Tatuaje Noellas

[DuppyConquerer]

Tatuaje Noellas
5.125 x 42
$8.00 @ B&M

I had to make a last minute trip over the hill to Napa this morning to pick up some supplies. With an hour to kill on the way home, I stopped by a B&M in downtown Napa to pick up a treat. I have heard many good things about Tatuaje and I had not seen the Noellas in Santa Rosa so I picked one up. I was on an empty stomach and vibrating a little from my morning joe. On my way out I turned around and asked, “Is this going to kick my ass?” Yes was the response…

Pre-light. In the store it felt fairly hard and not too spongy. I thought the draw might be tight but at least it was not over humidified (my newbie impression). There was an obvious vein in the wrapper and one beneath the wrapper that caused a bulge. (you can see this in the 2nd picture). To my surprised the draw was very loose. A cold drag proved that this was going to be a spicy smoke! :thumbs:

So I got out of town limits and pulled over. With a little trepidation I decided to grab the huevos and lite up.

First third. It started out really rough, almost stale but the smoke was thick and spicy. As it opened up I stared to taste burnt Thai dragon pepper (think Szechuan beef), barn yard and 2 day old starbucks.

Middle. It started to get mellow as I reached the mid point. Flavors of dry hay, stale coffee and dry rot. Huge volumes of smoke that lost the spice and became creamy. This is where I expect the complexity to kick in but this smoke seemed to be loosing flavor. The burn was very uneven and the ash would not hold for more than an inch. The ash color was more in the yellow-grey area than white.

Last third. It did not change much from the middle except it built a little in heat and bitterness. I was hitting a winding road at this point so I needed to put it down.

Thoughts. For an $8 smoke I was expecting a little more. While it was not the prettiest cigar, I was hoping the flavor would make up for it. As for the strength, I barely felt this one (thank goodness). I would rate it as a low-medium. Despite the deficiencies I enjoyed this smoke and it added to the enjoyment of my day. In the context of other smokes, I probably would not buy this again though. The La Gloria Cubana Wavell Maduro I had the other day was appreciated more for complexity and construction.

The Tatuaje Noellas seems to be very well received. Did I get an “off” cigar?

edit to remove dyslexia from the title.

 

[Izzypizzy]

Noellas are one of my absolute favs, I've never had one that didn't sit at 65% for at least a month though.

 

[Bsneed51]

Well, all people taste things differently, but I would venture to say that you received an "off" cigar. Tats have quickly become my favorite smoke, and I've yet to have one that was bitter, or I would describe as "dry rot". I would tell you to give them one more try, but I agree that given them a month or so of down time between 62%-65% is beneficial. I hope your next Tat experience is much better than this.

 

[MadMonk]

No soup for you!

When have you partook of dry rot to be able to identify it as a flavor?

You obviously had a bad cigar, which you should know if you've smoked a few.

Even bad cigars arent that bad, and a brand doesnt get that famous if they normally taste that bad.



edit to add.

 

[Fatken]

Sounds like you did an honest review and didn't fall for any hype; called it as you saw it. Of the Tats I have smoked, I like the Noellas the best. The first Tatuajes I smoked were fresh from the B&M, and I didn't like them at all, but after letting some of them rest a bit, they are very good cigars. You might try getting a few and holding on to them for a while, you might change your mind.

Thanks for the review.

Ken

 

[Marcos]

Give another a try. I recently had one that was a year old and it was fantastic. Low humidity storage is the key with all of those corojo/criollo type cigars. Nice honest review.

 

[DuppyConquerer]

Thank you all for chiming in on this!

This was by no means a bad cigar, it just fell short of expectations.It sounds like the humidity was a big factor in this.

Take Home Lesson; Let cigars rest for a least a month at optimal conditions.

I will take your advice to heart and try another one that has settled.

Tats have quickly become my favorite smoke

What is it about the Tats that you love so much? What are the qualitites that keep you coming back? To give me an idea of your preferences what is another smoke that you absolutely love?

When have you partook of dry rot to be able to identify it as a flavor?

You obviously had a bad cigar, which you should know if you've smoked a few.

Flavor is dictated by aromatics and I would venture to say that most of us can identify with what dry rot smells like. For me this is not a derogatory characteristic. It lies some where between pine shavings and damp soil.

I am very new to cigars so I can not say that I have had a bad one. In your experience, what do bad cigars taste like.

At this point, it is just a preference for me. They are placed on a scale from a strong dislike to I love it. This one fell in the middle of the pack as OK but not very interesting.

Thanks again for any input that you may have!

 

[DuppyConquerer]

Low humidity storage is the key with all of those corojo/criollo type cigars.

This is great information, thanks Marcos. Now I am wondering about maintaining different storage conditions to suit specific cigar types. Time to start searching!

