Wrapper: Connecticut Shade (Ecuador)

Binder & Filler: Dominican Republic

Long and slender. Light brown to yellowish wrapper. Slightly veiny.

Cold Draw: Mellow, papery, and sweet.

Start: 7:50

End: 9:20

1/3: Sweet, creamy, some faint burnt or brown sugar notes. Spicy mouthfeel. Mellow with an airy draw.

2/3: Opened up a bit more. White pepper, cedar, and spices are more noticeable. Still slightly sweet.

3/3: Relatively the same kind of spicy, kind of creamy kind of sweet. Developed an interesting fruiting note that reminded me of something tropical. Main notes still are pepper, pepper, and cedar. Woody and delightful!

Overall super mellow for my taste. Light to medium bodied. The stick was well constructed with no need for a touch up or relight. Great nicotine levels. Technically a fantastic cigar, rating is a little lower based on my own pallet.

89/100

Timeless Sterling

Ferio Tego

Dojo

99%

SMOKABLE

locolandon

100%

SMOKABLE

How is this cigar smoking RIGHT NOW? (Be honest, you can always rate it again next time…)

Forgot to check this one in

Tatuaje TAA Limited Edition 2023

Deep brown wrapper, dense roll, earthy aroma, slightly veiny. Cold draw was earth and chocolate.

Connecticut […]

Deep brown wrapper, dense roll, earthy aroma, slightly veiny. Cold draw was earth and chocolate.

Connecticut broadleaf wrapper; Nicaraguan double binder and filler.

Start: 9:30pm

Finish: 11:35pm

1/3: Mellow start. Notes of hay, coffee, wood, and milk chocolate. Some leather in the background. Pretty decent start.

2/3: Going into the second chapter, the stick is becoming increasingly robust. Cedar is strong, chocolate is dark, and coffee is more noticeable. Leather is moving to the forefront and pepper notes are developing. Still very earthy. The stick is burning really evenly.

3/3: Holy f**k, it’s opening up. It’s becoming a true Maduro lover’s wet dream. So bold, so beautiful. Flavors are relatively the same but more potent and toastier. There is a creaminess developing, but it also tastes kind of burnt, if that makes sense. Kind of like I left a marshmallow on the stick for a little bit too long.

Overall: I really enjoyed this moment. Started mild but ended bold. The construction was on point.

Rating: 93/100

Tatuaje TAA 2023

Tatuaje Cigars

Dojo

100%

SMOKABLE

locolandon

100%

SMOKABLE

How is this cigar smoking RIGHT NOW? (Be honest, you can always rate it again next time…)

With that being said, I am celebrating tonight. I figured what better way to celebrate than with a Knuckle Sandwich Off Menu? It features a Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and filler; it was crafted by Espinosa and rolled at AJ Fernandez’s San Lotano factory.

My only beef so far with the stick is that the box press feels uneven to the point that the band doesn’t sit completely straight. This feels unusual for the factory where it was rolled.

The stick is extremely dark and sparkles in the light. It has a rich nose of smoked meat, leather, and farmland. It’s a dense, well-packed roll. I opted for a straight cut. The cold draw hit with hazelnut and manure.

Start time: 12:20 AM

End time: 1:45 AM

1/3: The first few puffs were extremely creamy with subtle notes of vanilla and cinnamon. Leather and chocolate are very prevalent. It’s a delightfully mild start that is teasing my senses; my palate is gently waking up. I’m picking up maybe bits of espresso, but only time will tell.

2/3: The cigar has become slightly fruity (think stone fruits and a little bit of cranberry) with some graham cracker notes. It is still retaining all the creaminess and baking spices from the first third while developing a bit more coffee flavor. Notes of caramel and black pepper grace my palate. I don’t taste barnyard, but I can smell it in the air.

3/3: A rich transition into the final stretch. As it heats up, the chocolate and coffee notes have become bold. The leather is heavy and the profile is super earthy.

