Posts Tagged tatuaje

Tatuaje ‘Celebracion de Cinco’

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! Giveaway !

Leave a comment (no rules) and be eligible for one 3-pack of Tatuaje ‘Celebracion de Cinco’. Deadline – 11:59pm EST on 29FEB2012.

Random selection and announcement will take place on 01MAR2012.

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This week we are photographing and reviewing the Tatuaje ‘Celebracion de Cinco.’ This exclusive and limited edition is a collaboration between Pete Johnson of Tatuaje and Cigar Mas Fino – a cigar shop located in Fresno, California operated by the Soza Family. This 2011 project was released to commemorate Cigar Mas Fino’s five years in business, hence ‘Celebracion de Cinco’ or ‘Celebration of Five.’ This robusto vitola came in a box of 24 / only 100 boxes produced. When asked about the makeup, Pete responded with the following:

A slightly stronger noble. Same base blend with a brown label priming for the wrapper. – Pete Johnson

Visually, another well executed blend by My Father Cigars stable. Dark, oily, toothy wrapper with well applied triple cap and unfinished foot. The cigar had no visible veins and extremely tight seams. Great start ! Tatuaje ‘Celebracion de Cinco’ was sporting a standard Havana VI band as well as a secondary band signifying Cigar Mas Fino’s ‘Celebracion de Cinco’ designation. That specific band reminded me of Cuban Regional Edition presentation. I have smoked a total of five samples for this review. I wasn’t trying to match the ‘Cinco’, it was purely a coincidence. Interestingly enough, I was able to experience different / unique flavors in one of those samples. Most delivered good amount of earthiness, espresso, dried fruit (like raisin), and some pepper on the finish. One of the samples lacked most of those flavors and was overpowered with woodiness. All Tatuaje ‘Celebracion de Cinco’ samples delivered good amount of smoke and decent ash. As for as draw / burn goes, unfortunately mixed feedback in this department. Few samples were spot on, yet other experienced the infamous tunneling which subsequently impacted existing flavors.

If it wasn’t for good performance in selected samples, I would have marked this release (or perhaps my box) as questionable. I will continue to sample the rest of the box and continue to evaluate the construction. Overall, despite couple hiccups, another good release by Pete Johnson.

Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: 5″
Ring: 50

Construction > Good
Burn > Mixed
Enjoy > Yes
Recommend > Yes
Buy > Yes

Please consider the following post:
* Tatuaje Federal Cigar 90th Anniversary 109 Rosado
* Tatuaje ‘M-80’

- click on photographs (slideshow / EXIF)- 
 
 
 

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Tatuaje TAA 2011

This week we are closing 2011 with photographs and review of a cigar called appropriately for this occasion – Tatuaje TAA 2011. This specific project is a collaboration between Pete Johnson of Tatuaje and Tobacconists’ Association of America. For those who wonder what TAA is: The Tobacconists’ Association of America, Ltd. is a trade organization established in 1968 by visionary retail tobacconists. TAA’s mission is to provide an open forum of ideas, strategies, and problem solving between retail tobacconist and vendors to the trade. 1,500 boxes (20 cigars each) were made available only to TAA retailers that visited the TAA show in 2011.

Yearly cigar. Different blend and size every year. Blend is based on the regular brown label. – Pete Johnson



The Tatuaje TAA 2011 cigar had a well applied triple cap but the toothy, oily Broadleaf Connecticut wrapper was a bit rugged looking and had clearly visible seams & few noticeable veins. Bottom line, not as pleasing as Cojonu 2012 Broadleaf. Obviously the look had no impact on the performance nor flavor experience. Draw could have been a tiny bit tighter for my personal taste but overall, no complaints. In flavor department, insane amount of chocolate / sweetness / rich earthiness throughout the first half of the cigar. In between, easily identifiable woodiness and cedar. Not as much spice as others have experienced. Burn line wasn’t perfect but wasn’t bad either. The Tatuaje TAA 2011 went wavy couple times but required absolutely no touch-ups. Ash, although initially fairly tight, became awfully flaky after the middle mark.


