Letting My Mind Wander With A: 2011 Tatuaje TAA

[polarbear]

New Review is done

Sorry its late guys, its been a pretty hectic month

Next Months review will be a Habano, I promise ;-)

As I have talked about previously in these reviews, I’m a collector at heart. When it comes to cigars, there are so many people doing limited edition cigars both in and outside of Cuba that there are almost as many “Limited” cigars as there are regular production ones these days. It’s a slippery slope, trying to get them all. I had a crack at it a while back and failed miserably. These days, I chase only what I think will be worthwhile, not because it’s limited, but because I think it will be a good cigar. There are times I jump in with both feet and buy a box without knowing anything about it, but that’s a lot rarer than it used to be. I then store these limited cigars away for a special occasion. There are a lot of boxes in my humidor that are only missing one cigar. I smoked one to see how it was and stashed the rest for that special day when I can justify setting fire to something I only have in limited supply.

Then there are days, like this one, where I just want to smoke a particular cigar. Not because it’s a special day, just cause I want to. Today is one of those days. I came home and wanted to smoke a Tatuaje 2011 TAA. Not because it was my birthday, or my anniversary, but because it was Tuesday and I felt like it. To alleviate my guilt at smoking a cigar I currently have less than a quarter of a box left, I figured I’d review it. I bought a box of 2011 TAA’s when I was in the middle of my “gotta buy them all” kick. Due to the fact that I’d already bought a few boxes of other limited sticks that month I was only able to afford one box. That was a pity because of all the cigars I bought that month, this one was the best by far. Now they are all long gone and I’m down to my last 5.

We may as well make that “my last 4”

This cigar features two of my favourite construction options. It is box pressed and has a covered foot. The box press helps to make smoking its 54rg a little more bearable. The covered foot allows for a nice good taste of the wrapper leaf when you first go light the cigar. The wrapper is dark and rough, but devoid of veins. I cut the cap and am greeted by a flawless draw. Not too firm but not too open either. My lighter toasts the foot and the extra wrapper tobacco burns easily, I take a draw and am greeted with notes of sweet, toasted tobacco. The draw is still perfect and I savor the taste of the wrapper and its long finish as my mind begins to wander.

Working in the offshore oil industry, there are months when I don’t get to smoke as many cigars as I’d like. If I’m away at work always grab half a dozen sticks to sustain me for the 3-6 weeks I spend away. One trip I was motivated to pack a few extras. The hitch was December 2012. I was rostered on from early December until early January. That meant I was going to spend my Christmas day and New Year’s Eve on an oil installation in the middle of the Timor Sea. This was an unfortunate bi product of the industry. Every day was a work day. The particular installation I was working on had a better than normal smoking room attached to it. This place was quite large, with leather couches, a ventilation system that worked and a big screen TV fitted. It was the nicest recreation room on the whole installation. On my first trip out there I had managed to get a reputation around the traps as an avid cigar smoker. I was “stinking” the smoking room out on a weekly basis that first trip. When I was packing my gear to head back out I walked up to my humidor and decided I wanted a special stick to smoke on Christmas Day. I found myself reaching for a 2011 TAA. As I was grabbing a few other singles to sustain me for the trip I spied a box of cheapish Non-Cubans in one of my humidors. I didn’t remember paying money for them. They were a freebee on a large order I placed but they were pretty good, from what I recalled. I smiled to myself and threw that box in my bag as well.

As the cigar find its way the sweet toasted tobacco from the opening morphs into sweet baking spices with a lot of spice through the nose. The burn line is perfect and the cigar produces a thick, chewy smoke that coats the pallet. On the exhale I am left with a bitter, yet strangely pleasant finish that lingers for quite a while.

The first couple of weeks at work passed fairly quickly. When every day is the same, it’s easy to lose track of time. Before I knew it, it was Christmas Day. There had been talk for the previous week of the arrangements for the day. We were all knocking off at midday for a Christmas Lunch and then not going back to work until 2pm, an hour longer than what was normally the case. I woke up a 5am on Christmas Day and dressed for work. As soon as I stepped out of my room I felt the anticipation in the atmosphere. Every person I passed on my way to breakfast was smiling, happy to shake hands and exchange Merry Christmases. There was back slapping and well wishes a plenty. It was not what I had expected to experience. There was an unspoken agreement throughout the entire platform that we were all going to make the best of the day and not be negative about our situation. No one took longer than 15 min on the phones to ensure that everyone got a chance to phone home and there wasn’t one unhappy face on the entire job. Today was going to be a good day. Non Alcoholic beers (Christmas or not, we were still offshore) were brought out and put on ice to ensure everyone could have a frosty cold one with their lunch and the kitchen began cooking up a storm as soon as breakfast service was finished. The weather was even co-operating. After 2 weeks of 40degree days it was a calm, cool and overcast morning. Everyone was working in a casual, yet efficient manner, ensuring that everything for the morning got done, but no one worked too hard and nothing happened that would hold up our finishing for lunch.

The 2^nd third of this cigar is well under way. The huge spice blast through the nose from the 1^st third has mellowed out a little and some sweetness has found its way in. I am thankful for the relief as the spice was intense. My pallet is loving the sweet cake notes of this meaty smoke. There is a touch of licorice there as well with a strong black coffee note on the finish that lingers ad mellows over a couple of min. I’m loving this profile.

