2025 Summer Review of Tatuaje Cigars

Bride 2024 Monster Smash is up:
cabaiguan juan

Thread 'Bride 2024 Monster Smash'

With the heat warnings flying around the country and my discovery that many of these Monster cigars do not benefit from stifling temperatures or the humidity that accompanies them in these parts, I chose to smoke this in the early morning.
1/3: Nice peppery taste that was surprisingly not overpowering. See what early morning temperatures can do?
2/3: The pepper continues with some wood notes.
3/3: The wood has now decided that it is hickory. As this final third closes out, jalapeño bbq sauce joins in. Rather tasty bbq sauce if you ask me.

Final thoughts: I'm glad that I chose to smoke...
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Creature 2021 Monster Mash is up!
cabaiguan juan

Thread 'Creature 2021 Monster Mash'

The Creature is a new one for me. I don't even think that this one was released on itself. It has a unique shape with a tapered foot, similar to the Cabaiguan Britanica Extra.
1/3: I swear I'm not saying this because of the cigar's referenced monster but ... if you were to take collard greens, and remove most (but not all) of the vinegar taste and substitute it with just enough brown sugar to give it an underlying sweet taste. That's what I taste.
2/3: The sweetness picks up a bit. Black pepper is faint but it is there in the background.
3/3: Sweetness is now the prominent flavor and...
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Creature 2024 Monster Smash is up. A big milestone has happened- we have finished the Monster aspect of this review series. 28 cigars reviewed in the last 59 days!
cabaiguan juan

Thread 'Creature 2024 Monster Smash'

This is the final Monster review before we get onto a mish-mash of Tatuaje cigars, most notably the Cojonu 2012 line.
1/3: A bit harsh on the light. Maybe I dry boxed it too long? The harshness is transitioning to leather and cinnamon.
2/3: The cinnamon continues and a faint vinegar note joins in.
3/3: Vinegar is joined by brown sugar, getting back to the essence of the 2021!

Final Thoughts: I am bummed that I dry boxed this too long as I was looking forward to a repeat of the 2021. Definitely one that I will seek out.
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Pork Tenderloin 2025 is up!
cabaiguan juan

Thread 'Pork Tenderloin 2025'

Having had a week or so to catch my breath following the completion of 28 monster cigar reviews, I reemerged with the most recent Tenderloin cigar to help get me back on the horse.
1/3: Spicy on the retrohale. Maybe even a little cinnamon sweetness. There is a smoked meat flavor coming through as well. I want to say pulled pork, but perhaps that is just the name of the cigar messing with me.
2/3: There is a bit of wood smoke in this. I also notice some raisins too, interesting! As I get towards the end of this middle third, I start to get notes of wheat toast.
3/3: This final third is...
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Tatuaje Black Label
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Thread 'Tatuaje Black Label'

Toro
This is toro, though it seems more like a corona extra- which is probably my favorite size but with all this talk of the Petit Corona version of the Black Label, I am going to have to try some of those. As the story goes, Pete released these back in 2007 or 2008 following a trip to Cuba where he was given a farm rolled cigar from a guy which turned out to be the best cigar he smoked while there.
1/3: Graham cracker and cinnamon. Simple but very nice.
2/3: More of the same. Sometimes this turns me off since I'm used to changes in flavors between the first and middle thirds. Those...
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Tatuaje Red Label
cabaiguan juan

Thread 'Tatuaje Red Label'

Hermosos
Again, going back to a core line.
1/3: Tart cherry and some black pepper.
2/3: Caramel and tart cherry.
3/3: In this final third, all of these flavors came together so it was tart cherry, pepper and the sweetness of caramel.

Final thoughts: Another Tat core line that just rocks when you sip it.
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Tatuaje Verocu
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Thread 'Tatuaje Verocu'

No. 5
Back in 2007, Pete intorduced the Verocu line with a west coast (No. 1 Lado Occidental) and the east coast (No. 2 Zona del Este). From that spurred the Verocu line. It is reported to be a stepped up version of the Red Label.
1/3: Cherries with some sort of cabinet spice and eventually some sort of sweetness that I have yet to identify.
2/3: White pepper and cane sugar dominate this middle third.
3/3: The white pepper changes to black pepper while the sugar cane continues.

