#1 Tortuga 215 Reserva
At the time of this writing I have smoked almost a full box of the Reserva, and each one was better than the last. Smoking one is an experience that all cigar geeks must have.
This is a box worthy cigar through and through, and comes highly recommended by 2GR.
I expect the 215 Reserva to be on many top 10 lists in the near future.
Smoke it. Experience it. Love it like I did.
It was a frigid afternoon when I was to meet Victor Vitale for coffee. He recommended that we meet at La Colombe Café in the Rittenhouse section of Philadelphia. It was a great recommendation. Our meeting was planned for three o’clock, but out of a fear that Victor would get there even a minute before me, I arrived at the ridiculously early time of
The Tortuga 215 Reserva, a new line introduced by Victor Vitale's Legacy Brands at the 2013 IPCPR will be introducing three new vitolas over the next few months. These line extensions will bring the total vitolas in the Tortuga 215 Reserva line to seven. The first vitola will be called the Cedro No. 5, adds a 5 1/2 x 48 cigar to the line. The No. 5 is scheduled to be shipped to Legacy Brands Appointed Merchants before the end of 2013.
Earlier this year, Victor Vitale announced the release of the Tortuga 215 Reserva, earlier this week, he announced the release of three new sizes all wrapped in cedar.
Brooks Whittington broke news on the 5 1/2 x 48 size:
This week I smoked a couple cigars with a Philadelphia connection. This was purely by accident, as I had planned a different cigar for tonight’s walk, with a completely different tie in, but I couldn’t find the cigars I was looking for. This could indicate a problem, I’m not sure. Seems like I need to do some organizational work in the humidors, which are still a bit of a mess after returning from the IPCPR show. I’ll get it worked out eventually, I promise.
...
I had never heard of the Tortuga brand. This past summer while vacationing in the United States I happened upon them while in a popular local cigar shop/lounge. I saw this in their new release area with its deep burgundy band and the all too familiar these days “Limited Edition” secondary gold band. I picked one up to smoke in the store while I continued my shopping. I enjoyed it so much I picked up a couple more. These cigars are marketed as extremely limited cigars.
Victor Vitale is set to launch the next cigar in his Tortuga Cigars line. The Tortuga 215 Reserva by Victor Vitale is set to make its debut at the 2013 IPCPR Trade Show in Las Vegas this month. Information about this release was communicated via press release via Legacy Brands (Vitale's company).
The Tortuga 215 Reserva is described as a small batch Nicaraguan puro cigar. It will only be made available to Tortuga Appointed Merchants.
The first cigar in the Tortuga 215 line, the Tortuga 215 Edicion Limitada was assessed by Cigar Coop back in December, 2011.
In this fast-paced world, cigars are an anomaly, as their tobaccos are aged naturally and consequently, cannot be rushed, their hand-rolled construction is methodical, and even the act of smoking them is typically a leisure-time activity. All of this is personified in the Tortuga 215 Edición Limitada 2011 ($8 to $10, depending on size). Tortuga means "turtle" in Spanish, and the name of this boutique cigar was inspired by the fact that its tobaccos have been aged for five years, thus contributing to the T215's slow, even burn and deep, ultra rich taste.
Recently (i.e. last night) I had the pleasure of smoking the Tortuga Edicion Limitada 2011 in Toro size. This 6x54 stick is a beauty to behold with a super dark Sun Grown wrapper and a nice looking burgundy and gold label. The construction appears to be first class and it looked marvelous in my humidor sitting next to my row of Ashton VSG's.
I travel around the country quite a bite. As a part of my travels I usually try to find a good cigar shop to enjoy a cigar. One thing I always ask the tobacconist is what do you have in new and what do you have that I might not find elsewhere. For the past few months, I've made an occasional stop at W.Curtis Draper in Bethesda, Maryland. On a trip earlier this month, when I posed those questions, the Tortuga 215 Edicion Limitada 2011 came up as a potential cigar. I usually try to keep on top of many cigar brands and releases, but I had not heard of these before.
