It’s taken me a while to write this up but the other week I took an impromptu unplanned visit to JJ Fox cigars for a very special launch event for Tatuaje cigars.
The owner of the company Pete Johnson was there to give us some background about the cigars as well as talk to us about how he got into the cigar game.
Not your normal cigar owner, he doesn’t sport linen suits with white fedoras. He wears shirt, waistcoat, sleeves rolled up showing his sleeve tattoo’s giving you the feeling you are in the presence of a Rockstar.
His background was pretty much that. He started in a band wanting to be a Rockstar but slowly realising he was better off being in the cigar business (not a bad talent if you ask me)
Pete was in town to launch his cigars which are being stocked in JJ Fox’s.
I heard about this event on the day and as I frantically called everyone I knew to try and get someone to come with me, turned out everyone had plans (typical)
I decided to go by myself as this event was one not to be missed, and I’m glad I did.
The JJ Fox staff were all extremely friendly and they welcomed me in with open arms to what felt like a secret society of cigar smokers.
I paid my £15 and was handed a box of 2 Tatuaje cigars as well as a cutter (you can never have enough)
The 2 cigars on the night were the Tatuaje No.7 measuring in at 5 5/8 x 46 followed by the Tatuaje Noellas measuring in at 5 1/8 x 42.
The drinks and snacks were provided by Berry Bros & Rudd turning the evening a great night.
What made the evening even more special was that it was Pete’s birthday so we all sang happy birthday and shared a piece of cake. I’d never paired chocolate cake with a cigar but thought “oh well, when in Rome”
The evening truly was a great opportunity to find out about the brand and sample the cigars. Unfortunately I misplaced my tasting notes on the cigars so can’t remember which one was for which, however I preferred the darker cigar to the lighter one, but I think this was due to the fact that I am (self proclaimed) a more experienced smoker and like a bolder fuller flavoured cigar. The other cigar was still very enjoyable and went really well with red wine.
What was great about these cigars was that they are moderately priced at around £9-£12, giving you a great smoke for a great price.
The cigars are New world (I learnt that’s how you refer to non-cuban) manufactured in Miami with a Nicaraguan leaf.
The cigars burn well and smoked a dream over all. When I get to the states I’m looking forward to trying out the rest of the Tatuaje family.
While I was at JJ Fox, I was also shown the downstairs Winston Churchill museum which was great to see. I even got to sit in his chair. The private room / museum is available to hire for meetings, and what’s better is you can smoke in there.
A great evening, with great people. Can’t wait for the next one