Vitola: Toro- Received as part of 2021 SnS Member Kit
Background
If you missed last week’s (er…two week ago, actually…time flies) Saints and Sinners feature…shame on you! Go back and read up!
And now that we’re caught up, I’ll just mention again that the SnS cigars are members-only releases, generally using the same tobaccos as you would find in regular Tatuaje and L’atelier releases, although the sizes tends to be specific and some of the blends you’ll find the SnS Member Kits are unique. Each year there are 5 blends and I take a short look at each one in my “Cigar Extra” format…short looks with no numerical rating attached…and often paired with something other than water.
Notes
This SnS 2021 #2 was about as had to pin down as the #1 when it came to wrapper, just by looking at it. My first thought was Habano, of approximately the same priming as the regular “brown label” Tatuaje cigars. As I looked closer, though, it seemed a little too dark for that and the gritty roughness of the leaf made Connecticut Broadleaf not seem out of the realm of possibility. Although it could be Rosado instead of my beloved Broadleaf Maduro leaf. The aroma from it was earthy with a touch of sweetness and cocoa powder, bolstering my Broadleaf argument.
I paired this cigar with an experimental Jack and Coke cocktail. Experimental because the Jack I used was the Gentleman variety and the Coke I used was the “Coca Cola with Coffee and Vanilla, Zero Sugar.” It was sweet (of course) and mostly kept with the Jack and Coke formula…but that coffee flavor on the back end was something else.
The cigar had notes of natural tobacco, earth, leather, and semi-sweet chocolate, along with a spicy retrohale. It wasn’t as sweet as most Broadleaf Maduros that I can remember, so I leaned toward the Rosado Broadleaf, which is the same wrapper used on The Bride, the last full release in the Tatuaje Monster Series.
At the end, I would call this a good pairing. The cocktail experiment was really nice and the cigar was very good. If it is indeed a Broadleaf Rosado wrapper, it’s better than what I remember from The Bride, but that could be down to the ring gauge or any other differences in the blend.
