Wrapper: Negrito
Binder: Nicaraguan Criollo ‘98
Filler: Colombian, Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Pennsylvanian
Size: 5 x 50 “Robusto”
Body: Medium
Price: $11.00
Humidor time: 6 weeks
Number of cigars smoked prior to review: 1
Photo courtesy of El Artista Cigars:
Today we take a look at the Pulita 60 Aniversario.
Thanks to a friend for the sticks.
BACKGROUND:
Debuted at the 2016 IPCPR trade show.
From El Artista Cigars web site:
“Tamboril, Dominican Republic (1955). A cigar craftsman named Ramon A. Rodriguez (aka Don Pulita) decided to create a new business in the tobacco industry with his friend Don Jose J. Dominguez.
“The Tabacalera was born in 1956 with the name of Puros Cibao and producing the brand with the same name. The business began in a warehouse with a small staff of 9 craftsmen and a monthly production of 10 thousand to 12 thousand cigars that were sold in the local market.
“In the early 70’s, the distribution began to be through the country with a monthly production of 500 thousand cigars. Because of the acceptance of our good quality brand, other cigar factories followed our steps; this was seen as a business opportunity to become a raw material supplier.
“In the same period Mr. Dominguez decided to transfer it shares to Don Pulita, leaving him as the absolute owner of the company. By 1976, Osvaldo R. Rodiguez (don Pulita youngest son) passed to be the president of the company, a meritorious student of business administration with the experience, the wisdom and the vision of take the company to a higher level. The goal was achieved by making radical changes in the company, but maintaining the traditions and techniques that his father and mentor taught him.
“By 1995 the company made huge changes on its products and techniques. Also the name changed to Tabacalera el Artista S.A. a name chosen because we consider that our members are artist in the production of premium cigars.
“In 1996 there was the famous BOOM of the Dominican cigars and the company took advantage to commercialize worldwide the renowned Don Augusto brand, breaking expectation of sales and production of cigars.
“Today Tabacalera El Artista S.R.L. is a combination of tradition and decades of experience, with an adequate infrastructure of 60,000 sq ft for the production and packing of any kind of tobacco product. It specializes in the manufacturing of premium cigars and supplying raw material to many large and highly known companies all over the world.”
SIZES AND PRICES:
5 x 50 Robusto $11.00
6 x 54 Toro $11.70
AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell honey, spiciness, chocolate, caramel, cedar, dried fruit, and a touch of espresso.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell potent red pepper, caramel, honey, strong cedar, chocolate, musk, mint leaves, and coffee.
The cold draw presents flavors of caramel, mint, chocolate, red pepper, coffee, cedar, and LEATHER.
DESCRIPTION:
The wrapper is very oily with colors of chocolate/walnut/pecan.
The stick is a bit rustic with lots of bumps and lumps. Plenty of veins….some the size of the San Andreas fault.
The triple cap is flawless.
Lastly, the stick is right at the density I like. Not too hard, not too soft…just right.
FIRST THIRD:
Kaplowitz had Steve Saka on for an hour on December 1. Something he said made a lot of sense. Saka said that you should put your thumb and forefinger on the cigar right behind the burn line. If you can’t hold your fingers there for 15-20 seconds because it is too hot, it means you are puffing too hard. Puffing too hard means you are not getting what you want from the blend. Change to a different blend that more suits your palate. Good advice. I had never heard that before.
We begin.
Flavors start to roll in: Creaminess, red pepper, salted caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg, milk chocolate, cedar, and something so potent that I have a brain fart and I can’t figure out what it is. (I shall prevail…at some point.)
Strength is medium body.
I try to avoid the term earthy…but here goes…There is an earthiness that has an unavoidable influence on the flavor profile. I hate that term “earth.” I can’t think of a single cigar that has the taste of dirt in it. Well…actually, I can…but they are not what I smoke.
What the hell is that oh so prominent flavor I can’t identify? Making me nuts, folks.
I grab a cup of coffee to see if that will jump start my palate.
Construction is spot on. The char line is a sight…all perfect and beautiful. The draw is on the money.
A surge of red pepper occurs that makes my yarmulke twirl like a beanie. I always wear a yarmulke when I review a cigar. Makes me feel I’m doing the work of the Lord.
Trying to figure out this dynamic flavor that my palate has gone taste blind on.
The Pulita 60 Aniversario kicks in big time now. Complex with transitions beginning to flow like lava from Krakatoa.
