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boston

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 27, 2018
539
1,238
Boston
Recently smoked a Tatuaje Havana Cazadores. I had just received it the week before from Smoking Pipes. (By the way they package cigars unbelievably well...in padded zip-lock bags w/ little boveda packs.)

I had a hunch that the cigar would need to rest, but I smoked it anyway and sure enough it was too tight. I still smoked it, and it had good flavor, but it was too tight. I assume that is because it was packed and stored at a higher humidity, not because the construction was off. Has anyone had similar problems?

When I have the opportunity to buy OpusX, I age them for over a year, and they are very nice. Anyone have experience w/ these Tatuajes and how long to leave them sit? I keep my humidor at 69%.

I may set up a second humidor at 62% for dry boxing, maybe move cigars from my main humidor to there and let them sit for a month before smoking. but I've never done that, I don't know if it would really be dry boxing, and I hate to mess up a good cigar is 62% is too low. Welcome any thoughts on my rambling here...
 

jerseysam

Can't Leave
Mar 24, 2019
456
4,566
Liberty Township. OH
Boston, I'd let the cigars rest at 'standard' (68-72) humidity for a week and see where that gets you. Typically I haven't found construction to be a big impact unless we're talking extreme humidity swings....more taste. But still, give it a week to stabilize and see what you get.

Everything is personal to taste, but I move a bit opposite of what you propose. I have a large cabinet I keep at 63-64 for aging/storing and move to smaller 68-70 humidors for smoking. There are folks who like smoking straight from 62-63, but my two cautions are be very sure of your seals/circulation at the level (you'll get oil evaporation not far below that level) and know your preferred flavor profile. Typically, but not exclusively, folks smokkng at 62-63 are enjoying Dominican/Connecticut style cigars. Heavier, oiller tobaccos.....for me and many others.....tend to lose brightness and get cigarette-harsh when smoking from the low 60's. Your mileage may vary.
 

mityahicks

Part of the Furniture Now
Nov 18, 2018
616
3,310
I have found their draw extremely tight as well. Still tasty, and I've since learned to enjoy a tight draw cigar too.
 
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kwg116

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 21, 2017
276
1,750
No need to set up a separate humidor, just take an empty cigar box and let it sit in there for a day or two. I have done this for years, and unless it’s a construction issue, I seldom have draw issues. I also always cut my cigar when I take it out of the humidor and test the draw. You don’t want to dry box a cigar for two days only to cut it and it’s a tight draw.
 

briarbuck

Lifer
Nov 24, 2015
2,287
5,492
The Noella is one of my all time favorite cigars. I have never had an issue with a tight roll with any of Pete's stuff.
 
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Jan 28, 2018
12,952
134,576
66
Sarasota, FL
Tats are known for too tight draws. Used to be horrible and has improved substantially since Peppin Factory is making them. Tats are strong Nicaraguan tobacco, they'll certainly improved with aging but they're quite good out of the box. Tats are one of my favorite cigars, love the strength and full bodied flavor. Pricey but worth it.
 

boston

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 27, 2018
539
1,238
Boston
Thanks very much for the suggestions. Primary concern is that the cigars may be rolled too tight, although that's not been my experience in the past. Was thinking of getting a box of the cazadores...just want to make sure I don't have too many tight draws. I think resting them for a bit will help. Thanks again.
 
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lightxmyfire

Can't Leave
Jun 17, 2019
364
989
DMV Area
If the draw is really bad you could use a tool like this:


To open it up. I’ve only had maybe one or two cigars that I’ve ever had to use it on, and luckily I was at my local B&M that had one handy.
 
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boston

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 27, 2018
539
1,238
Boston
I don't feel like a box of tatuaje cazadores will be too much of a risk. Pretty sure the one I had was holding too much humidity. If I let them rest for a few months or more I expect they will be fine. Spendy, but a birthday present for myself. Maybe I'll go w the Churchill size. That's my fav size in opus x. Thanks again for the feedback.
 
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jerseysam

Can't Leave
Mar 24, 2019
456
4,566
Liberty Township. OH
Boston,

I smoke a lot of Tatuaje, and usually I'll use a deeper cat's-eye/wedge cutter as opposed to a simple cap snip. As Hossier mentioned, Tats can be tightly rolled.

I mention as if you're thinking about picking up a draw tool (or using a long, thin screw)....switching up your cap-cut my be a worth-while one-time try. The screw-draw tools work pretty ok when there's a plug.....a dense spot in an otherwise evenly rolled cigar. Rolling has gotten pretty darn good, comparatively speaking, the last 4-5 years so thats kind of rare on mid/higher end production...but can happen. When you have a plain tighter roll/construction (than average), going for a deeper angled cut can improve draw compared to a small punch or cap snip (how I usually trim).

