The Tatuaje La Casita Criolla consists entirely of 100% Connecticut Broadleaf tobacco making it an American Puro. The blend comes in three sizes, The HCB Corona ( 5 1/8 x 42), The HCBC Corona Gorda (5 5/8 x 46), and the HCBF Short Churchill (6 1/2 x 48). The Tatuaje La Casita Criolla is available for purchase now at Atlantic.

The La Casita Criolla has a rough and dark mottled appearance that is common with broadleaf maduro wrappers. The cigar is well made, well packed with a perfectly applied cap. The La Casita Criolla’s band is very much a throwback to the original Cuban cigar that bared its same name. It does give the cigar an older, rustic feeling though that I like.

Taking a deep inhalation of the foot gives me some nice earthy, cocoa aromas. The cold draw is very much the same, with some spice on my lips.

First Third:

As I light the cigar up there is some spice initially and lots of rich chewy smoke.  The draw and burn are fantastic, just the right amount of resistance.  This Tatuaje is no chimney, as I take a puff a small flavorful burst of smoke emits from the stick. The flavors in the first third of the La Casita Criolla are very nice, medium in body, with some earthy maduro with a cocoa sweetness and a surprisingly clean finish.

Second Third:

The body is ramping up a bit, a hint of peppery spice coming into the picture, fitting more into the body and strength that Tatuaje smokers are generally comfortable with. It’s still a medium to medium-full body cigar. What continues to surprise me is that usually a cigar with this flavor profile, rich sweet maduro with chewy smoke, leaves your mouth coated with these flavors. This cigar leaves absolutely nothing behind except for a yearning for another puff of the earthy sweetness. I read someone’s review mentioning that the finish is refreshing, and I absolutely 100% agree. This is a great quality for a cigar to have, especially a maduro.

Last Third:

The La Casita Criolla is now at the final third and some new flavors are developing. The cocoa is more pronounced and the overall body of the smoke has a heavier mouth feel. Once again this is my first smoke of the day and I’m feeling a minor nicotine buzz, nothing overwhelming at all. In fact it’s actually a nice way to start the day, but that’s just me. I’m tasting some mintiness, and with little more than an inch to go, the finish is still super clean with no bitterness.

Overall Impressions:

All things considered, this is a really interesting smoke. To be honest, I’m generally not a huge fan of rich maduro cigars. The difference I mentioned above, the clean overall taste without sacrifice of all things that make maduro cigars great, has sold me on this one. Great rich earthiness with the perfect amount of sweetness and spice, combined with a great price point is going to make this another winner with the Tatuaje crowd. Hopefully this boutique stick will be able to cross over into the mainstream a bit so folks can get a new perspective of a maduro cigar. Put another feather in Pete’s cap, an interesting adventure in broadleaf and overall a great smoke.

The Tatuaje La Casita Criolla is on sale now, try out this tasty Tatuaje for yourself!

Keep on smokin!

-GC

Ernesto Carrillo has extended his very successful and extremely well crafted stable of brands to include a Broadleaf Maduro version of his regular production Core Line. I got my hands on the No. 4 Corona  (5 1/8 x 42) this morning and I’m going to give it a whirl.

The cigar has a very dark and rustic Maduro appearance, does not look to be cooked or dyed in any way.  Has some of that classic barnyard, earthy smell to it. Construction is very solid; the cigar is well packed with tobacco.  Pre-light draw has bittersweet cocoa and classic tobacco flavors.  After lighting up this small corona, due to the firmness of the cigar I thought the draw would be tight, but on the contrary, ample smoke is pulling through this mini maduro. Right off the bat I notice the increase in strength in relation to the regular Natural wrapped EP Carrillo Core Line.

Starting off, I’m getting a lot of spice through the nose with an initial blast of spicy cocoa flavors.  The aroma is mostly rich maduro smoke, thick with sweet flavors. Because of the small ring gauge of the Corona size of this E.P. Carrillo Maduro, the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper is dominating the flavor of the cigar. This is not a bad thing, by the way! The ash holds firm for about an inch or so on this small stick showing you the cigar is definitely well packed. As I move into the second third, I’m starting to notice the Sumatra binder is adding a nice spiciness to the finish.  Similar sweet and cocoa rich maduro flavors continue through the rest of the smoke as it continues to build some body. As I smoke my way into the last third, I’m getting more spice on the finish, as the rich maduro flavors continue.

Overall I think the Carrillo family has worked their magic once again. As far as blending is considered, this cigar has everything a maduro lover can ask for. Rich, sweet, cocoa flavors mixed with just the right amount of earthiness and spice. While the Corona offered more wrapper flavor, I can’t wait to try a larger ring to see how Ernesto Carrillo’s filler and binder blend changes the overall flavor. With Carrillo, you can’t miss, especially at the Core Line price point. If you like Maduro, definitely watch out for this one.

Keep your eyes peeled on the Blog, Facebook and Twitter for the latest releases as they come in. For now, you can visit our E.P. Carrillo Core Line Maduro page and put yourself on the list to be notified when they come in.

Keep on smoking!

-GC