For those of you that don’t know.

Tatuaje is going to be releasing quite a few different cigars in the next couple of months, so I wanted to preview their Petit Cazadores Reserva.

Not much is known about these, being a prerelease and all. It will have the same blend as the regular Cazadore, but with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, the same wrapper made famous on cigars such as the NHC Reserva, the Regios Reserva, and The Frank, among MANY others. It will come ONLY in cabinets of 50. Each Tatuaje Petit Cazadores Reserva will also have an unfinished foot on it and they will NOT be a limited release, i.e. they will be a regular release vitola and blend.

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But enough of that, let’s get down to business, shall we?

• Cigar Reviewed:Tatuaje Petit Cazadores Reserva
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
• Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Size: 4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 40
• Vitola: Perlas
• MSRP: $4.50 (Boxes of 50, $225.00)
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Release
• Year Released: 2010 (June-Julyish)

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First, I have to say, I LOVE the size of this vitola.Smaller, but not too small, a great looking cigar that looks like it will be the perfect 1 hourish smoke.The wrapper is a VERY dark brown (almost black) and is extremely rough to the touch.It also has quite a few prominent veins as well.This is not a “pretty” looking cigar.It is quite firm when squeezed,and smells strongly of Chocolate, cinnamon and spice.The Predraw notes were honey, oak and pepper.

Each Tatuaje Petit Cazadores Reserva also has an “unfinished” foot — the wrapper of the cigar covers the end of the foot. Tatuaje has used this effect for other cigars (like some of the Black Label blends, for example), but these seem to be specifically made to actually protrude away from the cigar, as opposed to just covering the end of the foot.

Interestingly, I also noticed that when the cigar is viewed horizontally, there is an obvious change in the size (i.e. RG) of the cigar from the cap to the foot. It is a slight difference, but noticeable, at least to me.

The First Third started out with a huge amount of spice, along with flavors of oak and leather. No sweetness at all, and the spice, while almost overwhelming in the first 10 puffs, slowly faded away as the 1st third continued. The flavors in the First Third were almost perfectly balanced.

The Second Third started out very differently then the first, with the spice down quite a bit, but still very much present as a background note. The flavors turned more earthy and meaty (chewy?) all at once, a very interesting combination that I was surprised at. The oak from the first third was gone, and while the leather note was still there, it was on it’s way out.

During the Final Third, the flavors changed yet again, this time with a dark chocolate (not sweet at all) and leather being dominant. The spice also returned, although not to the level at the start of the stick, and complimented the flavors perfectly. About as perfect an ending to a cigar as you can imagine.

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Final Notes:

• This cigar produced an enormous amount of smoke, almost to the point where someone looking at you might think your hair is on fire while you are smoking a cigar. (I don’t have any hair, but I think the analogy works just the same).
• While this is not a knock you on your ass cigar, there is a noticeable nicotine hit, even as small as it is.
• The draw was great, and the burn was a thing of beauty for the whole cigar.
• The Final Smoking Time was just 1 hour and 5 minutes, to be exact.

The Bottom Line: The Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper might well be my favorite wrapper of all time, it just seems to make any cigar it is used on that much better. I have been wanting a wonderful smaller cigar with tons of flavor, spice and strength to be released in this age of 50-56 RG behemoths, especially after running out of my beloved Petit Reserva, and with this cigar it seems I got my wish. This is NOT a sweet cigar, in fact, it is more of a spicy, meaty, earthy combo that combine into a great, complex smoke that kept me guessing what I was going to taste next. One of the best cigars I have smoked this year, without a doubt.

Final Score: 95

(my patented, trademarked and copyrighted “See if you can read what I ACTUALLY wrote” review book)