TX Duo Review - Tatuaje Cojonú 2021 OR?

[Çnote]

Dark dark yellow cello. It's always nice to find, except when it isn't real.

I picked these up in a terrible B&M about an hour outside of Dallas. At one point, they bought a lot of cigars, they didn't sell many and they didn't take care of what they had. Based on the lights, humidity, temperature and insulation, I'd say dark cello here can be as much a sign of negligence as age. 

I don't smoke a lot of Cojonú as it's such a big bold peppery blend. I've enjoyed the Gran Cojonú and the Capa wrappers fresh, but this isn't a band I'm buying boxes of. This was 7x58 of nearly overwhelming oak, earth, black pepper, and the Tatuaje meat/soy/maillard profile. Not much nuance and more than I could retro. Balanced with a thumb on the scale is about as good as I can say.

The only letups were a little backhanded, I had a couple of nearly inch long running burns that on correction the wrapper came through with an incredible toasted coconut flavor that kept me working.

Overall, not particularly enjoyable but quite educational.

Any thoughts @Capn_Jackson?

[Capn_Jackson]

I set aside three hours for this behemoth, but I actually finished it off in just over two. You can see the celo is, again, the color of the amber on top of John Hammond’s cane. Wrapper is a very deep rosy shade, and the cold draw is delicious coffee with dried dark fruits. 

I give this giant Belicoso a Dickman cut (ouch!) and the cold draw is barnyard, coffee, and a little agave. Great light-up puff of dark fruits, cappuccino cream, and figs. As things get rolling, this beast still has some strength in it, and a lovely Tat profile. Sweet tobacco, cashews, and earthy fruits, with a buttered corn finish. 

Second third is a little more baked goods. I go from buckwheat waffle with maple, to buttered rye loaf, to something like a fruitcake. A little meatiness mixed in as well, umami notes of charred pork. The strength presented itself higher in the opening, but it seems to have leveled down quite a bit. Riding at just above medium around the midpoint. Construction has been, as expected from Tat, flawless for me. The long finish has loads of coffee and crème, a real delight.

The last third is more barnyard, dark honeyed fruits, slightly over-roasted pecan, and even a twinge of orange cream. Superb, really! Not one I’d typically reach for, due to its sheer size, but an excellent couple of hours spent enjoying the leaf.

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