Tatuaje Cabinet Reserve Cojonu 2003

This is the second of the Tatuaje cigars that I have smoked. The first was a Corona sized cigar that I really enjoyed. This cigar was supposed to be the line's crown jewel. Tatuaje is a Nicaraguan puro rolled in Miami, FL. Very limited distribution. Price of this cigar was around $13.00 in Washington, DC.

The cigar was very attractive, with an oily rosado wrapper. The wrapper showed a few veins and seams, but this did not detract from the aesthetics. The pre-light nose was pleasant, smelling of sweet earth. The pre-light draw was a little tight.

The cigar took some work to light, hinting that it might have been a bit over humidified. However, this came from the same drawer that others I've been smoking, so I'm just not sure. The draw stayed firm, but each draw produced ample amounts of smoke. The smoke had the same sweet earch aroma as the pre-light nose...nice. The cigar burned unevenly throughout the smoking experience. The ash was very dark gray and not overly firm. The wrapper seemed to be exceptionally thick and did not burn well. I had to correct it on more than one occasion and it went out once. However, the draw opened up some after the re-light. One the back end, however, the cigar got very soft and heated up on me. I was not at all impressed by this cigar's construction.

The initial taste was a little bitter, with hints of charred wood and plenty of earth. The bitterness faded quickly to be replaced with a touch of sweetness mixed in with the earth and wood. It had an overall dusky taste or feel to the smoke that invaded the other tastes. However, the finish was clean, so it did not truly "coat" the mouth. As it smoked, it mellowed and became smoother, but the taste never really changed much. Not complex at all.

I really enjoyed the first Tatuaje I smoked. It was flavorful and complex and left me looking forward to this one. The Cojonu 2003, however, was a disappointment. Overall, I rate this cigar a B-.

Here is the band if you have never seen it. Sorry about the size, I'm still working on this whole picture thing.

Dawg - Nice review; sorry it disappointed!

Just wanted to say "nice pics!"

My sentiments exactly CD! I tried all of them when they came out and IMHO they're overpriced and would be a better value if they were $2 smokes. Of all the sizes I liked the Petit Corona the best but it's still a sub 80 pt smoke. Your money would be much better spent on other brands.

Aloha,

Wade

Dawg,
Just smoked the Cojonu and I also agree with your assessment. I had the same problems with the burn requiring several touchups and had to relight twice. The draw on this cigar was actually loose; so, it would seem that they have quality control problems with the construction.
My initial taste was a huge blast of pepper that damn near overwhelmed my taste buds. This taste predominated for the first third and then gave way to the taste that you described. I also seemed to be heavy on the nicotine since it knocked me on my ass for about an hour.

NICE PICS!

I really don't think that cigars rolled in non-3rd world countries can compete with those rolled elsewhere on price.

They'd have to be pretty ****in' fantastic to be worth it.

Lumberg said:

I really don't think that cigars rolled in non-3rd world countries can compete with those rolled elsewhere on price.

They'd have to be pretty ****in' fantastic to be worth it.

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Price-wise, these are just not out of the ballpark. The corona that I really liked was in the $6.50 to $7.50 range. The Cojonu, which was supposed to be their "flagship", was around $13. Not cheap, but not outrageous. However, you are right about one thing, I'm cheap enough that a $13 stick better be ****in' fantastic to be worth it. Fortunately, there are some that are worth it. This is just not one of them.

cigardawg said:

Lumberg said:

I really don't think that cigars rolled in non-3rd world countries can compete with those rolled elsewhere on price.

They'd have to be pretty ****in' fantastic to be worth it.

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Price-wise, these are just not out of the ballpark. The corona that I really liked was in the $6.50 to $7.50 range. The Cojonu, which was supposed to be their "flagship", was around $13. Not cheap, but not outrageous. However, you are right about one thing, I'm cheap enough that a $13 stick better be ****in' fantastic to be worth it. Fortunately, there are some that are worth it. This is just not one of them.

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Good call. And yeah, if they are a) paying US labor prices and b) paying for the tobacco to be shipped to Tampa in bales, unless a) they are getting the tobacco for one hell of a deal or b) paying under the table at sub-minimum wage and c) not making a decent profit, there's no way a $13 made-in-the-US cigar can compete with a $13 made-in-the-third-world cigar. Something's gotta give, and I think it's going to be the quality of the tobacco.

My 2 cents. Not saying they're not worth a try, but good to keep in mind.

Bought a box of the belicosa size. Nice cigar but over-priced IMO...........



JET

Guess I'm in the minority here, but I REALLY enjoyed the Cojonu 2003 I had earlier this week (and this is coming off of a weekend in which I smoked my ass off - Padron '26's almost exclusively). I don't have anything to compare the Cojonu 2003 to since I haven't had any other Tatuaje's, but I found it to be a very tasty and quite enjoyable smoke. :thumbs:

I've got some Regios on the way; I look forward to trying and comparing them to the Cojonu 2003's.

theorangeman said:

Guess I'm in the minority here, but I REALLY enjoyed the Cojonu 2003 I had earlier this week (and this is coming off of a weekend in which I smoked my ass off - Padron '26's almost exclusively). I don't have anything to compare the Cojonu 2003 to since I haven't had any other Tatuaje's, but I found it to be a very tasty and quite enjoyable smoke. :thumbs:

I've got some Regios on the way; I look forward to trying and comparing them to the Cojonu 2003's.

