L'ATELIER

I’m in the infant stages of smoking all my 1-off cigars in the Ark.  I have so many random single sticks right now that I need to try and rate…it’s fucking ridiculous.  So I’m on a mission to run through about 10 or so smokes and get a feel for them and see if I’d buy anymore.

 

One of said cigars is the “52” by L’Atelier.  This cigar brand happened to be rated something like a 92 or 91 in an issue of Cigar Aficionado.  I was at Binny’s a few months ago and picked one of these bad boys up to try. 

Country: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Ecuadorian

Price: $8.00

Strength: Medium to full

Length: 4.75

Ring Gauge: 52

L’Atelier is a newer brand of cigars within the Tatuaje profile, blended and rolled by the My Father Cigar factory in Esteli, Nicaragua.  L’Atelier pays homage to the Cuban Cohiba Behike.  Offered in a 52, 54, and 56 ring gauge and all having a pigtail cap, L’Atelier is a medium-full bodied cigar using all Nicaraguan filler and binder tobaccos with an Ecuadorian wrapper!

Maybe it’s me, but Nicaraguan cigars are steadily becoming my least favorite cigars.  Not sure what it is about tobacco from that region, but it always seems to start off bitter and harsh and rarely gains any complexity!  Maybe I’m an idiot and don’t know what I’m talking about but the last three cigars I’ve had from Nicaragua were less than pleasant to smoke.  Maybe I just haven’t let them sit in the Ark long enough?  The 52 was really no different.  I wasn’t that impressed with it in the end.  The Cigar was well constructed.  It had an average draw.  Upon lighting that bitter harsh taste filled my taste bids up!  It took a few draws before that went away.  The cigar really never changed much over the course of the smoke.  I did notice some slight pepper notes and leather to earthiness but it was faint at best.  It wasn’t a smooth cigar.  Midway through I was ready to toss it.  But I finished it up.  Towards the end it got extra harsh and extra hot.  The only thing about this cigar I remotely got was the strength.  It was closer to the strong side.  I was a little buzzed when I finished.  I would like to buy another L’Atelier and leave it in the Ark for a few years and see if it mellows.  Another Nicaraguan blend the Quorum is similar.  Those were harsh and fuck but after about 3 years they’ve mellowed and are enjoyable.  Maybe the same can be said for the L’Atelier 52?

Cheers!