Midday rolled around and everyone got changed into clean clothes and gathered in the mess hall for Christmas lunch. Clean collared shirts, covered shoes and a good attitude were the norms. We all sat down to tables set with cold beers and Bon Bons. Within 10 min of everyone getting settled there were pops coming from everywhere as Bon Bons were pulled apart and silly paper hats donned by the winners. The spread for lunch was beyond impressive. Roast beef, lamb, pork, chicken and ham each with its own gravy. Prawns, Oysters, Bug Tails and Crab Claws. Roast vegetables, salads and fruit. The dessert bar was equally impressive, Pavlova, Pudding, cakes, ice cream, candies of every kind, stewed fruits and custard. There are only a few occasions in my life where I can say I’ve eaten so well. The Installation Manager got up and said a few words followed by the rig supervisor. People were laughing, clapping and enjoying themselves in a manner I would not expect 60 grown men, a long way from home on Christmas Day could. Many a non-alcoholic beer was drunk, and I’m not sure if it was the atmosphere of the day or the fact I hadn’t had a real beer in 3 weeks, but they weren’t that bad. The company man had arranged a door prize/ raffle for everyone on board with various prizes ranging from a few Bunnings vouchers up to an iPad. Names were drawn out of a hat and applause was offered for the winners. When the Company Man’s name came out of the hat, he looked around and smiled, “draw it again”, he said. This was met with cheers from room. The Installation Managers name came out twice over the raffle, “redraw that one” he would say. The 2 hours we had been allowed for lunch went far too quickly and no one was looking forward to going back to work with bellies as full as they were. As we were all changing to go back out on deck the Installation Manager came over the PA. “The weather has deteriorated beyond safe working limits, all personnel are stood down until it improves”. It seems that even the weather was happy to let us have an afternoon off.

As the cigar moves into its last act the sweet cake notes from the 2^nd third are still at the forefront of the profile. The spice through the nose has increased again, but its nowhere near as intense as the 1^st third. The coffee on the finish has mellowed somewhat as well but it still lingers for a good amount of time, allowing me to savour it before my next draw. The construction is top notch and the ask is a brilliant white.

The rest of the day passed in a very casual manner. Many sat around watching movies while allowing their stomachs to settle. After the dinner service, which most didn’t need, I settled into the smoking room with the cigar I’d brought especially for the trip. I had the box of non-Cuban cigars sitting on the table in front of me, open for the world to see. When I sat down I was alone, but as I cut the cap and struck a match more and more people entered the room. The looks on their faces when they saw me lighting my cigar said it all. PB was stinking up room again. Deano, one of the riggers, walked in and said “you smoking one of those things again!?” “Indeed I am” I replied, “It is Christmas after all, would you care to join me?” I motioned to the full box in front of me. “What? Have a cigar?” Deano said with a little bit of shock in his voice. “Indeed, it is Christmas, after all” I said with a smile. Deano took one of the cigars from the box and examined it with trepidation. “It smells good”, “It is” I said, “would you lads like to try one too? It’s on me.” One by one, all of the cigarette smokers who I’d lived and worked with for the better part of a month got up and took a cigar. My cutter was passed around and I schooled some of the more novice cigar smokers in cutting and lighting of the cigars. It’s funny how all the guys who for weeks had berated me for smoking cigars were suddenly quiet as soon as they had one in their hands. Most taking deep draws and savouring the flavours before exhaling with a smile on their faces, often holding up the cigars and nodding at me in approval. More people entered the smoking room and each was offered a cigar. Before I knew the box of 20 was empty and the air was thick with cigar smoke and laughter. We made jokes at each other’s expense and laughed as one, talked of plans when returning home and how our families were coping with us all being away. A few of the guys wanted to know more about cigars and tobacco, one even managed to cut his finger while playing with my cutter, we all laughed at that. 20 of us all sat there, drunk on comradely (it defiantly wasn’t the beer) and I felt at home for the first time since arriving. For this one day, in this place, these 20 people I didn’t know 8 weeks ago were like family. The cigars burned down and one by one people got up to leave, some looking a little more green than the others. Hands were shaken and thankyous exchanged. Tomorrow was another day in the offshore industry. I looked around at the empty room I was sitting in, the room still thick with cigar smoke and listened to the laughter I could hear outside the door as everyone went to bed, their cigar nubs still smouldering in the very full ashtrays. I looked at my still burning cigar and, for the first time that day, felt at peace.

The TAA is coming to a close, I’d like to keep going with it, but its almost finished and I can’t find my nubber (I really need to tidy up my cigar hutch…) I put it down next to me and the smoke from the foot surrounds me. I savour its final parting gift, enjoying the scent of the smoke as it slowly goes out. This is one of my favourite Limited Release cigars, and a good example of the downside of chasing limited editions. If I could, I would smoke this cigar 3 or 4 times a week. But alas, they are all but gone and I’m not prepared to pay double the RRP on the secondary market for them. I was once asked by my missus, when discussing special occasion cigars, is it the occasion that makes the cigar special or is it the cigar that makes the occasion special? That’s a good point, I think. The Christmas I spent away from my home was a special day. Was it made more special by the cigar I smoked? Part of me thinks that I could have lit up one of those cheap Non Cubans and been just as happy. That being said, had I not had 20 people to share the evening with I think I would have been happier smoking the TAA. It’s an interesting thought. Maybe it’s just that any day can be a special occasion as long as you have a cigar you love in your hand. It reminds me of when I was first smoking cigars, people would walk up to me in a bar or a club while I was smoking a cigar and ask what the occasion was and I’d look at them and say “Its Tuesday”.

Tags:

[Larsy]

Great cigar. Enjoy reading these

[Profmd]

Great review.

The story was quite amazing to read.

Thanks for it.

Jeff

[finecigar]

Loved reading your story- thanks for this special reviews you do. I never tried one of these cigars- looks tasty.

[paulF]

Thanks for a great review and story. Brilliant stuff, please keep them coming

[Louich]

First of all, great review. Second this is one top of the line smoke. If anyone can grab some of these they should.

[CaptainQuintero]

Awesome I'd been waiting for your next reviews and it came at the perfect time! Can't wait for the next instalment!