Final thoughts: I don't know if its a stronger version of the Red Label but it is different. This little...
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Tatuaje Brown Label (Selección de Cazador)
cabaiguan juan

Thread 'Tatuaje Brown Label (Selección de Cazador)'

Noella
This is one of my favorites form Tatuaje, and it goes back to when I first started smoking cigars.
1/3: Grilled red meat over hardwood with a salt crust. I'll also add that there may have been more to this first third but I was just enjoying the experience before I remembered to start taking notes.
2/3: Cocoa with smoked paprika and a lick (just a lick) or salted Irish butter.
3/3: More of that smoked paprika flavor and Irish butter with the addition of black pepper.

Final thoughts: So good!
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I ran thru nearly all the smash cigars I had from the 2nd box you show.

My take based on strength and profile:

Black bands
Brown brands
Other colors bands
White/grey bands

Nice selection.

Great reviews.
 
Tatuaje TAA 2023
cabaiguan juan

Thread 'Tatuaje TAA 2023'

Tatuaje has a long history of making an exclusive cigar for the Tobacconists' Association of America (TAA). Tatuaje started doing this back in 2011. The first one I had was the 2014 and that one was incredible. Here is a link Half Wheel's write up and review: https://halfwheel.com/tatuaje-taa-2023/441386/
1/3: Frothed half & half, espresso (isn't that a cappuccino?) and black pepper.
2/3: Wheat, cream and coffee
3/3: Red pepper and black pepper spice.

Final Thoughts: It was just Okay. I don't think it lived up to the legacy of past TAA blends and I don't think it was good enough...
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La Riqueza SE 2022
cabaiguan juan

Thread 'La Riqueza SE 2022'

The La Riqueza line, which has been a fan of many of us here- most notably @CigarStone , was 'discontinued' back in 2017 after a wonderful 9 year run as Tatuaje was doing some reorginizing there portfolio which at the time reached over 400 skus. In 2022, the La Riqueza returned as a special release. I will review the releases that have since been released following the 2017 house cleaning.
1/3: Tons of spice. So much so that I'm forced to sip this in order to avoid being overwhelmed. Now that we have gotten into the cigar some, I'm tasting dark espresso, fresh earth and cherries...
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La Riqueza SE 2024
cabaiguan juan

Thread 'La Riqueza SE 2024'

I really enjoy the lonsdale size. It is not far off of my favorite size- the Corona Extra.
1/3: Cherry twizzlers with black pepper and the smell you get from freshly sliced steak that was cooked over charcoal.
2/3: Salty pasta water and the black pepper continues. There is atingle of spice left on my lips.
3/3: Cherries with black pepper and a dusting of cinnamon.

Final thought: I nubbed this one. I really enjoyed it. It is worth picking some up if they are still around.
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La Riqueza SE 2024 Tuxtla
cabaiguan juan

Thread 'La Riqueza SE 2024 Tuxtla'

Same shape as the 2024 La Riqueza- Lonsdale size, which is just a perfect size.
1/3: Earth, barnyard and cinnamon.
2/3: Black and red pepper with some freshly turned earth.
3/3: Sweet cream accompanied by some backing spices and a little bit of jalapeno.

Final thoughts: I really liked this one. I remember not caring much for it when it first came out but having taken the time to properly enjoy it and it having sat for a period of time, I can see why it is so popular. Try it! And if you don't like it send the remains to @TexasTraveler or @modo22
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So we are on the home stretch of this review series. The final 6 cigars will be:
Cojonu 2012 Habano, Capa Esecial (Sumatra), Reserva (Conn Broadleaf), Corojo and Tuxtla, in that order. Finally, the Drac Redux will close out the series. @CBoukal you were right, this has been a lot of cigars! I think I'll pair it down next time.
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Cojonu 2012 Habano
cabaiguan juan

Thread 'Cojonu 2012 Habano'

This is the first of the 2012 cojonus that I will review. I typically lean towards habanos so it will be very interesting for me to see how the wrapper change impacts my perception of the cigar!
1/3: Red pepper spice on the retrohale, charcoal cooked steak and wheat toast emerges as I move through the first third.
2/3: Light salted Lays potato chips. Not bad, but I wasn't expecting that either.
3/3: Olive Oil, salt and black pepper (Maybe the oil and salt in the middle third made me think of the Lays potato chips?)