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Not in my book -- the Cojonu 2003 is a wonderful cigar, IMHO.

moki said:

theorangeman said:

Guess I'm in the minority here, but I REALLY enjoyed the Cojonu 2003 I had earlier this week (and this is coming off of a weekend in which I smoked my ass off - Padron '26's almost exclusively). I don't have anything to compare the Cojonu 2003 to since I haven't had any other Tatuaje's, but I found it to be a very tasty and quite enjoyable smoke. :thumbs:

I've got some Regios on the way; I look forward to trying and comparing them to the Cojonu 2003's.

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Not in my book -- the Cojonu 2003 is a wonderful cigar, IMHO.

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Five thousand posts since 2003. Do you ever shut up? No wonder them Canadians made that ice fall on your car.

NA

Thanks for the nice honest review.
I cannot say I shared your experiances as I never had a burn problem with these,trouble lighting or even the slightest of a bitter taste.
I do see these smokeing better on the dryer side.

What I love about all tatuaje's is that distinct creamieness I do not find in any other NC cigar,the flavor very much reminds me of a cuban...or certain cubans.

The regios is also one of my favs and the cojonu 2006.The Tatuaje's are a tad high in price but I am guessing its due to the limited amounts made and are better able to inspect and get a higher quality control.


I will be buying another box of the cojonu 2003....its the perfect summer size gar for me.

Again,thanks for the review.

I have also had construction problems with the Coroju 2003, namely burn. It just kept running, then self correcting. Nonetheless, annoying. I haven't had any issues with any other smokes from their line, and actually, that Leaf and Ale special cigar, La Maravella (or however it's spelled), is one of my personal favorite cigars.

I can't say I'm happy to hear that this is a common experience as I really enjoyed the taste of the Coroju '03, and construction issues aside, I think it's a great cigar (and not over priced).

Hmm,

Sorry to hear about your bum experience, Scot.

I've been quite pleased with the Cojonu 2003 and have had no burn problems whatsoever in the half dozen or so I've smoked. Same with the Unicos. My Waterloo was the Reserva J21 robusto. One of the worst cigars I've had in recent memory. Still, the word is that age improves these immensely and so they sit at the bottom of the box.

Wilkey

Thanks for the good review.

I was advised to buy a box of Cojonu and Noellas. The Noellas IMHO are fantastic. I always prepare myself for the first few draws of a Noellas which are so full of pepper. Then suddenly, the stick does a complete 360 and tastes wonderful, right down to the nub.

The Cojonu on the other hand, after 2 sticks, as described above, left me wanting. I put it down to "time needed in my humi" After reading what Moki says about this stick, maybe it's time to pull another Cojonu out.

Brian

Infinity said:

Thanks for the good review.

I was advised to buy a box of Cojonu and Noellas. The Noellas IMHO are fantastic. I always prepare myself for the first few draws of a Noellas which are so full of pepper. Then suddenly, the stick does a complete 360 and tastes wonderful, right down to the nub.

The Cojonu on the other hand, after 2 sticks, as described above, left me wanting. I put it down to "time needed in my humi" After reading what Moki says about this stick, maybe it's time to pull another Cojonu out.

Brian

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Fascinating. My experience is just the opposite. I was not impressed with the Noellas. It was a pepper bomb to start, but then never really developed into much of anything.

I'm glad they make so many different smokes.

Wilkey

Infinity said:

The Cojonu on the other hand, after 2 sticks, as described above, left me wanting. I put it down to "time needed in my humi" After reading what Moki says about this stick, maybe it's time to pull another Cojonu out.

Brian

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Hey, don't blame me... we may just have different tastes in cigars.

The Cojonu 2003 I received from Smokyballs was one of the best cigars I've ever had bar none. I look forward to trying a 2006 in the future.

Ginseng said:

Infinity said:

Thanks for the good review.

I was advised to buy a box of Cojonu and Noellas. The Noellas IMHO are fantastic. I always prepare myself for the first few draws of a Noellas which are so full of pepper. Then suddenly, the stick does a complete 360 and tastes wonderful, right down to the nub.

The Cojonu on the other hand, after 2 sticks, as described above, left me wanting. I put it down to "time needed in my humi" After reading what Moki says about this stick, maybe it's time to pull another Cojonu out.

Brian

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Fascinating. My experience is just the opposite. I was not impressed with the Noellas. It was a pepper bomb to start, but then never really developed into much of anything.

I'm glad they make so many different smokes.

Wilkey

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You are right on here Wilkey. Imagine if we were all married to the same woman. :laugh: No doubt Moki, just like woman, we all have different tastes in cigars.

Brian

Infinity said:

You are right on here Wilkey. Imagine if we were all married to the same woman. :laugh:

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She'd be really, really saddle-sore.