Tatuaje Reserva SW

Overall Score

1 review for Tatuaje Reserva SW

  1. Matt

    Tatuaje Reserva SW

    Origin : USA
    TatuajeFormat : Churchill
    Size : 7.0? x 47
    Wrapper : Nicaraguan
    Filler : Nicaraguan
    Binder : Nicaraguan
    Hand-Made
    Price : $11 each

    Tatuaje has become my favorite marca hands down and this cigar only reinforced that opinion. Tatuaje Reserva SW is a big stick with an oily, leathery, brown wrapper. There were small veins throughout and it was a little bumpy giving it a slightly rustic look. It had an expertly applied triple cap that clipped perfectly. It was well filled with no sign of any rib veins in the filler at the head or foot. The pre-light draw was firm with just the right amount of resistance. Very peppery at the start, it mellowed quickly to a nice woody core and vanilla notes with a nice earthy finish. I’d describe it as medium to full bodied, not as robust as the Regio or Noella. Half way through the vanilla disappeared and it got buttery/creamy with cocoa notes. The last third was the smoothest dominated by wood and leather. A fantastic and complex smoke from start to finish. If it wasn’t for the price I could smoke this every day.

    The burn was nice and even. The only thing I can say bad about this cigar is the ash. It was flaky and didn’t hold as well as I have come accustomed to with other Tatuajes.

    Redux (Feb 7 2008)

    In the above review I didn’t give it the full attention to detail it deserved so I decided it was time to revisit this stellar cigar here on the blog.

    The Tatuaje Reserva SW is part of the Selección de Cazador line of Tatuajes, which is also commonly referred to as the Brown Label or Tatuaje Cabinet, and even sometimes as Tatuaje Miami. The Reserva extension of this line is a collection of super premium cigars. It is available in three vitolas. The robusto sized 5×50 Reserva J21, the “A” sized 9.25×47 Reserva A Uno, and the Churchill sized 7×47 Reserva SW. The SW is a not so subtle reference to Sir Winston Churchill who was particularly fond of the vitola that now bears his name. Of course like all Tatuajes, the SW is made in the traditional Cuban style with a triple cap by the master blender and cigar maker Don Pepin Garcia. The Reserva takes it’s Cubanesque styling a step further with the “Reserva” name and the black and gold Reserva band that very closely resembles the “Reserva” band used by some Cuban brands’ super premium line extensions. Pete Johnson is a huge fan of Cuban cigars and the Cuban cigar industry so a lot of what Tatuaje does is fashioned after the Cuban brands. The Reserva Line of Tatuajes tend to be a milder blend then the rest of the Brown label line but I find that they tend to be a bit more complex as a result.

    Before getting down to business, I took a moment to admire the leathery brown wrapper. It had a slight oily sheen and a few thin but prominent veins running across it, giving it a slightly rustic look. The triple cap on the head clipped perfectly with my trusty Palio. A pre-light puff reveals a perfect draw and delivers a hint of black pepper to the toungue. I used my brand new ST Dupont X-tend lighter to put the cigar to flame. The Reserva SW starts off like most Tatuajes with Pepin Garcia’s trademark peppery start. It only takes a few good draws for this one to settle down. Noticeably mellower than the standard Brown Label Tats, for most of the 1st half it is a very smooth and creamy smoke. It has a very woody core with undertones of coffee and cream. The creaminess of the smoke has an almost buttery feel to it. The smoke is thick and slow to dissipate. Once you pass the halfway mark, the cigar begins to pick up a bit. It gets a bit more robust but never threatens to become what you’d call full bodied. The flavors got more earthy and leathery, less creamy, and the finish seemed to hang on longer but it never lost its smoothness. As I tried to nub it down to my fingers there was a return of the black pepper I experienced at the start of the smoke. It was there for about the last smokable inch of the cigar and may be attributable to tar buildup near the head. Construction was impeccable and the burn perfect. The ash was firm but a bit papery on the edges.

    The Reserva SW is far and away my favorite Churchill and when pushed to name a number one overall favorite cigar, this one still manages to grab that title for me. With only one anomalous exception among the many I’ve smoked, I have never been anything short of wowed by this cigar. It is 2 hours of pure smoking pleasure. It’s smoothness couple with its impressive complexity suits my palate to a “T”.

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    • Ron

      My Favorite stick has always been the Padron Aniversario 1964 Diplomaticos. I have now found a stick that is equal to it. That is the Tatuaje Reserva SW. Even though it is a different taste it is Equally As Good in my opinion. Starting with appearance, color, burn it is a Fine Smoke. The Taste is GREAT ! Consistent flavor from start to finish. Taste of Spice with some nut flavor. A Must Stick for your humidore. On a scale of 1-10 its a 10 to me. Price $ 12.50 – $13.50 per stick.

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Cigar Region Nicaragua
Filler Nicaragua
Wrapper Ecuadorian Habano
Binder Nicaragua
Length 7
Ring Gauge 47
Vitola Churchill
Construction Hand Made