Well, did I enjoy Tatuaje TAA 2011 ? You bet I did. Broadleaf Connecticut wrapper, box-pressed finish, closed foot = winning recipe in my cigar book. The cigar delivered great array of flavors, decent strength and excellent format. As for as I’m concerned, this is a box worthy purchase, if you can still find it. Looking forward to Tatuaje & TAA 2012 collaboration.


Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Broadleaf Connecticut
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: 5 5/8″
Ring: 54

Construction > Good
Burn > Good
Enjoy > Absolutely
Recommend > Absolutely
Buy > Absolutely



Please consider the following post:
* Tatuaje Federal Cigar 90th Anniversary 109 Rosado
* Tatuaje ‘M-80’

- click on photographs (slideshow / EXIF)- 

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Tatuaje Cojonu 2012 Broadleaf – prerelease

- click on photographs (slideshow / EXIF)- 

This week we are photographing and reviewing a prerelease follow-up to Pete Johnson’s (Tatuaje) Cojonu series – Tatuaje Cojonu 2012. Considering specifications, the Cojonu line underwent a major revamp. The 2012 release, based on Cojonu 2003, will be available in two different wrappers: Ecuadorian Sumatra & USA Broadleaf Connecticut. Today’s Cojonu ’03, ’06, ’09 are only available in Habano Ecuador wrapper (* initially wrapped in Nicaraguan Corojo ’99 wrapper). Both versions of Cojonu 2012 will come as 6.5″ x 52 box-pressed parejo vitolas. Depending on the weather, Cojonu 2012 is estimated to be released ~MAR2012 and will be the first Cojonu, for the USA market, to be made in Nicaragua. Pete Johnson is/was planning (based on comments received from Saints & Sinners forum) to release “… standard 25-count boxes for smokers who are interested in one wrapper and 10/10 boxes for those who are interested in both wrappers…” Both Cojonu 2012 box-pressed broadleaf & sumatra as well as Cojonu 2003 (* also box-pressed) prereleases are/were (?) available at local Tatuaje events. I recommend watching the following video recorded by Charlie from stogiereview.com in which he sat down with Pete Johnson and talked about future projects.


This week we have selected Tatuaje Cojonu 2012 broadleaf. Visually, one was introduced to a perfectly wrapped and triple capped cigar. No visible veins and minimal seams. Take relatively dark, rustic looking, oily, slightly toothy USA Broadleaf Connecticut wrapper, add box-pressed finish and you have a delicious looking chocolate bar. After clipping, absolutely perfect draw. In flavor department, pleasant array of flavors – spice lingering in a back of the throat, earthiness, woodiness and hints of coffee morphing into dark chocolate toward the end of the cigar. One would expect some sweetness out of the broadleaf but I wasn’t able to detect much, if any. The Cojonu 2012 was putting off massive amounts of smoke ! Burn – a bit wavy but tolerable and I expect this to improve with time. This is a prerelease after all.


Knowing that Tatuaje Cojonu 2012 was based on Cojonu 2003, I have decided to smoke the latter in preparation for this review. With box-pressed finish and different wrapper, I was expecting a different experience … and it was. If I was to rate Cojonu line, I would humbly place 2006 as my least favorite, 2009 as a close runner-up and 2003 as my favorite. 2003 and 2012 provided different experience, full stop. Both were good but in my personal opinion, I have enjoyed 2003 a tiny bit more. I’m a sucker when it comes to the broadleaf wrapper but perhaps I’m stuck on the 2003 classic blend. As stated above, the masses have spoken and asked for broadleaf finish as well as sumatra. Those that follow cigar industry know that sumatra wrapper is hot nowadays so I’m looking forward to Tatuaje Cojonu 2012 part 2 in which we will put Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper to the test.


Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: USA Broadleaf Connecticut
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: 6.5″
Ring: 52

Construction > Great
Burn > Good
Enjoy > Yes
Recommend > Yes
Buy > Yes



Please consider the following post:
* Saints & Sinners 2011 cigars
* Tatuaje ‘Pork Tenderloin’

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Saints & Sinners 2011 Cigars

This week we are delivering an exclusive overview of Saints & Sinners 2011 Cigars. For those of you who have been living under the rock for the past few months, Pete Johnson of Tatuaje has managed to add another project to his portfolio – Saints & Sinners private social club. The following information was copied from Saints & Sinners ‘Join Now’ section.

For an annual registration fee of $150, each member will receive:

1. Exclusive, one-off products available only to members (select products may not be available for purchase through the S&S webstore)
2. Everyday Tatuaje branded merchandise at the Saints & Sinners discounted club rate.
3. Access to members-only forums, where you can discuss the finer points of cigars, smoking accessories, spirits, and anything else associated with the Saints & Sinners lifestyle.
4. Access to the Pete Johnson video blog. Here, Pete will update members on everything PJHC. Watch Pete as he travels around the world, visiting his production facility in Nicaragua, engages fans on cigar tours, and dishes on anything else he feels his Saints & Sinners family should know.
5. First looks at new cigar blends, swag, as well as insider info on Tatuaje and other Pete Johnson brands.
6. The knowledge that a portion of your annual membership fee will go to an eclectic mix of charities that Pete chooses for their commitment to their particular cause.

One can visit the following link to preview what was included in 2011 Saints & Sinners kit. After the announcement and shippment, many wondered about the blend and thought process behind each S&S label (* excluding regular production obviously). Some probably have not smoked their share and have been patiently waiting for more information to be announced. Well, for those, today is their lucky day. Each photograph contains: Name, Base, Wrapper, Binder, Filler and some, if applicable, Size and Other notes. Remember, ‘smoke ’em if you got ’em.

- click on photographs to view slideshow - 

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Tatuaje ‘The Boris’

- click on photographs (slideshow / EXIF)- 

This week we have looked deeper into the coolidor and selected a cigar through which we can celebrate another Fall and upcoming halloween. The lucky specimen is Tatuaje ‘Boris’, a spin-off ‘Actor Series’ project to extremely successful ‘Monster Series’ project. The ‘Boris’ is named after William Henry Pratt aka. Boris Karloff (Frankenstein’s monster in Frankenstein).


I have smoked ~5 samples prior to opening this box so I knew exactly what I was up against this time. Visually, Tatuaje ‘Boris’ was not the prettiest kid on the block. When I smoked my first sample, I laughed and wondered “Did someone forgot to cover the binder with a silky wrapper ?” The cigar was sporting an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper that was extremely dry and even ‘ashy’ in few spots. One could easily spot more than one color shade. Unlike many cigars reviewed on this blog, ‘Boris’ had visible veins and seams. Without knowing the concept of ‘Monster / Actor’ series, one could be disappointed with the visual presentation but since this was done intentionally, kudos to Pete Johnson for creativity and execution. After clipping and lighting, perfect free-flowing draw with much appreciated amount of smoke. In flavor department, this is were a lot of folks will scream MINT !!! I concur and did enjoy the hints of peppermint that I have yet to find in any other cigar. There was an abundance of woody & cedary flavors with tiny hints of spice and sweetness. Delicious combination. Burn was nearly razor sharp and ash was top notch. Light gray and falling ~2″ chunks.


Tatuaje ‘Boris’ is definitely a unique cigar and I wouldn’t agree with a “typical Pepin / MyFather cigar” comment. Despite the look and the size, this was a clean and fairly quick smoke, respectively. For some strange reason, in flavor department (* minus peppermint), it reminded me of a Liga ‘A’ by Drew Estate. Hmmm. I have smoked Tatuaje ‘Frank’, ‘Drac’, ‘Face‘ and I’m still torn between ‘Frank’ and today’s ‘Boris.’ If you can find singles, 5-packs, boxes, go for it ! At this point, I’m patiently waiting for 2011 Monster Series – ‘Wolfman.’


Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Sumatra Ecuador
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: 7 1/8″
Ring: 49

Construction > Great
Burn > Great
Enjoy > Absolutely !
Recommend > Absolutely !
Buy > Yes


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