“In terms of the Tortuga 215 Coyote Negro, this is one of those cigars that fired on all cylinders. It delivered great flavor, excellent complexity, had terrific construction, and the cigar was well balanced. The use of the Mata Fina wrapper worked outstanding on this particular blend.”

Coming in at #20 is the Tortuga 215 Reserva El Coyote Negro. This cigar gives Victor Vitale and Legacy Brands their first appearance on a Cigar of the Year countdown.   El Coyote Negro was announced just prior to the 2014 IPCPR Trade Show.  For this blend, Vitale worked with the original Tortuga 215 Reserva blend, tweaked it, and added a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper.  This becomes the second Brazilian wrapper blend to make this year’s countdown.

El Coyote Negro gets its name from the fact that this is a dark wrapper – and it delivers the kind of flavor I would come to expect from a cigar like this.  There were notes of cocoa, cedar, earth, black pepper and nut.  These flavors were all delivered in various permutations making for a nice complex smoke.  I also found the retro-hale to be a key component to this smoking experience as it delivered a potpourri of spices including black pepper, cedar, and herbs.  This cigar starts out medium in strength and body and transitions to medium to full by the end of the first third.  I also found this blend really shined in the belicoso format.

Overall I have found this to be an excellent blend – and one of Vitale’s best releases to date.

Tortuga 215 Reserva El Coyote Negro No 500 (Belicoso)

Click here for our detailed assessment of the Tortuga 215 Reserva El Coyote Negro.

Blend Profile

Wrapper:  Brazilian Mata Fina
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Vitolas Available

Cedro No. 500: 5 1/2 x 54 (Belicoso)
Cedro No. 600: 6 1/2 x 56
Cedro No. 700: 7 x 60 (Coming 1/2015)

Recommended Vitola: No. 500 (5 1/2  x 54 – Belicoso)

Assessment: 4.0 – Box Worthy
Score: 93 (6/2514)

For more information on our vision and criteria for the 2014 Cigar of the Year countdown, see our December 2014 Editor’s Corner.

Aged Selects is a sponsor of the 2014 Cigar Coop Cigar of the Year Countdown. They offer cigar enthusiasts with premium long filler cigars aged at least five years at an extradordinary price.  The expert buyers at Aged Selects go to the factories of major manufacturers and buy cigars that have been aging their cigars for years. The team at Aged Selects inspect them, smoke them, and package them up to ensure you are getting the best quality cigar to smoke.  The best part is they are provided to you at an affordable price.  Order them at  www.cigarfrontier.com.