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Tatuaje Black - CoM Oct 2016 (Cigar of the Month)

cgraunke

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Country of Manufacture: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown Criollo Estelí
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Current production sizes:
4.00" x 50 Petite Robusto
6.00" x 38 Petite Lancero
5.625" x 46 Corona Gorda
6.375" x 43 Cazadores
6.50" x 52 Gran Toro

There have been many limited releases of the blend over the years.
Credit to Halfwheel for the group shot!


History, from an interview with Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars:
On a recent trip to a famous island known for historic cigar making, I spent my time in a small town enjoying the simple life. Every day was peaceful and every night was festive, with both having cigars involved throughout. My favorite cigar was not a cigar bought at the local store or factory, but a cigar that was handed to me every morning.
Mornings, after taking a shower with a bucket of water warmed with what looked like a curling iron, I would walk to the front of the house and sit on the fence to get some sun and take in the fresh air. I also took in the fact that I was miles from home and no one knew where I was. My phone didn’t work and I had no cares in the world other than trying to decide what to smoke.
My first morning on the island an older gentleman came along on his bike. This was not a motorcycle but something like an old Schwinn that he had likely been riding for decades. This gentleman was well dressed, almost dapper, and I probably appeared to him to be a strange character. My usual outfit of jeans, t-shirt, loads of silver jewelry, and an arm full of tattoos didn’t seem to faze him. He saw I was enjoying myself so that morning, and every morning after that, he would stop and give me a cigar from his shirt pocket.
This cigar was far from being a ‘pretty’ cigar but that did not bother me a bit. It was a treasured and unexpected gift that I was thrilled to be given. After smoking this cigar I realized that this was one of the best cigars I smoked on the island. Later that day in speaking with my host on this trip I came to understand that these cigars were something special to every person who carried them. They were cigars that they made for themselves. Even the guys who worked hard in the cigar factories all day would return home at night and make their private cigars. Simple cigars with flavors they personally enjoyed. Over the course of the next few days my host and I visited his friends and asked for cigars that they made. Before I left I had cigars from a few locals who all used different tobaccos from the different growing regions. They were all great but there was one that really stood out for me as special.
I decided when traveling to Nicaragua to work with the Garcia family that I would try to recreate this special cigar for myself. Together we spent quite some time working on the blend and looking at different leaves for wrapper. The marbled toothy wrapper was perfect for this cigar, rustic looking but with tons of aroma. After smoking the first sample, I was immediately brought back to that island relaxing on a fence, enjoying life, smoking a great cigar. A great cigar that will always in my mind represent the place, the time, and the experience of the purity of the simple life. This cigar may be considered ugly by some but inside that surface roughness it contains such rich flavor and aroma.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. This is a tribute to that cigar.​

Prior CoM reviews can be found HERE
 
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Luckily, I didn't have to purchase a tat black for a review - finally I had one in the humi! I've had this for about 18 months, so hopefully time is kind to the black label. I've only smoked the black label once before, so... Here we go!

First impression & cold draw - the wrapper is smooth with very thin veins. The foot is partially closed - a good thing, as I'm not sure if I'm a fan of closed foot cigars - I'm never sure if the cut is sufficient in a closed foot until it's lit, and I don't get to sample the cold draw. Well constructed, but it feels "light", as if they didn't use enough filler leaf. There is a earthy and leathery smell to it, and the cold draw is peppery. The draw is also "thick" - sorry, I have no other way to describe it.

Initial third - there is a blast of pepper. Maybe not a "blast", but it is strong. The earthy and leathery notes are minor players at this time. The smoke isn't as thick or creamy as I'm used to from Tatuaje.

Middle third - I notice some sort of fruit, and it reminds me of lemon or grapefruit zest, not the actual fruit guts. The pepper dies down, but not by much. The earth and leather are making their presence known, and it is playing nicely with the other flavors. Still not as creamy as I'm used to, but it is smoking very well with a razor sharp burn. No relights needed. However, the middle does feel a bit soft, which leads me to believe there wasn't much filler in that spot.

