33/35

I really loved the taste of this cigar. Unfortunately, the construction problems prevented me from rating it higher. I have three more of these bad boys aging peacefully, and hopefully when it is their time they will burn a hell of a lot better. Despite the horrible burn characteristics, I have to say this cigar was still a lot of fun. It will be interesting to see what the rest do in a few more years.

Final Score: 93/100