Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Perfecto
Size : 9 x 55
Wrapper : Nicaraguan Habano
Filler : Nicaragua
Binder : Nicaragua
Hand-Made
Price : ~$12 each
More info about purchasing Tatuaje cigars...

Many thanks to Austin from the 7th Street Reserve for taking these excellent pictures for my series of reviews.

One dilemma I always find myself pondering is whether there is any rationale in saving special cigars for special days or occasions. Sure, the common sense argues in the favor of this, but in the end, you can always change an ordinary day into an exceptional one, exactly by doing something special yourself – like, for example, smoking a Tatuaje RC 233.

The RC233 is handcrafted with first-generation Nicaraguan seed tobacco. The RC in the name stands for “Retro Cuban”, while 233 represents the length in millimeters. The production of this blend is limited.

Read the full review of Tatuaje RC 223...

Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Pyramid
Size : 6 1/8 x 52
Wrapper : Nicaraguan Criollo '98
Filler : Nicaragua
Binder : Nicaragua
Hand-Made
Price : N/A
More info about purchasing Tatuaje Black Label cigars...

I know I haven't written a review for some time now, but I have read your e-mails and listened to the comments from those I have spoken with. 2010 has been a hectic year leaving me precious little time for some of the things I enjoy most; so to all the readers, web-sites, magazines, and news letters I write for, I apologize. That being said, on to the good stuff.

The topic of this review is the Tatuaje - Private Reserve Black Tubo. You may notice that as the background for the photos I used my chopper (another of those things I haven't had much time for). I did this as a tribute to Pete Johnson, owner of Tatuaje, because the first time we met I had been out on it and Pete and I spent some time talking about our shared enjoyment of riding. Pete said the inspiration for the Black Tubo came from a trip he took to, "an island famous for its cigars", which one can only assume is Cuba. While there he was given an un-banded, very rustic looking cigar by a man who had it in his shirt pocket. He later learned that among many of the local cigar lovers is a tradition of rolling their own blends for themselves to suit their personal taste, hence Private Reserve in the name of this cigar. Pete never forgot how much he enjoyed that cigar and the Black Tubo is his tribute to it.

Read the full review of Tatuaje Private Reserve Black Tubo...

Origin : USA
Format : Figurado
Size : 7" (184 mm) x 57
Wrapper : Nicaragua Corojo 99
Filler : Nicaragua
Binder : Nicaragua
Year : 2005
Hand-Made
Price : $10-18 each
More info about purchasing Tatuaje cigars...

This is Agent 24. My mission was to review the Tatuaje RC 184. As a member of The Cigar Spy agency, I promise to respect the A.S.H.E.S. code of honor.

Background info

Tatuaje is the brainchild of Pete Johnson, who along with Jose “Don Pepin” Garcia rolls these cigars in Little Havana, Miami, Florida. They use first generation Cuban seed grown in Nicaragua. The RC stands for Retro Cuban and the 184 is the length in mm. It is one of the special blends for the Tatuaje Cabinet Series.

Read the full review of Tatuaje RC 184...

Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Robusto
Size : 5 x 50
Wrapper : Nicaraguan Habano Criollo
Filler : Nicaraguan
Binder : Nicaraguan
Hand-Made
Price : $14+ each
More info about purchasing Tatuaje cigars...

I got the chance to smoke the new Esprit de Verite from the crazed mind of Pete Johnson creator of Tatuaje, Cabaiguan and El Triunfador cigars. This project, from what I understand, is a labor of love and something Pete has heavily invested his time in. The idea behind the Verite’s is to create a single cigar from a single vintage crop. The 2008 Vintage is available in either a Churchill (as the Verite) and as a robusto (the Esprit de Verite). All tobacco was harvested from Don Pepin’s farm in Nicaragua.

Read the full review of Tatuaje L’esprit de Vérité 2008...

Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Toro
Size : 6 x 50
Wrapper : Nicaragua
Filler : Nicaragua
Binder : Nicaragua
Hand-Made
Price : ~$6 each
More info about purchasing Ambos Mundos cigars...