Just food for thought before you buy another tool :)
 

briarbuck

Lifer
Nov 24, 2015
2,287
5,492
It works sometime but many times, not. Buy an aircraft (long) 1/8" drill bit. Run it through plugged cigars from the butt to end. Twist with fingers to remove some tobacco. If the cigar is tightly plugged, you have to clear out some tobacco for the cigar to draw.
I have some Cohiba lonesdales that are tight. Breaks my heart. Will have to try this so they don't go to waste. Going to let them dry out for a few days to reduce the volume.
 

pantsBoots

Lifer
Jul 21, 2020
2,132
7,517
Terra Firma
Tatuaje by design are rolled similar to Havanas and Havanas are almost always rolled much tighter than NC. It's something anyone who goes froml NC to CC has to contend with. Spend years mostly smoking Havanas and buy a NC, you're going to want to cut the head smaller (or just punch it) and draw slower to get the tighter draw you're used to.

All that to say this: dry the Tatuaje out a little - maybe drybox for a couple days or a week. That will help. Also, I'm not a big fan of Nicaraguan tobacco generally, but I have read often that Tatuaje age wonderfully. Maybe buy some and leave them alone for a couple years?

Finally, going along with the Tatuaje-mimics-Havana-production notion, try storing them at a lower RH (65 or maybe a bit less) rather than the 70% typically advised for NC. Generally, Havanas aren't that great when stored at 70, but, IMO, really shine from 65 down to even the very high 50s.

Experiment!
 
Jan 28, 2018
12,952
134,576
66
Sarasota, FL
Boston,

I smoke a lot of Tatuaje, and usually I'll use a deeper cat's-eye/wedge cutter as opposed to a simple cap snip. As Hossier mentioned, Tats can be tightly rolled.

I mention as if you're thinking about picking up a draw tool (or using a long, thin screw)....switching up your cap-cut my be a worth-while one-time try. The screw-draw tools work pretty ok when there's a plug.....a dense spot in an otherwise evenly rolled cigar. Rolling has gotten pretty darn good, comparatively speaking, the last 4-5 years so thats kind of rare on mid/higher end production...but can happen. When you have a plain tighter roll/construction (than average), going for a deeper angled cut can improve draw compared to a small punch or cap snip (how I usually trim).

Just food for thought before you buy another tool :)
Unfortunately, the majority of plugs run up 3/4" to 1 1/4" from the butt of the cigar. Sometimes even further. So the only cutter that solves all that is to clip off the bottom 1" or 2".
 
  • Like
Reactions: odobenus
Jan 28, 2018
12,952
134,576
66
Sarasota, FL
Tatuaje by design are rolled similar to Havanas and Havanas are almost always rolled much tighter than NC. It's something anyone who goes froml NC to CC has to contend with. Spend years mostly smoking Havanas and buy a NC, you're going to want to cut the head smaller (or just punch it) and draw slower to get the tighter draw you're used to.

All that to say this: dry the Tatuaje out a little - maybe drybox for a couple days or a week. That will help. Also, I'm not a big fan of Nicaraguan tobacco generally, but I have read often that Tatuaje age wonderfully. Maybe buy some and leave them alone for a couple years?

Finally, going along with the Tatuaje-mimics-Havana-production notion, try storing them at a lower RH (65 or maybe a bit less) rather than the 70% typically advised for NC. Generally, Havanas aren't that great when stored at 70, but, IMO, really shine from 65 down to even the very high 50s.

Experiment!

Tats do age very nicely. Stronger, quality tobacco will generally age the best. Some mild Cubans for example aren't very good after 4 or 5 years as they become too mild. Might as well smoke an Avo. A couple of years ago, I had a 15 year old Nic Saint Luis Rey that was fabulous. Last year I had a 10 plus year old Fuente that were the special blend from Senior's personal humidor that was incredibly full and strong (unexpected for DR tobacco).

Drying out may help with some but it is not a silver bullet for most plugs. Having bought thousands of Cubans, the only thing I found that had much of a chance of working was the drill bit. Most recently, I've found the better cure is the trash can.
 

pantsBoots

Lifer
Jul 21, 2020
2,132
7,517
Terra Firma
Tats do age very nicely. Stronger, quality tobacco will generally age the best. Some mild Cubans for example aren't very good after 4 or 5 years as they become too mild. Might as well smoke an Avo. A couple of years ago, I had a 15 year old Nic Saint Luis Rey that was fabulous. Last year I had a 10 plus year old Fuente that were the special blend from Senior's personal humidor that was incredibly full and strong (unexpected for DR tobacco).

Drying out may help with some but it is not a silver bullet for most plugs. Having bought thousands of Cubans, the only thing I found that had much of a chance of working was the drill bit. Most recently, I've found the better cure is the trash can.
I will say El Rey del Mundo, a comparatively mild Cuban, ages better than many other brands. I would also say that while many brands as of late are ready to smoke without aging, ERDM still seems to be one that needs some time before blossoming.

And as for smoking AVO, well, I like AVO!
 
Jan 28, 2018
12,952
134,576
66
Sarasota, FL
I will say El Rey del Mundo, a comparatively mild Cuban, ages better than many other brands. I would also say that while many brands as of late are ready to smoke without aging, ERDM still seems to be one that needs some time before blossoming.

And as for smoking AVO, well, I like AVO!

Avo cigars have nice flavors. Just too mild.
 
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