Final third - very similar to the middle third. However the strength goes up a notch. I feel like all the flavor notes are fighting for their turn in the spotlight.

Parting thoughts - although the black label is not my favorite from the Tatuaje lineup, I can see why it is the favorite too many out there. It smoked wonderfully for roughly 75 minutes. Paired with water and a BCBS (NO, it wasn't spoiled lol)



 

atllogix

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Cigarro: Tatuaje Black Label Lancero
Fábrica: My Father Cigars S.A.
Country: Nicaragua
Capa: Nicaragua (Sun-Grown Criollo)
Capote: Nicaragua
Tripa: Nicaragua
Dimensions: 7.5 x 38
Vitola: Lancero
Production: Core Line/Regional Release/Limited Edition Vitola
MSRP: $10.00 USD
Released: The Old Man and the C - AUG 2012/NY-NJ Regional - DEC 2012-JAN 2013/Tatuaje Lancero Sampler - MAY 2014

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Prelude
Tatuaje's Black Label or Private Reserve was first released back in 2007 as a limited release. The blend would then become an event only cigar as well as seeing a few rare releases. One vitola, the Petite Lancero did make it to regular, yet limited production starting in 2012. Fast forward to 2016 and the Black Label began being offered as a regular production cigar in many different vitolas. The Black Label Lancero was first released in 2012 in limited form via The Old Man and the C. It would see another release at the end of the same year in the form of a 10 count box, destined to select retailers located only in New York and New Jersey. The last release of the full length lancero came in spring of 2014 when Pete Johnson released Tatuaje Lancero Sampler, a collection of 10 blends with one per sampler. This sample up for review is from the regional release box, which I purchased in the beginning of 2013.

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"Before The Flame"
Tight seams and a pigtail adorn a cardboard shade wrapper that does have a few veins throughout. There is a nice aroma of cedar permeating from the wrapper. There were no soft spots to mention, it is a solid stick all the way through. Once clipped, the cold draw presents hay, and I have no worries of the draws capacity.

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1/3 "The Appetizer"
The Lancero opens with notes of cinnamon, pepper, cedar, and nougat like sweetness. There are notes of chocolate lined in there as well. The nougat and pepper are definitely up front and carrying the profile in this beginning third. Floral notes wash in once this third settles, adding a bit of complexity at this point.

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2/3 "Main Entrée"
By the 2nd, the pepper has receded a good deal. Still a main flavor, but it has allowed other flavors to play a more significant role. The profile is sweet, but with the addition of some herbs, there are some savory notes. The nougat sweetness mixed in with the chocolate. Cedar, sweet chocolate, herb, spice, and black pepper are pretty much what the profile consist of. In the thick of the 2nd the savory notes would increase, and balance in intensity with the sweetness.

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3/3 "Dessert"
Sweet cedar dominates with trailing chocolate, herb, and cinnamon tones. Black pepper is still around as well. There were a few mesquite flavors at times that flit in and out. A light earth note joins to add a little to the flavor profile without necessarily changing it up. The nub would see the sweetness fade away and flavors of blonde roasted coffee close it out.

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Intensity
Over the years I feel not much has changed when it comes to the body, strength, and flavor intensity of this cigar. It is still very lively, with all three ending in the medium-full range.



Construction
A very well rolled lancero that has great construction all the way through. The draw and smoke production were phenomenal, while the ash dropped in roughly inch intervals. The ash is pretty white, appears soft or flaky, but never actually flakes off. The burn line is a sharp with a little jaggedness to it.



Closing Thoughts
I've always favored the Black Label Petite Lancero over the Black Label Lancero. But at this point I really can't discern much a difference between the two, sans an added length and smoking time. While there wasn't a great display of complexity, it does show how some age can help meld flavors as I once thought the Lancero was a bit rough around the edges. It has now blossomed with a smooth yet decently strong profile, reminding me of where The Mummy was a year or two ago. Whether I reach for a Petite Lancero or this full length would only depend on how much time I have to consume.

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Smoking Time: 2 hours
Pairing: Zero Water
Scoring: 92/100​
 
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