 

[BlindedByScience]

Low humidity storage is the key with all of those corojo/criollo type cigars. Nice honest review.

....and it's no secret that most B&M's seriously over humidify their stock. I guess they figure that most folks don't know how to take care of a cigar properly and that they are doing them a "favor" by over humidifying their stock. Sticks from most B&M's need a month of proper storage to smoke optimally......at least.

As far as "low" humidity, not sure what to say there as my cabinet runs a very steady 64-65% RH and the Tat's I have are smoking great. In fact, we took a trip to the Oregon coast yesterday and I smoked a Noella on the boardwalk in Seaside. A spicy, very tasty smoke; one of the "good ones".

Best Regards - B.B.S.

 

[NorCalCigarLover]

Great review Kevin :thumbs: . I could totally relate to the dry rot, barn yard and 2 day old Starbucks tastes you used as descriptors as they put the flavors right in my mind as I was reading. I'm not a huge fan of this cigar myself as I just don't get the flavors as with a LFD DL Chisel or lancero. I'm still sitting on a box of the Noellas Reserva's with the oscuro wrappers, unsure if I'm going to trade it away or give these another chance.

They just don't seem to do it for me ???

 

[Izzypizzy]

I'm still sitting on a box of the Noellas Reserva's with the oscuro wrappers, unsure if I'm going to trade it away or give these another chance.

I'll take em off your hands :whistling:

 

[MadMonk]

My use of bad (stale) cigar is one that has lost it's essential oils, has mold, etc. I.e., it has not been stored properly long enough to create an irreversable negative condition. Like wine that has "corked". Not one that tastes bad. If it tastes bad then we try to determine if that is the blend, or the cigar. Is it a storage issue? Too wet, too hot? Then we smoke some more if we really want to experience the world of cigars. Especially a cigar that is in constant demand. I've had many cigars that made a negative first impression on me, that I love now. I've had boxes where the first smoke was so bitter, I thought my face would implode, and in the same box, one that was so delicious, I'll never forget the experience.

So, if you smoke long enough, you learn that you do a disservice to yourself, your friends, or even the Blender if you pass judgement or relate negative connotations to others so quickly. How many people, newbies most likely, may have been turned off from your review?

If I smoke only one, and tell my brothers that it was a bad cigar, or use flavor descriptions in lieu of taste descriptions we are now moving into a more subjective arena. I.e., most will understand sweet, bitter or salty. Dry rot is very foreign to me in terms of flavor. Rubber, wood, fabric? Which one? I just don't find that useful.

If most guys told their wives that the dinner she cooked him tasted like Dry Rot, he'd be in deep doo-doo. :0

 

[Marcos]

Low humidity storage is the key with all of those corojo/criollo type cigars. Nice honest review.

....and it's no secret that most B&M's seriously over humidify their stock. I guess they figure that most folks don't know how to take care of a cigar properly and that they are doing them a "favor" by over humidifying their stock. Sticks from most B&M's need a month of proper storage to smoke optimally......at least.

As far as "low" humidity, not sure what to say there as my cabinet runs a very steady 64-65% RH and the Tat's I have are smoking great. In fact, we took a trip to the Oregon coast yesterday and I smoked a Noella on the boardwalk in Seaside. A spicy, very tasty smoke; one of the "good ones".

Best Regards - B.B.S.

I should have said lower humidity, as a comparison to the typical B&M storage. Thanks

 

[NorCalCigarLover]

Except, knowing Kevin with his and my wine background those descriptors are not always a negative thing. I use descriptors like gamey, beef blood and barnyard all of the time when talking to others who are "into" wine, and they are not taken as negative descriptors. Infact, I use barnyard and funky to describe some of my favorite wines.

I used the descriptor of wet wood, or wet pine wood, as a descriptor when describing a cigar in Moki's taste test. As a amateur home remodeler I've smelled that scent many times and it was dead on with my nose. I've also often times used the descriptor of manure, which is another dead on scent I get with many cigars. As negative as these may seem to a newbie to the hobby they are a very accurate description as to what is in my nose. Taste descriptors are another thing all together but both taste and flavor descriptors are beneficial in a review.

My use of bad (stale) cigar is one that has lost it's essential oils, has mold, etc. I.e., it has not been stored properly long enough to create an irreversible negative condition. Like wine that has "corked". Not one that tastes bad. If it tastes bad then we try to determine if that is the blend, or the cigar. Is it a storage issue? Too wet, too hot? Then we smoke some more if we really want to experience the world of cigars. Especially a cigar that is in constant demand. I've had many cigars that made a negative first impression on me, that I love now. I've had boxes where the first smoke was so bitter, I thought my face would implode, and in the same box, one that was so delicious, I'll never forget the experience.