Overall: An excellent cigar. The burn was slightly inconsistent and needed a touch-up at least twice. The flavor leaned toward the medium side to begin but finished bold. I have to rank it slightly behind the Chef’s Special, however, if only for the uneven roll. 95/100

Knuckle Sandwich Off Menu TAA 2025 Exclusive

Espinosa Premium Cigars

Dojo

100%

SMOKABLE

locolandon

100%

Read more]]> 0 c6b09a416839012a52a109dbea7c1864 https://dojoverse.com/news-feed/p/7193550/ Sat, 06 Dec 2025 13:41:05 -0700

Yellow Belt

5th Degree

Second of the night

AJ Fernandez New World Decenio

$14

Dark/oily wrapper. Dense and firm roll. Barnyard/coffee cold draw.

Start 8:35pm

End: 9:45pm

1/3: First few puffs woody […]

$14

Dark/oily wrapper. Dense and firm roll. Barnyard/coffee cold draw.

Start 8:35pm

End: 9:45pm

1/3: First few puffs woody with notes of cedar. Getting some toasted marshmallows. Heavy on the pepper. Bits of vanilla and cocoa.

2/3: As it shifts I got a puff that reminded me of Cuban coffee for the gas station on Calle Ocho in Little Havana. Espresso with heavy notes of cinnamon. Slightly creamy, bready, woody, and peppery.

3/3: Very full bodied. Slightly tannic. Notes relatively the same but more rounded and pronounced.

No matter how many of AJ’s cigars I smoke I’m always blow away with how consistently well rolled they are. Burned super evenly start to finish never a need for a touch up.

94/100

New World Decenio

A.J. Fernandez Cigar Company

Dojo

99%

SMOKABLE

locolandon

100%

SMOKABLE

How is this cigar smoking RIGHT NOW? (Be honest, you can always rate it again next time…)

Lil Graycliff 50th action

Second stick of the day straight from Don Lucas

Celebrating tonight

Great moments are times for great cigars. Cheers Dojo!

Celebrating tonight

Celebrating tonight

E.P. Carrillo Pledge Prequel

$10/11

Wrapper: Connecticut Havana–seed wrapper

Binder: Ecuador

Filler: Nicaragua

Start: 11:30pm

End: 12:55am

1/3: Slightly sour and funky. Strong baking spices […]

E.P. Carrillo Pledge Prequel

$10/11

Wrapper: Connecticut Havana–seed wrapper

Binder: Ecuador

Filler: Nicaragua

Start: 11:30pm

End: 12:55am

1/3: Slightly sour and funky. Strong baking spices […]

Perdomo Legacy Maduro Epicure

$14

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut

Binder: nicaraguan shade grown

Filler: Cuban-seeded nicaraguan

Start: 9:20pm […]

$10/11

Wrapper: Connecticut Havana–seed wrapper

Binder: Ecuador

Filler: Nicaragua

Start: 11:30pm

End: 12:55am

1/3: Slightly sour and funky. Strong baking spices with leather and cedar. Espresso, raisins, chocolate, and cinnamon as exploding on my taste. Sweet vanilla, caramel, oats. Honestly this cigar is starting out very full body.

2/3: Coming in creamy with some slight nuttiness. Like cashew milk. Mocha vibes with a peppery finish. This cigar is so complex that I have started to question my own tasting notes. How can I be tasting so much, it cannot be true. All I can say for sure is that it is a very bold smoke that this moment. Retrohale felt like breathing out a lung full of flavored razor blades but in the good way if you catch my drift.

3/3: Holy f**k is this cigar in your face now. It’s so in my face it reminds me of a family reunion when someone felt as if everyone else wasn’t grateful for their self inflicted “sacrifice.” Sorry that felt personal. We have gone earthy, leather, slate, hay, oak/cedar, and balls out for Harambe. Somehow, deep below all that there is a lingering sweetness of cocoa, milk, honey, and almonds.

The construction was on point start to finish. Ash was dense and so was the smoked. The cigar was complex from start to finish and extremely in my face. These are all pluses to me. They were rated at 98 points and I find it extremely hard to disagree with that rating.

All said and done I’m going to have to give it a 98/100.

Maybe idk how to check into this one…?

F**k it, one like and I am having a second cigar tonight!