Origin : United States (Miami/FL)
Format : Torpedo
Size : 5.5 x 52
Wrapper : Shade-grown Nicaraguan Viso
Filler : Nicaragua
Binder : Nicaragua
Hand-Made
Price : ~$13

The Cojonu (ballsy in Spanish) series by Tatuaje is comprised of several blends, each released in a given year – it doesn’t mean that the cigar was produced during that year though, so we can’t really talk about “vintages” here. Some of the blends have previously been reviewed on the site: Tatuaje Cojonu 2003, Tatuaje Cojonu 2009 & Tatuaje Cojonu 2012.

Construction is absolutely flawless with this cigar. The roll is seamless, the cigar is firm to the touch with a little bit of bounce.

The draw is great on the Cojonu 2006 and the burn is even. The ash was nice and compact with no flowering but it was very weak and fell off at about the half inch mark. The body of these cigars is medium to full but the strength is full especially towards the end of the cigar where it gave me a little buzz.

Some nice deep rich flavors from the start. I get coffee beans, nuts and a toasty almost chary cedar flavor. There is some pepper but it is very balanced with the rest of the flavors. In the second third some sweet honey notes come in and out which gives the cigar a nice creamy texture in the mouth. The final third was much of the same with the addition of some cocoa flavors. The flavors also became more full and pronounced in the final third.

I really enjoyed the Tatuaje Cojonu 2006 blend. The price tag on this guy is way out of an everyday cigar, but would make a nice occasional smoke for most of us. The flavors were balanced and complex which is a must for a cigar that goes over $10. The one downside to this cigar is that it doesn’t vary much from the other Tatuaje Miami’s that I’ve smoked except for the fact that it is a little stronger than the regular line.

Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Corona Especial
Size : 6 x 38
Wrapper : Habano Ecuador
Filler : Nicaragua
Binder : Nicaragua
Hand-Made
Price : $7 each

The Tatuaje Havana VI line is another solid production from Pete Johnson and Pepin Garcia. Said to be more mellow and medium bodied than the brown label, the Havana VI line is comprised of eight different vitolas: Hermosos – 5 5/8 x 46, Angeles – 4 5/8 x 42, Victorias 6 x 38, Artistas – 6 1/8 x 52 (reviewed here), Nobles – 5 x 50 (reviewed here), Almirantes – 7 x 47, Gorditos – 5 ½ x 56, Verocu No.5 – 4 x 40.

Out of the entire Havana VI line, the only other sizes I’ve tried are the Almirantes (Churchill), which I thoroughly enjoyed. I was certainly excited to have the chance to sample a smaller vitola (Corona Especial), so let’s see how it went.

Read the full review of Tatuaje Havana VI Victorias…

Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Toro
Size : 6.5 x 52
Wrapper : Nicaragua
Filler : Nicaragua
Binder : Nicaragua
Hand-Made
Price : ~$12-13

The Tatuaje Cojonu 2003 is part of a line which was, back in time, an extension of the original La Seleccion de Cazador Reserva line (Pete Johnson’s first line). Cojonu, short for cojonudo which is Cuban slang for “ballsy”, was supposed to be stronger and fuller than other Tatuaje cigars. There were several releases within this line since, which were extensively covered on CigarInspector.com: we have reviewed the Tatuaje Cojonu 2009 twice and the Cojonu 2012 Reserva.

When I saw the 2003 version in Brussels, I immediately acquired three of these beauties. Don’t get too excited though, the “2003” on the band doesn’t mean that they were rolled 11 years ago, it’s just the year they were blended. Furthermore, these cigars originally featured a Nicaraguan wrapper and now sport an Ecuador-grown leaf. Quite a neat marketing trick!