This is a cigar that I came across immediately following the release of Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 list of 2009. Naturally, being the obsessive-compulsive BOTL that I am, as soon as the list was published I immediately went to my local tobacconist to search out the 22 cigars on the list which are available in the U.S. My long trek through the top 25 list spanned several months, two states, and at least a half-dozen shops (and I still haven’t smoked the Opus X). Some of the cigars I smoked, of which reviews are forthcoming, were positively superb (the Padron 45th, the Casa Magna Solomon, and the Padilla 1932, to name a few), some not so much, some pretty good but simply not worth the hype, or the price tag, or both; but the broke college student in me holds in highest esteem those smokes that can consistently put a smile on my face for less than 12 dollars. The cigar that I’ll be reviewing today does just that, and for a mere 6 dollar price tag and about 70 minutes smoke time, you simply can’t go wrong.

Read the full review of Ambos Mundos...

Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Torpedo
Size : 6 1/8″ x 52
Wrapper : Nicaraguan
Filler : Nicaraguan
Binder : Nicaraguan
Hand-Made
Price : $11 each
More info about purchasing Tatuaje cigars...

The Verocu extension of the Tatuaje Havana VI line was first introduced as a two vitola regional release. There was the West Coast version, the No. 1 Lado Occidental, and the East Coast’s No. 2 Zona del Este. Each was sold in cabinets of 50 cigars. They were a huge hit and remain a favorite of many Tatuaje fans. They were a limited release however, and much to the dismay of those fans, they are no longer made and extremely hard to find and generally unavailable. If you don’t already have some you aren’t likely to get any. But despair not, there have been subsequent releases of the Verocu blend like the No.9 which is a Holts exclusive. The most recent addition to the line is the Verocu Tubos, a tubed Torpedo measuring an ample six and one eighth inches in length and sporting a beefy 52 ring gauge. It comes armored in a very nice, bright red aluminum tube and is available in boxes of 10.

Read the full review of Tatuaje Verocu Tubos...

Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Torpedo
Size : 6.75″ x 48
Wrapper : Nicaraguan Corojo Ligero
Filler : Nicaraguan
Binder : Nicaraguan
Hand-Made
Price : $12 each
More info about purchasing Tatuaje cigars...

The Tatuaje Cojonu 2009 is part of the Cojonu extension of the Tatuje Brown Label line. Also known as Tatuaje Miami, Tatuaje Classics, Tatuaje Cabinet series, and even more formally (and very rarely) as Tatuaje La Seleccion de Cazador. The Cojonu extension is a series of very strong cigars that are released in a new shape every three years. It started with the Cojonu 2003 which was a long toro, and that was followed by the Cojonu 2006; a belicoso. So 2009 predictably brought us the next installment which happens to be a very long torpedo with a very short and rounded taper at the head. As I have always understood it, each of these cigars is the same blend with the same binder and wrapper, the difference with each edition being the vitola. So it is good to note that the year on these cigars does not refer to what most cigar smokers normally associate a year with. It doesn’t have to do with the crop, or the year it was made. It is simply the name of the vitola. Much like the Lonsdale in the classic Brown label line is called a Havana Cazadore, this torpedo is called 2009. All three vitolas are regular production cigars and all three are still made and available today.

Read the full review of Tatuaje Cojonu 2009...

Origin : Miami, FL
Format : Robusto
Size : 5 x 50
Wrapper : Nicaragua
Filler : Nicaragua
Binder : Nicaragua
Hand-Made
Price : ~$10-11 each
More info about purchasing Tatuaje J21 Reserva cigars...

First of all, I am really sorry for the lack of my reviews lately. I’ve been through some important changes in my life (new job, new home, new city…) which barely allowed enough time to take care of the website. I would like to thank all the reviewers for bringing you fresh content every week. During the last months I’ve been mostly smoking cigars for pleasure, relaxing with a glass of cognac after a long day. I didn’t feel like reviewing a Petit Edmundo again, or a Party Short. Last week, however, I did some on- and off-line shopping and also received a little package from Cayman islands (more on that in one of the next reviews), so I’ve got some interesting experiences to share with you.

We’ll start with a Tatuaje J21 Reserva. This is the very first Tatuaje that I tried (can you believe that?) and I was really curious to see whether it would live up to its reputation (you can check Joe’s review for example).

Read the full review of Tatuaje J21 Reserva...