Cigar Review: Avion 13 Reserva by Tatuaje

avion13bandDouble Perfecto, 6.875” x 52 ring gauge / $11.55, Burns Tobacconist

Avion by Tatuaje is already an interesting story. It goes back to 2009 with the release of the limited edition T110, perhaps the world’s first “thermonuclear” cigar. This was a popular cigar that made the rounds with Tatuaje fans…or at least those that could find them. At the time, I wasn’t keeping my ear to the ground to hear rumblings about Tatuaje limited editions…but I still heard about the T110…I even had one, thanks to a friend. In 2011, the blend was used as the basis for the Fausto, a regular release cigar under the Tatuaje banner, and the Fausto was used in turn as the basis for the Avion. In this case “based on” turned out to be “exactly the same” except that the Avion would be a series of box-pressed perfectos, 3 years, 3 different vitolas, all destined to stay in regular production. And so it went for 2011 and 2012…the Avion 11 and Avion 12 had the same Nicaraguan filler and binder and the same Habano Ecuador wrapper as the Fausto. In 2013, it seems like Broadleaf took over…there were some Avion 13s rolled using the Habano Ecuador wrapper, but they became the true limited edition in this series and the regular Avion 13 showed up with a “Reserva” secondary band, which in this day and age, means “Broadleaf” for Tatuaje. I bought one for this review…and if I end up loving it, a box may well be in my near future.

If you like the way the Avion looked in previous years, you’ll like this…the same fairly inscrutable cigar-shaped airplane with a propeller and flying-fish wings…but at least it’s not likely to be confused with any other cigar in the humidor. Rendered in red, gold and black (especially with the “Reserva” band), it’s a good, if strange, look. The wrapper the band is glued around is another thing altogether; this is one of the most beautiful examples of Connecticut Broadleaf I can remember seeing. As a normal rule of thumb, Broadleaf isn’t supposed to be beautiful to look at…it’s rough, dark, mottled and veiny. This appears to have been flattened a bit before rolling to even out the veins, giving the cigar a wonderfully oily feel and appearance. The cap was a still a bit rough, but overall a great presentation. Lifting it to my nose, I got notes of dry cocoa powder and rich earth on the wrapper, along with a ripe earth and woodiness on the foot. Clipping the head and giving it a test draw provided a huge earthy, chocolatey flavor. The prelight tasted so good I almost stopped and gave the cigar a 10/10 at this point…hey, if some magazines can rate a cigar based on an inch or so of burn, why can’t I rate one based on the cold draw?

avion13headEventually I did light the Avion 13…you can only enjoy the cold draw so long. It lit quickly and came to life with a deep earthiness right up front, along with semi-sweet chocolate, black coffee and cedar in supporting roles. I got a big of red pepper on the palate, but a load of it on the nose at the beginning of a retrohale; unlike some cigars, the pepper on the nose didn’t linger. Toward the end of the first third, I started getting hints of anise and dried fruit mixed in with the earth and coffee, while the cedar started to fade just a bit.

The Avion 13 did not waste time hitting its stride right at the beginning, but it continued to throw great flavors at my palate deep into the second third, changing up to how more cocoa powder, then a little more coffee, then a bit more cedar. All the while, the construction proved to be excellent, with just a couple minor touch-ups needed to the burn line, along with a perfect draw and an ash that held for over an inch.

Through the final third, the Avion 13 kept serving up Broadleaf goodness. Plenty of earth, plenty of chocolatey semi-sweetness, along with fleeting hints of anise, cedar and pepper spice. Truly a phenomenal smoke with tons of complexity. I like the Fausto blend with the Habano wrapper, but it truly shines with this Connecticut Broadleaf and this may just be my new favorite Tatuaje…alongside the Jason and Noellas Reserva, two other Broadleaf beauties from the company this year. The body was medium to full and the strength was about the same. The price is a little higher than I would prefer, but their is always a cost for a perfecto shape and a lower production run, so it’s justified.

avion13footBody: 8/10
Strength: 7/10
Complexity: 9/10

AFP Scale

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 10/10

Originally published at Tiki Bar Online

David Jones

David has been smoking premium cigars since 2001. He is co-founder and editor-in-chief of Leaf Enthusiast. He worked as a full-time retail tobacconist for over 4 years at Burns Tobacconist in Chattanooga, TN. Currently he works full-time as a graphic designer for ClearBox Strategies, also based in Chattanooga.

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7 Responses

  1. czerbe says:

    I have had the Fausto and Loved it. I would love to get my hands on some of these. Great write up!

  2. I have an Avion 11 resting in the humi, and if the profile is anything like this, it sounds like I’m going to enjoy it, and wouldn’t mind getting hands on one of these too.

  3. I’ve been sitting on one of these for a little while. Time to smoke it. Wonderful review.

  4. I have enjoyed the Faustos and my B&M said they are expecting these. I look forward to trying them soon. Nice review.

  5. Great review – I absolutely love the Avion.

  1. March 9, 2014

    […] Avion 13 Reserva by Tatuaje Are you starting to see a pattern here? This is the 4th cigar in a row in this “Contenders” list that has (1) been made in the My Father Factory and (2) been adorned with a Broadleaf wrapper. The Fausto blend is where this one started. Two years ago Avion was developed as a Fausto extension: make a special box-pressed figurado vitola of Fausto each year and call it Avion. It worked…the Habano-dressed cigar was popular, and I liked it better than regular Fausto. Then Pete got crazy with the Broadleaf and we got Avion 13 with the “Reserva” secondary band…and the possibility of Avion 11 and 12 Reservas coming sometime soon. This blend is reportedly very similar to what was used for the 2013 Monster Cigar (JV13, “Jason”) except for 3 things: (1) this is less expensive, (2) it’s actually available (since the Monsters are all but sold out), and (3) it tastes a little better. If I had to choose among one of the Pete-n-Pepin Broadleaf trio that made it to this list, I would go with Avion 13 Reserva on terms of flavor (although I’d pick Noellas Reserva if price was weighed in). […]