Cigar Review: Tatuaje Gran Maravilla

Vitola: Toro
Size: 6.125” x 46 ring gauge
Price $10
Provided by Silo Cigars

Background

Founded in 2003, Tatuaje did not release their first Limited Editions until 2006. That year he released several single-store cigars, including the Maravillas for Leaf and Ale, the first cigar store I went to in Knoxville, Tennessee. Going back a bit to summer of 2011, I received one of the last Maravillas from the owner of Leaf and Ale, Mike Nelson, specifically for a review. I gave it a 10/10 and thought it was simply the best Tatuaje I had smoked to that point. By that time it had aged for 5 years and time was very good indeed to that original Maravillas release.

Fast forward a year or so…Leaf and Ale went out of business. I was sad to see it go, but Mike moved on to other things. I found a new store to hang out at when I visited Knoxville…just a couple miles up the same street (Kingston Pike…but I think pretty much everything in Knoxville is on or near Kingston Pike)…Silo Cigars. Last year, the owner–Paul Warner–told me he was thinking about asking Pete Johnson to resurrect the Maravillas blend as a single store cigar for Silo. Not wanting to repeat himself exactly, Pete said he would revisit the blend, but it had to be in a different size…voila!…Gran Maravilla.

image from Silo Cigars Instagram feed

That wasn’t the end of the change, though. The internal blend (filler and binder) was to be the same as the original release…all Nicaraguan (and a mix of Corojo and Criollo, according to halfwheel)…but the original release used a Nicaraguan Corojo ’99 wrapper leaf while this new iteration would feature an Ecuadorian Habano leaf (the same type used on the Tatuaje Brown Label series). The official release date for the Tatuaje Gran Maravilla is Thursday, May 22, at Silo Cigars. I’ve been assured by Paul that his regular customers will get preferential treatment when it comes to purchasing boxes and cabinets of cigars (as it should be), but if there are boxes left over after the event…well, maybe you can order one sent to your house. If you’re a real Tatuaje fan, though, I would suggest just booking a flight to Knoxville for that Thursday so you can make sure you are at the event (Pete Johnson is scheduled to be there) and buy your cigars. (The preceding sentence was not paid for by the Knoxville Tourism Council, but it sure sounds like it could have been.)

Prelight

A perfectly nondescript cigar, the Gran Maravilla comes with no identifying marks or band. It’s true that you don’t smoke the bands, but they do make a cigar easier to identify in your humidor (don’t get me started on how cellophane protects those same cigars in your humidor). Personal preference aside, this is a great-looking stick. The wrapper was smooth and oily to the touch and the eye. The cap and seams were perfectly flat. Even the closed foot was artistic in its own way. There were no large veins and lumps in the body of the cigar. Seriously, it was a just a well-constructed stick. I gave it a good sniff and picked up sweetness…hay and a touch of molasses, perhaps. The closed foot didn’t allow the aroma of the bunch to come through. Interestingly, the cigar is listed as a 46 ring gauge, but it really looks and feels slightly larger to me…more of a 48 or so. Illusion? Apparently, because when I placed it on my ring gauge measure, it showed 46.

The prelight draw on this cigar was great and the flavors of raisin and cedar came through prominently, with lesser notes of earth and red pepper.

Flavor

The Gran Maravilla lit up fairly easily and packed a peppery punch on the nose and palate right at the beginning, but it wasn’t just a one-note cigar. I definitely got a good cedar component as well as supporting flavors of dark roast coffee and dried fruit. The finish on the palate was very spicy and the pepper hit to the nose was almost wasabi-strong. Overall, though, I really enjoyed the balance I was getting so far. As I continued into the first third, I noted an increase in cedar and a corresponding decrease in the pepper…not as hot, but still spicy.

As I made my way through the second third, I noted an increased amount of sweetness, mostly in the form of touches of molasses and dark, dried fruit. The pepper spice hadn’t decreased any more and the interplay of sweet and peppery was very nice.

The final third was a mix of earth, dark fruit, and more pepper spice, wrapped up in a thick, medium-to-full bodied smoke.

Construction

No problems to report with construction; the Gran Maravilla had a flawless draw, a solid ash and needed practically no touching up on the burn line.

Value

$10 a stick is a good value for any Tatuaje limited edition.

Conclusions

image from Silo Cigars Instagram feed

The Tatuaje Gran Maravilla was an excellent cigar. It smoked great, it tasted great. It delivered enough body and complexity to keep my interest level high. It was just short of perfection for my palate. The original Maravilla did achieve that level of perfection, but it must be noted that the sample I smoked was aged for five years. So, the question is will this one age as well? Only time will tell on that matter, but since I intend to purchase a box, I will be able to enjoy answering that question over the next few years. If you can get a box of these, I highly recommend it. They won’t last long.

To keep “in the know” about the release party and how to get your hands on the Tatuaje Gran Maravilla, follow Silo Cigars on Twitter, @SiloCigars, or Instagram, SiloCigars.

By-The-Numbers

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