Vitola: Belicoso - 6” x 52 ring gauge
- Part of CRA Sampler
Background
For the second installment of my look at the 2020 Cigar Rights of America Freedom Sampler, I chose the Tatuaje Great Pumpkin, a cigar that is generally only available at Tatuaje events. The original Pumpkin event cigar was a Robusto and used a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over Nicaraguan filler and binder. A variant called “Pumpkin Spice” used a Sumatra wrapper, while this Great Pumpkin (the largest of the ones made so far) uses a Mexican San Andres leaf on the outside.
I kept with the “last October” theme by pairing it with a beer I got that same month, Hutton & Smith’s Crider, which is an Imperial Stout with chocolate and habanero peppers. It weighs in at an impressive 10.1% ABV and I did a full review of it several months ago. I had saved one bottle for later…this seemed late enough.
Notes
The wrapper had a milk chocolate shade of brown, much lighter than other Mexican wrappers you see, so I wondered if it was supposed to be a Maduro or if they would classify this as an Oscuro or Rosado instead. The aroma from it was rich with natural tobacco and earth and cedar, while the foot had a little more earth coming through the wrapper that was closed over it.
The prelight draw had significant chocolate sweetness mixed with the earthier notes. When I fired it up the chocolate was more semisweet while earth, bell pepper, and cedar came through prominently, as well. There was some black pepper on the finish and a healthy dose of red pepper on the retrohale.
The beer was similar enough to the cigar that it was almost drinking the stogie…semisweet chocolate and peppery fire, along with rich, dark maltiness. Really a very nice sip to follow a few puffs. I’m going to miss this beer when it’s gone…and I hope they decide to make it a regular “limited edition” release.
The Great Pumpkin ended up being a much better cigar than I had expected. I generally haven’t been that big on Mexican wrapper from the My Father factory, but this one was great. The Crider stout was an excellent accompaniment to it, as well, with plenty of pepper spice provided.