The elusive flavor I’ve been racking my puny brain over is a combination of bakery flavors. I have to squinch my eyes and furrow my manly forehead to grok the elements at play…buttery graham cracker crust, cheesecake, hints of citrus and vanilla. (I do make the best damn sugar free cheesecake on the planet. Don’t believe me? Ask your wife.)
Strength is beginning to inch towards medium/full.
Yesterday, I reviewed the excellent Big Papi by David Ortiz. Both blends from El Artista. Keep ‘em bunched up I always say. The Pulita 60 Aniversario is following in its footsteps as a real solid cigar blend…You just know when you can taste the passion of the blender in a cigar. El Artista nailed it…on both accounts.
Again, not a cheap cigar but par for the course for boutique blends.
There is a gorgeous warmth and comfort to this blend like your blankey gives you. It wraps your palate in love and wretched dirty sex. Ahhh…what could be better?
SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 35 minutes.
Such a pleasure to review a few great cigars all in a row. It is a lot of fun to destroy a lousy cigar blend but there is more gratification to praising an excellent blend. After I destroy a cigar, I walk around playing soccer with the cat. Don’t contact PETA. The cat was dead anyway.
Ever listen to Billy Joel’s old stuff? He had a great voice and was a real composer. Then fame hit him (He plays Vegas a lot doesn’t he?) and he became the Boomer’s geeration Neil Diamond. Just one man’s opinion…carry on.
Transitions are on a never ending quest to keep me interested and involved. Time slows down. I take a break to do No.1 and only dust comes out. Now that’s a great cigar!
The long finish is lip smacking.
I made the same mistake with the Pulita 60 Aniversario as I did with the Big Papi. I smoked one two weeks in and….nothing. The extra month of humidor time had a huge impact in delivering the blender’s intent.
We are getting a blizzard this afternoon which will last for a couple days so after the review, I must run to the market for gruel and corn flakes to get us through.
Temps are much better today than yesterday’s -25°. It is a balmy 3°.
The more I smoke the Pulita 60 Aniversario, the better it gets. Now this is damn fine cigar blending. A strong medium/full body is covering my frame in flop sweat.
I normally prefer Robustos for review…timewise of course. But I could suck on much bigger stick….wait…that didn’t come out right. I’m not gay (Not that there is anything wrong with that).
In February, 32 years of marriage hits. I might as well be gay. I just don’t have a filter, do I?
I’m goofy because I’m enjoying the Pulita 60 Aniversario so much.
There isn’t an element out of place. And the spiciness? Divine. (See. I thought I was gay). The red pepper is perfectly balanced. Perfectly. And I do love my spice.
In the beginning, the master cigar blenders hated spiciness. But the American smoking public loved it. So the powers that be made sure that these master blenders went against their natural instinct of keeping a cigar clean of any pepperiness and gave in.
This is why I love the New Breed of blenders over the Old School blenders.
Halfway point. Smoke time is 50 minutes.
I’m surprised at how slowly the Pulita smokes.
Hell yeah, I would spend $11 for this stick. It’s better than most $11 sticks I’ve smoked.
The char line needs its only touch up.
Listening to The Doors live playing “Light My Fire.” The guitarist, Robby Krieger, and he is just terrible. I never thought much of him. Right place, right time…that’s all it is.
On the other hand, the Pulita 60 Aniversario is Anti-Terrible. It is the ombudsman for wise and sagely cigar smokers.
Shit, I’m having a good time. Ha.
Damn. Too much glue on the cigar band. I can’t get it off without tearing it.
I’m feeling generous. The Pulita 60 Aniversario will deliver a stunning score in the high 60’s.
I don’t mention this often. Balance. Most good cigars are in the hunt for complexity and ever moving transitions. The Pulita 60 Aniversario has the complexity but the transitions are optimally balanced. The experience is quite different from an ever moving set of flavors.
LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is one hour 10 minutes.
The strength is encroaching on full on; pedal to the metal.
Partially open window. My ‘nads have crawled underneath the table and are hugging the leg. Or is that my leg?
Following the unveiling of Cigar Aficionado’s top 25 list? I just don’t get it. I thought you were supposed to list cigars released in 2016. I could be wrong.
I have no criticisms for the Pulita 60 Aniversario. Happy as a pig in a kosher slaughter house.
Plenty of online stores and B & M’s to buy this jewel. Use the interwebs to Gargle this cigar. Check the El Artista web site for places to buy their wares.
I cannot add anything. A beautifully crafted and blended cigar. What’s left to say?
Final smoke time is one hour 30 minutes.
RATING: 91
Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Cigar Reviews by Phil 'Katman' Kohn 
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