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Old 02-01-2009, 06:55 PM   #1
Black Plague
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Southern Indiana
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Super Bowl Smoke: Tatuaje Reserva SW

What better excuse to break out a fine beverage and a fine smoke than the Super Bowl, undoubtedly the biggest and most anticipated day in American sports? As I sat in my apartment watching Super Bowl XLIII, I decided to break out two fine epicurean delights to accompany the game.



The Tatuaje Reserva SW is Pete Johnson's tribute to the venerable Cuban-made H. Upmann Sir Winston in the form a Nicaraguan puro. Made in the classic Cuban "Julieta" shape, these cigars are wrapped in a viso leaf selected for a lighter color. This is a milder (relative to the brand) cigar with
a different filler blend from the rest of the Tatuaje line and is released in smaller quantities than the rest of the Tatuaje line.



Gouden Carolus Cuvée van de Keizer Blauw is a Belgian strong dark ale and one of the top flight beers coming out of Belgium today. It is made in the Trappist method (which involves a second fermentation with yeast in the bottle, much like champagne) and named for the gold coins of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who was known to have a lifelong preference for beer over wine. Brewed every year on February 24th, the birthday of Charles V, this beer is already almost a year old and
clocks in with an ABV of 11%.


Tatuaje
Reserva SW
7 x 47 Churchill

Prelight: The viso wrapper is colorado, the colof of cinnamon-dusted milk chocolate, with a nice oily sheen and pale, subdued veins. The cigar was immaculately made (no doubt Pete and Pepin Garcia save the most-skilled rollers for this size) with a perfectly even roll and a beautiful marble-head cap, perfectly round, that belies the skills of a master torcedor. For the occasion, I decided to try a lighting technique known as la méthode de Jacques Puisais. Named for the famed wine enthusiast and founder of Paris' Institute of Taste, the idea is to minimize any unpleasant fumes from the fire source that may become trapped in the cigar during lighting. To do this, you start lighting the cigar before you cut the head, until the foot is totally lit, then cut the cap, blow through the cigar first thing to expel any undesirable fumes, and then begin to draw on the cigar. I used two cigar matches to get an evenly-lit coal, cut, blew, and then began to smoke.

Beverage:
Gouden Carolus Cuvée van de Keizer Blauw Belgian strong dark ale.

Flavor:
The Jacques Puisais method seems to have made the initial palate entry very, very smooth. The first draws were mild and smooth as fine silk. Medium tobacco flavor mixed with the aroma of raw, fresh, green tobacco freshly-cut from the stalk, very rich and leathery, nuances of cocoa and coffee beans, and a very light pepper spice on the tongue. From the start, I could detect many undegraded tannins. They did not detract from the enjoyment of this fine cigar, but only foretold the great potential of this cigar for the years to come. Creamy and medium-bodied, with a cedary finish. Excellent balance throughout.



The Gouden Carolus made a nice palate cleanser in between puffs, with its soft carbonation, big redfruit and caramel bouquet and flavor, refreshing hoppiness and light sweetness.

As it smoked, I could detect definite hints of its Havana namesake. Nuances of Upmannesque mustiness, cocktail olives, and a dusting of cinnamon on the finish.

Halfway through, the smoke gave the taste of toasted, dark, medium tobacco, loads of leather, and a twang you could swear was Cuban. Roasted nuts, warm, winter spices like clove and cinnamon, and a very light sweetness. The body steadily ramped up from medium to full.



By the last third, it maintained the same wonderful rich tobacco flavor, developing a more woody profile near the end.



Construction:
Superb. Burned straight, with only one correction, the entire length. Despite a rather shoddy cut on my part, the head held together and never unravelled. The ash was near white, held to the cigar very well, yet easily tapped off into the ashtray when needed. The draw was the perfect balance of give and resistance.

Summary:
It might be hard to find (but for some reason, even rare Tatuajes are quite abundant here in the Chicago area), but it is well worth the search! Despite the limited quantity and availability, the Reserva SW can usually be found at or slightly below the price of the regular-production Tatuaje Tainos double coronas. So not only are the good, but not inflated in price just because of their limited availability. All in all, I believe the Reserva SW lives up to its promise to offer American smokers a legal taste of one of the Cuban H. Upmann line's flagship vitolas...and then some. One of the many testaments to the skills of Jose Pepin Garcia and his team of rollers and also another sign of how far cigar tobacco outside of Cuba has come, and how far Nicaragua has risen despite its tumultuous history.

For a Steelers fan, this is a world-class victory cigar.

For a Cardinals fan, it'll definitely console your disappointment and ease the sting of defeat.

Last edited by Black Plague; 02-01-2009 at 07:51 PM.
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