So, if you smoke long enough, you learn that you do a disservice to yourself, your friends, or even the Blender if you pass judgment or relate negative connotations to others so quickly. How many people, newbies most likely, may have been turned off from your review?

If I smoke only one, and tell my brothers that it was a bad cigar, or use flavor descriptions in lieu of taste descriptions we are now moving into a more subjective arena. I.e., most will understand sweet, bitter or salty. Dry rot is very foreign to me in terms of flavor. Rubber, wood, fabric? Which one? I just don't find that useful.

If most guys told their wives that the dinner she cooked him tasted like Dry Rot, he'd be in deep doo-doo. :0

 

[MadMonk]

So, to what percentage of the population will that make any sense to?

 

[NorCalCigarLover]

Probably to most here who are already into this hobby and learning as they go along. Thanks for your input MadMonk.

 

[DuppyConquerer]

Low humidity storage is the key with all of those corojo/criollo type cigars. Nice honest review.

....and it's no secret that most B&M's seriously over humidify their stock.

Thanks BBS! This was in the back of my head when I made the purchase. Even though the cigar was very stiff, the uneven burn pointed in the direction of over humidification for me.

I've had many cigars that made a negative first impression on me, that I love now. I've had boxes where the first smoke was so bitter, I thought my face would implode, and in the same box, one that was so delicious, I'll never forget the experience.

So, if you smoke long enough, you learn that you do a disservice to yourself, your friends, or even the Blender if you pass judgement or relate negative connotations to others so quickly. How many people, newbies most likely, may have been turned off from your review?

If I smoke only one, and tell my brothers that it was a bad cigar, or use flavor descriptions in lieu of taste descriptions we are now moving into a more subjective arena. I.e., most will understand sweet, bitter or salty. Dry rot is very foreign to me in terms of flavor. Rubber, wood, fabric? Which one? I just don't find that useful.

MadMonk, thank you for your opinion on this! Your first point is exactly why I asked if I had an off cigar. In any hand made product, you are going to have variances in quality. Even in the same box as you mentioned. With all of the attention this smoke gets, I was hoping that this was the case. I certainly do not want to miss the boat on a great cigar!

I most certainly do not want to do a disservice to anyone. To avoid that I qualified this as a first review by a newbie and that I was looking for input. My intent was to have a learning experience and hopefully others will see it as such.

For better or worse, every review is subjective no matter what. When describing aromatics (flavors) I try to always use accessible real world descriptors. By doing this, people know what I am describing or they can go out and experience it. Taste on the other hand is also very subjective as we each “feel” the five components at different intensity levels. Something extremely bitter to me may only be moderately bitter to you. I personally find this harder and more laborious to relate.

Again, thank you for your input and your points are duly noted!

 

[BlindedByScience]

I most certainly do not want to do a disservice to anyone. To avoid that I qualified this as a first review by a newbie and that I was looking for input. My intent was to have a learning experience and hopefully others will see it as such.

For better or worse, every review is subjective no matter what. When describing aromatics (flavors) I try to always use accessible real world descriptors. By doing this, people know what I am describing or they can go out and experience it. Taste on the other hand is also very subjective as we each “feel” the five components at different intensity levels. Something extremely bitter to me may only be moderately bitter to you. I personally find this harder and more laborious to relate.

Kevin - a disservice...?? Don't think that for a minute...!! I think a guy like you that focuses on the description of tastes and flavors as intently as you do, given your passion with wine, could teach us all a thing or two. Review away...!! I enjoy the descriptions and comments.

MadMonk raises a good point. When there's a cigar I really want to "try" I usually buy a 5-er, and never less than three. Sometimes, I'll smoke one right out of the gate (like you did with the Noella) but the others get some quality time in the cabinet so I know where they are at, in terms of humidity. After some time, smoke one after a big dinner, smoke one before dinner, smoke one while taking a nice walk, etc. Try them over a period of time and then you'll have a variety of experiences to make a better judgment on. You may still not like the smoke, but at least you'll know why..... :laugh:

Best Regards - B.B.S.

 

[TRP72]

This is THE cigar that turned me on to smoking. I love this little stogie! I've smoked them straight from the local shop and it was great. I also smoked some after they sat in my little humi for a couple of months and they were even greater. I can't believe all the flavor that's packed in this little stick. Definitely one of my favorites.

 

[Rod]

Nice review. I'd also say that you simply got a bad stick. Personally, I really like this particular cigar. As far as humidification goes, I try to keep my cigars around 65%. 70% is just too "wet", and you tend to lose the flavor in the cigar, plus you'll have burn issues w/ it constantly going out.

Give it another try, perhaps not from the same shop next time.