Tatuaje Black Label Petit Lancero

Overall Score

1 review for Tatuaje Black Label Petit Lancero

  1. A****

    Tatuaje Black Label Petit Lancero

    TatuajeOrigin : Nicaragua
    Format : Petit Lancero
    Size : 6 x 38
    Wrapper : : Nicaraguan Sun Grown Criollo
    Filler : Nicaragua
    Binder : Nicaragua
    Hand-Made
    Price : $8.50-$10.00 each (aftermarket could be higher)

    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 : [rating:4/5]
    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.

    Tatuaje Black Label Petit Lancero

    Construction : [rating:5/5]
    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 : [rating:4.5/5]
    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 : [rating:4/5]
    $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.

    Tatuaje Black Label Petit Lancero

    Overall Rating : [rating:4.75/5] (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!

    [sz]tatuaje black[/sz]

    Helpful?
    0 0
    • Z** C****

      My Review of the Tatuaje Black Grand Corona

      This cigar, with its unfinished foot, took a light real easy and from my first puff I was hit with a tasty wave of lather and tobacco with not nearly as much spicy pepperiness as I would have expected from Pete Johnson’s Private Reserve.

      As I bring the smoke in through my sinuses I get flavors of rich dark chocolate and espresso bean with not a touch of harshness at all. It has a nice long salt and pepper ash that seems like it could hold on forever.

      The smoke is actually dry, which is somewhat surprising, as well as smooth and refined, I expected a lot of oomph from this cigar, but its real nice and refined.

      As I smoke, the espresso flavor intensifies but fades to a nice anise and woody mix with rich tobacco at the heart.

      The draw was nice and easy as I began to really enjoy this smoke. The burn was dead-on even the whole way through, a sign of top notch construction.

      My take home message from this cigar is that what Mr. Johnson likes and what niche he is trying to fill are not the same. The Black is waaay different from the Tatuaje Cabinet (brown label), it’s smooth and mellow while the Cabinet is peppery and in your face. This does make sense to me, because there is no way I could smoke cabinets all day (even as much as I like them). The Black is smooth enough to be enjoyed at breakfast but hearty in flavor to be enjoyed with a steak dinner.

      This is a perfect cigar for aging.

      Thankfully despite all of the hype, this cigar lives up to it and then some. Woo-hoo!

      Rating: 90 (A)

    • S****

      Love this cigar! Wish it was about 2″ longer though. Everytime I finish one, I am still wanting more of it! This is one of my favorite Tats of all time.

    • j*

      of course the dry draw was tight…it’s a closed / shag foot cigar

    • J** (***************

      Aaron,
      Great review indeed. One of my favorite cigars nowadays. FYI, regular production is already available in selected stores. In fact, I’m picking up my box today.

    • Z****

      While I enjoyed the couple that were gifted to me, IMHO, they can’t match the original Tat Black jar release; I had a corona gorda this morning and it was fantastic. The Petit Lancero is good, and I will certainly be a buyer. Too bad Pete won’t make the corona gorda a regular release.

    • D***

      Nice review, I really like these too. But similar to the above comment, I had understood that a regular production version (without the shaggy foot) was pretty certain.

    • r****

      these will be regular production by IPCPR

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Cigar Region Nicaragua
Filler Nicaragua
Wrapper Nicaragua
Binder Nicaragua
Length 6
Ring Gauge 38
Vitola Panatela
Construction Hand Made