Tatuaje Black Label Petite Lancero Review
Cigar: Tatuaje Black Label
Size: Petite lancero 6" x 38
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Criollo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: MSRP ~$8.50
Initial Impression/Prelight
The Tatuaje Black Label had a slightly rustic, medium chocolate brown wrapper with an oily sheen and some moderate veins. The aroma off the wrapper was distinctly spicy, which is a departure from my normal description of "smelled like hay". The stick was firm up and down the length, and had a nice draw and again I got a distinct flavor of cinnamon from the pre-light draw.
I really dug the simple black label with 'Tatuaje' and a series of fleur de lis...lises...lis'...whatever the plural is...in white script. It just looked cool and understated and matched the wrapper well too. This cigar has been in my humidor for about 3-4 months @ 65%. This has been a happening week for me on cigars, probably my best 7-day run in a while starting with a visit to Outlaw Cigars in KC last week where I smoked 3 in one night, and through the long weekend where time and weather permitted me to smoke daily. I enjoyed this smoke yesterday on yet another beautiful 70 degree morning with a cup of very strong coffee.
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1st Third
I got immediate red pepper, followed by some leather and generic but mild woodiness. The draw stayed just right and I got a bunch of smoke, especially for the size. About an inch in I picked up some of that cinnamon from the prelight, which has gotten to be one of my favorite flavors in a cigar. Ash held nicely for a lancero, out around 3/4" or maybe a tick more, and the burnline was sharp as a tack.
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2nd Third
The spice picked up in this section even as the red pepper disappeared. The woodiness revealed itself to be a soft, pleasant cedar, and towards the end of this section I got some medium sweet tobacco flavor. This little baby was really smooth too. Ash piled up nicely, and the burn stayed dead on. I'll say medium+ flavor and medium strength so far.
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Final Third
Best for last. In the last two inches or so I got some of the spice, but more coffee and dark chocolate along with some dried fruit and the ever present cinnamon in the background. Again my notes say, "Rich and smooth." Even at the end, it never got hot, bitter, or harsh. At the finish line I'll still call it medium+ flavor and about the same on the strength.
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Overall Impressions
Awesome.
• I'm used to having to touch up and even relight my lanceros, and this one never needed a thing. I love smoking a cigar like this all the way to the nub and never having to concern myself with the burn.
• I first picked up a noticeable cinnamon in a Nub Cameroon, so I went on a long Cameroon hunt under the assumption that the flavor was a characteristic of that wrapper. I haven't found that to necessarily be true, and certainly I got a lot from this Criollo. I guess the binder and filler play in after all..
• A lot of times I don't care for a distinct cedar, as I find it overpowering and dry sometimes. The Tat had a really mellow cedar though, and it was quite pleasurable.
• Smoking time was about an hour and twenty minutes.
• I'm really kicking myself for not buying more of these from the local shop. Hopefully they'll get some more in.
Perfect construction, never got bitter or harsh, and not only had some complexity but the flavors were all good and right in my wheelhouse - from pepper and spice to coffee, chocolate and cinnamon. I honestly don't have much else to say except that I wish I had space to put a box of these away. I would struggle to get a 5-er in the wineador right now though, and I have enough cigars to last me years (note to self: I need to send some to the troops). Either, I'll be compelled to pick up a handful if they come back in stock at my B&M.
Update: since writing this review about a year ago I've nabbed about 10-15 of these, so I can easily recommend a 5-er or a box. I don't have a huge amount of experience with Tatuaje, but this is my favorite so far.
