The black label cigars by Pete Johnson’s Tatuaje brand could be one of the most sought after and legendary cigars of the last several years. I know corona gordas from the original jar release are bringing high dollar amounts in the aftermarket, as well as any of the other 8 releases that have been put out over the last couple years. The Black Label is Pete’s personal stash blend. Some of the older black labels were wrapped with tobacco that was designated for binder purposes but tasted so good to him that he used them as wrapper.
Tobacco Grove in early spring, worked with Pete personally to bring this cigar into the store and sell it as an exclusive to the store. Immediately once the word got out, the phone lines started to get blown up at Tobacco Grove with orders piling in and they all sold very quickly within hours. But there has been word that Pete may bring the black label petit lancero out as a regular production stick. I truly hope he does, ‘cause these cigars are superb. If this news is true, then the cigar gods will shine on Pete and we will all be in agreement for his sainthood! To see how superb these smokes were just keep on readin',…
Appearance : 4 out of 5 stars
The wrapper seems to have a uniformly colored, almost Colorado coloration, wrapper swathing the binder and filler tobaccos with oily goodness. I am pretty sure the wrapper he used for this stick is top-notch and wasn’t headed for binder material right off the bat. There are some pretty significant medium sized veins running its course and some sticks have multiple veins protruding. It is tightly packed, with quite a bit of filler tobacco within its interior. Very beautiful looking stick, and accentuated by a pig tail and closed foot (monikers of most black labels). I really don’t get a whole lot of aroma from the cigar when smelling it.
Construction : 5 out of 5 stars
The lancero had a semi-tight draw on the dry pull and that had me worried a bit after clipping off the pig tail. One of the heads cracked when I cut it but this was uncommon and only happened to 1 of the several cigars I smoked for the review. The draw opened up a little after being lit, and produced a heavy amount of thick smoke. The white ash this cigar produced held on tightly for over 2 inches at a time. Even though getting past the 1st third, the cigar continued to have some tight draws but kept delivering essential amounts of smoke to satisfy any seasoned cigar smoker. All in all, superb burn and construction on this stick considering my initial worries. Pretty typical mash up of tobacco put out by the 1-2 knockout combo of Pete Johnson and Pepin Garcia.
Flavor : 4.5 out of 5 stars
After lighting, the initial flavors are of cedar, nuts, leather, and a hint of cinnamon & allspice. Getting farther into the cigar a little more reveals the most notable flavor of its profile, caramel. The caramel sweetness mixed with leather and nuts to entice the taste buds close to the culmination of the 1st third. A touch of clove comes out near the middle mark. The retrohale brought about rich leather nuances. The smoke is incredibly balanced but leans more to the sweeter side of things and is thick on the palate due the texture of the smoke. The smoke never becomes bitter, it is round, and thick delivers plenty of flavor with each draw. The only drawback is that there isn’t much evolution of flavor from start to finish, but that is okay with me you never want the flavors in this stick to change. This cigar is just pure delicious!
Value : 4 out of 5 stars
$8.50, yep! $9.00, yep! $9.50, yep! $10.00, yep! These are all fine prices to me for this caliber of cigar. I’ve seen people pay upwards of $13-$14 a stick,……I don’t blame them one bit. These are becoming harder and harder to come by on the aftermarket due to people not wanting to let them go. And yet again, I cannot blame them.
Overall Rating : 4.75 out of 5 stars (4.75)
This is the best lancero or petit lancero I have ever smoked. I am not much of a lancero guy but this I can smoke for years. Hell, if all lanceros were like this, it would be the only thing I would smoke. I just pray to cigar gods that these become full production and then I can indulge in them anytime I want. Hint, hint, Pete,…… make it happen or there will be a riot on the streets of L.A. again!
To read this review please click on the link http://www.cigarinspector.com
Thanks!
Tobacco Grove in early spring, worked with Pete personally to bring this cigar into the store and sell it as an exclusive to the store. Immediately once the word got out, the phone lines started to get blown up at Tobacco Grove with orders piling in and they all sold very quickly within hours. But there has been word that Pete may bring the black label petit lancero out as a regular production stick. I truly hope he does, ‘cause these cigars are superb. If this news is true, then the cigar gods will shine on Pete and we will all be in agreement for his sainthood! To see how superb these smokes were just keep on readin',…
Appearance : 4 out of 5 stars
The wrapper seems to have a uniformly colored, almost Colorado coloration, wrapper swathing the binder and filler tobaccos with oily goodness. I am pretty sure the wrapper he used for this stick is top-notch and wasn’t headed for binder material right off the bat. There are some pretty significant medium sized veins running its course and some sticks have multiple veins protruding. It is tightly packed, with quite a bit of filler tobacco within its interior. Very beautiful looking stick, and accentuated by a pig tail and closed foot (monikers of most black labels). I really don’t get a whole lot of aroma from the cigar when smelling it.
Construction : 5 out of 5 stars
The lancero had a semi-tight draw on the dry pull and that had me worried a bit after clipping off the pig tail. One of the heads cracked when I cut it but this was uncommon and only happened to 1 of the several cigars I smoked for the review. The draw opened up a little after being lit, and produced a heavy amount of thick smoke. The white ash this cigar produced held on tightly for over 2 inches at a time. Even though getting past the 1st third, the cigar continued to have some tight draws but kept delivering essential amounts of smoke to satisfy any seasoned cigar smoker. All in all, superb burn and construction on this stick considering my initial worries. Pretty typical mash up of tobacco put out by the 1-2 knockout combo of Pete Johnson and Pepin Garcia.
Flavor : 4.5 out of 5 stars
After lighting, the initial flavors are of cedar, nuts, leather, and a hint of cinnamon & allspice. Getting farther into the cigar a little more reveals the most notable flavor of its profile, caramel. The caramel sweetness mixed with leather and nuts to entice the taste buds close to the culmination of the 1st third. A touch of clove comes out near the middle mark. The retrohale brought about rich leather nuances. The smoke is incredibly balanced but leans more to the sweeter side of things and is thick on the palate due the texture of the smoke. The smoke never becomes bitter, it is round, and thick delivers plenty of flavor with each draw. The only drawback is that there isn’t much evolution of flavor from start to finish, but that is okay with me you never want the flavors in this stick to change. This cigar is just pure delicious!
Value : 4 out of 5 stars
$8.50, yep! $9.00, yep! $9.50, yep! $10.00, yep! These are all fine prices to me for this caliber of cigar. I’ve seen people pay upwards of $13-$14 a stick,……I don’t blame them one bit. These are becoming harder and harder to come by on the aftermarket due to people not wanting to let them go. And yet again, I cannot blame them.
Overall Rating : 4.75 out of 5 stars (4.75)
This is the best lancero or petit lancero I have ever smoked. I am not much of a lancero guy but this I can smoke for years. Hell, if all lanceros were like this, it would be the only thing I would smoke. I just pray to cigar gods that these become full production and then I can indulge in them anytime I want. Hint, hint, Pete,…… make it happen or there will be a riot on the streets of L.A. again!
To read this review please click on the link http://www.cigarinspector.com
Thanks!
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