Read the full review of Tatuaje Cojonu 2003…

Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Robusto
Size : 5 x 50
Wrapper : La Estrella Habano Criollo (’08)
Filler : La Estrella Habano Criollo (’08)
Binder : La Estrella Habano Criollo (’08)
Hand-Made
Price : ~$15 each

The La Vérité (the truth in French) project, developed by Pete Johnson, is an unusual undertaking using only tobacco from Pepin Garcia’s La Estrella (the star in Spanish) farm in Nicaragua, using only a single crop from a given year. The vintage concept is similar to wine, each vintage being significantly different from another. As far as I remember, one was even able to buy “futures” of the La Vérité series. To my knowledge, these cigars were relased in 2008 and 2009, while the 2010 release was delayed and still hasn’t hit the shelves (correct me if I’m wrong).

The 2008 first size, La Vérité, is a 7 x 47 Churchill and is the commanding ship of the entire project. This vitola was available in boxes of 10, 25, 50, and master cases of 100. The second, L’Esprit de Vérité, is a 5 x 50 Robusto that is blended to be a lighter smoke. It was only available in boxes of 10 and 25. I think these are still available at some retailers, but of course at higher prices than initial MSRP (at least $15 per stick).

Read the full review of La Vérité Vintage 2008 : L’Esprit de Vérité…

Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Corona Gorda
Size : 5 5/8 x 45
Wrapper : Sumatra
Filler : Nicaragua
Binder : Nicaragua
Hand-Made
Price : $9 each

So, if you’re a regular at keeping up with all of the online cigar blogs you’ve probably already come across many reviews of the Tatuaje 7th Capa Especial. There have been lots of mixed reviews on this cigar, which personally I think is a good thing. We must remember that the art of cigar smoking is just that… an art. Some people’s trash is another’s treasure, and that is the beauty of this leisure. Since there has been so much rave about this cigar I decided to go ahead and voice my thoughts about the Tatuaje 7th Capa Especial.

Before we begin I want to make note that this cigar is actually rolled at the My Father cigar factory in Esteli, Nicaragua just like the rest of the Reserva brown label line (instead of in Miami), and the Capa Especial is carrying a Sumatra wrapper instead of Connecticut Broadleaf.

Read the full review of Tatuaje 7th Capa Especial…

Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Torpedo
Size : 6 1/8 x 52
Wrapper : Ecuador Habano
Filler : Nicaragua
Binder : Nicaragua
Hand-Made
Price : $8 (MSRP)

Tatuaje Havana VI is one of the main lines of the brand. It doesn’t get much attention compared to limited editions, but this cigar, produced in Nicaragua by Pepin Garcia on the My Father factory, also deserves a test drive.

Read the full review of Tatuaje Havana VI Artistas…

Origin : Miami, FL
Format : Robusto
Size : 5 x 50
Wrapper : Nicaragua
Filler : Nicaragua
Binder : Nicaragua
Hand-Made
Price : ~$9-10 each

This is my review of the Tatuaje Miami Reserva Series J21 Robusto (5×50). After trying a sampler of these I ended up picking up a box. They work out to about $9 a cigar.

The J21 has some interesting backstory. It’s a Nicaraguan filler with a Nicaraguan wrapper, and it’s blended by Don Pepin and rolled at the Little Havana section of the El Rey de Los Habanos factory in Miami for Pete Johnson.

Read the full review of Tatuaje Miami Reserva J21 Robusto…

Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Double Toro
Size : 6.5 x 52
Wrapper : Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler : Nicaragua
Binder : Nicaragua
Hand-Made
Price : $13ish. Released in books of 24 with the Cojonu Capa Especial

Back around January, I was able to obtain a sampler pack of the pre-release 2012 Tatuaje Cojonu through my membership with the Saints and Sinners Club (exclusive Tatuaje fan club). This year they will be in three different blends: Miami brown label Cojonu, Connecticut Broadleaf Reserva and the Sumatran Capa Especial. Just recently, these sticks were released in a beautiful book of 24 cigars by some of the big named B&M’s across the country. I waited until now to acquire more of the releases and do a thorough review instead of smoking one pre-release and writing about it. I was really psyched to see that the pre-releases were just like the actual release,… something that I can’t say about a lot of limited release cigars. So how did the Cojonu 2012 Reserva fare?,…

Read the full review of Tatuaje Cojonu 2012 Reserva…