Tatuaje 7th Capa Especial

The Tatuaje 7th is a vitola size that has become popular among Tatuaje cigar enthusiasts.  It is a 5 5/8 x 46 sized corona gorda vitola.  There are two Tatuaje releases that fit this mold: The Seleccion de Cazador 7th features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, while the Tatuaje Reserva 7th features a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper.  In 2011, a third release was made – this time with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. This new release is called the Tatuaje 7th Capa Especial.  I found this to be a solid cigar released by Pete Johnson and his team.

I’ll put a disclaimer out there – I have not smoked the Seleccion de Cazador or Reserva 7th cigars, so I do not have anything to compare it to.  At some point, I probably will smoke these and be able to see how this stack up against the 7th Capa Especial.   In the meantime, let’s break down this cigar and take a closer at the smoking experience.

Blend Profile

If you notice the 7th Capa Especial has the same Tatuaje brown label that the Seleccion de Cazador has.  One reason for this is because it shares the same binder and filler as the Seleccion de Cazador 7th.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Vitolas Available

As mentioned, for this particular blend, the only vitola available is the 5 5/8 x 46 corona gorda.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For the 7th Capa Especial, I went to be old standby straight cut.  After taking some dry draws before lighting the cigar, I was treated to notes of oak, must, some coffee, and a hint of pepper.  I use the term “old school flavor” to describe traditional cigar flavors – and for the pre-light draw, I could not think of a better analogy to make for the flavors.   It was now on to fire up the Tatuaje 7th Capa Especial and see what it would bring to the table.

Flavor Profile

The initial flavors from the 7th Capa Especial provided notes of coffee and espresso.   There also were some notes of leather and mild pepper.  With this cigar being made at the My Father factory, I expected more of a signature Pepin pepper blast to start, but I did not quite get that.   While the pepper was not overwhelming, it moved to the forefront of the cigar experience.   The flavor profile of the pepper seemed to be very unique – and even now I can’t put my finger on it.

As the smoke of the 7th Capa Especial moves into the second third, the pepper notes were still present, but the coffee and espresso notes diminished and more of a tea-like flavor replaced it.  I also detected a hint of citrus at this point of the smoke.  The citrus notes seemed to actually be somewhat lemon-like in flavor.  Around the midpoint of the cigar experience, there were also nut flavors that joined the pepper, tea, and citrus notes.  No doubt, the 7th Capa Especial was showing some nice complexity.

In the last third of the 7th Capa Especial, the pepper spices definitely kicked it up a notch and it would eventually become the dominant flavor note.  The finish to the cigar wasn’t the smoothest, but it wasn’t harsh in flavor either.  The nub was a bit soft, but it was cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The 7th Capa Especial had a very even burn requiring very few touch-ups.  It also burned at an ideal temperature and at an ideal rate.  I did feel the draw was a little looser than I normally prefer.  Overall the draw was not bad, but I felt a little more resistance on this draw would have

Strength and Body

From a nicotine profile, the 7th Capa Especial had some nice pop to it.  While not a quite a full-strength cigar, I assess this as being medium to full on the strength spectrum.  The flavor notes had some nice depth and I assess the body to also be medium to full.  There is good balance between the strength and body and that always is a positive during a smoking experience.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I enjoyed the smoke that the Tatuaje 7th Capa Especial and the attributes it brought to the table.  It had good construction, good flavors, and great complexity.  It has me intrigued now to see how this smokes with the Ecuadorian Habano wrapper as well as what the Connecticut Broadleaf version is like.   I’d probably still recommend this to a more seasoned cigar enthusiasts as opposed to a novice.  As for myself, this would definitely be a cigar I would definitely buy and smoke again.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Good
Complexity: High
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Assessment: Nice to Have

Source: This cigar was purchased from W. Curtis Draper in Bethesda, Maryland.