Guest Review: Tatuaje Bombazo Capa Especial

Last month we put out a public call for other cigar enthusiasts who might want to express an opinion on a cigar, but don't necessarily have the time to set up a blog from scratch right now or maybe just want to contribute occasionally. We got a great response and have added a few permanent members to the Tiki Bar family, but we heard from some other people we didn't know quite as well, too, so we decided to ask them to submit "Guest Reviews" as a sort of audition.

We have 3 guest reviews to present on Thursdays this month, today featuring Mr. Aaron McKinley...

Tatuaje Bombazo Capa Especial

4x46 ring gauge / Fumare, ~$7.00

I was fortunate enough to be in Fumare, Dion Giolito’s Reno cigar lounge, when the Bombazo was released. As it was told to me, the Bombazo was created for Fumare by Pete Johnson of Tatuaje. The 2012 release of the Bombazo was packed in fifty count boxes. Only 50 boxes of 50 were made. With some friends of mine, we split a cabineta of 50 and started enjoying this rare treat. 

The construction of the cigar, as it was told to me by the folks at Fumare, is an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper with a Nicaraguan binder and filler. The appearance of the wrapper shows some oil to it and a very light tooth. There are some veins but they don’t really detract from the feel of the cigar. The Bombazo is tight and the give is firm. The pre-light aroma is rich with earth and hay. The foot smelled sweet and strongly of cedar. The draw after the cut was fine with light tastes of cedar and hay. 

When I lit the cigar, the intial aroma was rich, sweet cedar and hay. The first third of the cigar began with a tangy cedar flavor. To say that it was woody is too generic as I tasted cedar and oak at this stage. The retrohale was sweet cedar. The burn was straight and needed no touch up; the cigar held the light grey ash well. For the beginning, this Bombazo was rich and flavorful, a medium strength cigar. 

The second third of the cigar really started to ramp up the strength to a good medium-full. The flavors became extremely balanced and complex. I still tasted the oak and sweet cedar but a new peppery spiciness was in the back of the throat and building notes of roasted green tea were coming through. A slight nuttiness was also starting but was gone as fast as it came. Overall, oak, pepper and roasted tea were the flavor highlights.

The final third of the cigar kept the complex array of flavors going: strong oak and cedar as well as roasted tea were in abundance. The pepper was there but had receded to let the woody flavors have control. There was a slight charred wood flavor to the cigar, or char as I like to call it. Finally, the hay profile came back at the end to give another layer of flavor. The cigar did get a little hot but, with the size, that is to be expected. 

My impressions: to be very honest, I felt like I was camping as I smoked this cigar because the woody flavors gave a distinct aroma to the experience. The flavors were complex and rich and made you feel like you were outdoors enjoying the campout. Medium strength, full body, layered flavors of oak, sweet cedar, tea and hay were beautifully presented. One of the best parts of the experience was that the wrapper was so fragrant that I would smell the hay and cedar from the cap as I was smoking…so wonderful. Personally I would drink a nice glass of sun tea with this or smoke this as a finish to a meal of grilled chops with butter.  

Body: 9/10
Strength: 7/10
Complexity: 8/10

AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10

If you have a something to say about the cigar or the review, the comment section is open...