Final thoughts: I really like habano wrappers. This one was okay...
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Cojonu 2012 Capa Especial (Sumatra)
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Thread 'Cojonu 2012 Capa Especial (Sumatra)'

The Capa Especial, is a Sumatra wrapped version of the 2012 line. Again, it will be interested to see how the wrapper changes affect the cigar experience! This is the 2nd in the mini-series.
1/3: Some spice on the initial draw. There is a woody sweetness that is the dominant flavor that I cannot pin point. There are also some grassy notes as we progress through the first third.
2/3: A bit of baking spice greets me as we transition into the middle third. A bit of root vegetables too! As we approach the end of the middle third, it becomes a sweet bread, almost like a cinnamon roll...
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Cojonu 2012 Reserva (Connecticut Broadleaf)
cabaiguan juan

Thread 'Cojonu 2012 Reserva (Connecticut Broadleaf)'

This is the 3rd in this mini series of the Cojonu 2012 line. The Reserva is Connecticut Broadleaf wrapped.
1/3: Not near as much pepper spice as I would have thought. Though I do get a little bit of Cherry Twizzler for a bit before it morphs into charcoal grilled steak.
2/3: Salted pretzels and steak.
3/3: Spicy pepper finally makes its entrance! The final third is spice and beef jerky.

Final thoughts: Of the first 3, this is my least favorite. Too much steak and salt. That, plus pepper spice, seems to be the common theme with these Tat broadleaf cigars. I'm quite surprised because...
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Cojonu 2012 Corojo
cabaiguan juan

Thread 'Cojonu 2012 Corojo'

This is the 4th of the 5 cigars that make up the 2012 line.
1/3: White pepper, and honey-wheat bread to start. As we close out the first third, I get a faint taste of stoneground wheat crackers.
2/3: This middle third is dominated by salted pretzel dough.
3/3: This final third is salty with a wheat bread flavor and a bit of jasmine rice.

Final thoughts: I do like corojo. Definitely a winner! I smoked this down to the nub- it was really good despite my straightforward and short review. Worth picking up.
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Cojuno 2012 Tuxtla (San Andreas)
cabaiguan juan

Thread 'Cojuno 2012 Tuxtla (San Andreas)'

So we come to the conclusion of the Cojuno 2012 mini series. This is wrapped in Mexican San Andreas, or in Tatuaje terms: Tuxtla.
It sports a strong green band. Like crayon green.
1/3: This starts with the most enjoyable first puff of any of the 2012 cojonus. Smokey chocolate with a dusting of salted cayenne pepper- but not in a heat spicy way as often is the case. It is more of a tingle in your mouth kinda spice. Its more flavor then it is heat, if that makes sense.
2/3: The heat spice of the cayenne pepper is maturing and the smokey chocolate has turned into a bready note. Some...
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So where does that leave us? 1 cigar is left: the Drac Redux. Stay tuned for that and my closing thoughts.
 
Drac 2022 Redux
cabaiguan juan

Thread 'Drac 2022 Redux'

This is the final cigar of this summer's review series. I had an opportunity to procure the Drac Redux (2022) in a recent Pass and wanted to see where it fell in line with the prior two Dracs as well as end on a high note.
This is Half Wheel's article about the Drac Redux: https://halfwheel.com/tatuaje-ships-the-drac-redux-2/414734/

1/3: This begins with sweetness, a touch of heat and some baking spices. (Very similar to the Mash and Smash versions). Stoneground wheat crackers joins in as we near the end of the first third. It is medium bodied but heavy on the flavor.
2/3...
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