How would you respond?

[Kingantz]

I bought some La Riqueza Petit Robustos about a week ago and after a few days decided to give one a go. I grab one out the bundle and after punching the cap find the draw is as if there's no tobacco at all, completely open. I smoke about a quarter inch, am not enjoying it at all, so put it down. I come back later and decide to dissect the thing just for kicks, not expecting to find what I did at all. Here is what was in the cigar:

At this point I get to thinking maybe it was just a huge coincidence that the first cigar I picked was full of this crap, or was it? I decide I'm going to go randomly pick another and sure enough the second one feels extremely light and after punching it the draw is like sucking through a straw, completely open. I peel off the wrapper and set it aside, start on the binder, and as soon as I pull back the first part of it pieces of tobacco start falling out. I pull off the first piece of binder and this picture is what was underneath (hard to really see how trashy the tobacco is in the pic)

This is another piece of the binder, check out the stem.

There are pieces of longfiller, and as I'm pulling them apart bits and pieces of tobacco is falling out

Pulling the rest apart, a large amount of powdery like crap just dumps out along with other bits and pieces...

...and a couple huge stems.

This is everything that fell out of the pieces of longfiller...

...and this is the long filler pieces.

I am completely and thoroughly disappointed with what came out of these cigar, and am very concerned all of them are the same as this one. I sent an email this morning to Tatuaje Cigars/Pete basically with all the information listed above and here is Pete's response.

Thanks for the email and I understand how this might be alarming. The loose tobacco you see is normal from the bunching process. The tobacco is compressed in a mold and breakage will happen. Sometimes more or less depending on the humidity of the material at the time of bunching. The veins or stems you found are at the base of all leaves used for the bunch. Some are larger than others depending on the thickness off the leaf. Both things are pretty normal in all cigars.

The under filled part should not be. We do our best to have perfect cigars every time but being a handmade product it's not something we have 100% control of. Unfortunately a few duds slip through the cracks and we are doing our best to avoid this.

I would recommend if you are not satisfied to return the cigars back to the vendor purchased from. I know that he had a huge sale on them which made the cigars extremely affordable and I'm sure he would gladly replace or refund you for the remaining sticks.

Thanks again for the email and mentioning your concerns.

I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but isn't the filler, binder, and wrapper all semi-damp when rolled? And, isn't the cigar compressed while it's still damp? Even boxed while still damp? There's just no way the crap that came out of these two cigars happend while being "compressed in the mold". I want to resply to his response, however wanted to get others thoughts as well.

 

[CRQuarto]

Greg, do you have any cheaper long filler smokes you could slice open as an example of what a long filler smoke should look like inside, so as to show Pete that filler should not look like that?

 

[b.dawgson]

That was going to be my suggestion as well..
Perhaps some dissection pictures from another manufacturer could help to prove your case/point. Just a thought.






I always wondered if La Riqueza was the red-headed step child of Pete Johnson.

 

[Kingantz]

Greg, do you have any cheaper long filler smokes you could slice open as an example of what a long filler smoke should look like inside, so as to show Pete that filler should not look like that?

I probably do and may just do that, however I have no doubt Pete already knows what one should look like. I've a feeling any response back will probably be a waste of time.

 

[bluue13]

I'm starting to sense a trend here. It seems lately some people "in the biz" think they can easily convince those of us not "in the biz" that we don't know what we're talking about and these things are just normal occurrences. I am no cigar expert either but IMHO long filler should not look like that and I do believe you are correct with the statement you made about dampness while being bunched and rolled and compressed. I would do what others have suggested and cut open another and compare. I'm sorry but any cigar professional should know that there shouldn't be dust and scrap when you cut open a cigar. Maybe try that, send the pictures to him, and see what happens.


Good luck, man!

edit to add the "some" in bold. I didn't want it to sound like I was speaking of every person in the business. There are some fine upstanding reps and business owners out there!

 

[MoeCizlak]

Did I read that right? That his explanation was that the force of the mold crumbled the moist tobacco?? So if you left them in the mold long enough, you would have coal?? I spent Friday and Saturday in the presence of Jorge Padron (yeah, I'm kind of a big deal) and I simply can't imagine him giving the same answer. Hopefully TMoney will come in and clear things up from Pete's perspective.

 

[Nimrod]

Aren't these on sale now? ???

 

[souldog]

Did I read that right? That his explanation was that the force of the mold crumbled the moist tobacco?? So if you left them in the mold long enough, you would have coal?? I spent Friday and Saturday in the presence of Jorge Padron (yeah, I'm kind of a big deal) and I simply can't imagine him giving the same answer. Hopefully TMoney will come in and clear things up from Pete's perspective.

Yeah, tell me about it. In fact, Tmoney is probably Pete Johnson. Ya know, I think I'm gonna start that rumor... Both of them are too alike.

I had a El Triunfador belicoso (yeah yeah yeah, it burned me like holy water on a vampire when I touched it) over the weekend, and I didn't even finish it. I clipped the cap, and the thing unraveled on me immediately. First, I thought it was the elevation I was at that was messing with the wrapper. When the cigar itself completely crumbled in my hands, and it was completely humidified and all that, I tossed it. Cut it open, and I found a lot of the same crap that Gregory found.

Pretty f'ing disappointing.


But it's okay Greg, you just don't know what long filler bunched up is supposed to look like, you clueless-Kool-aid-drinking-believe-everything-Peter-says cigar smoker you. Just bear in mind, you should be thanking him you were lucky enough to be holding one of his rolled turds in your hand.

Oh Saint Peter Johnson, you prove me right yet again.

 

[bfisher88]

That is thoroughly disappointing....I can't believe he gave some lame ass excuse like that too. That thing looks like the garbage inside of fake cubans! I love me some Tatuaje, but shit, I may have to start going elsewhere. :blush:

 

[insight]

Where is tmoney to come tell us this is normal and to stop picking on pete?

 

[Mr Peat]

That is thoroughly disappointing....I can't believe he gave some lame ass excuse like that too. That thing looks like the garbage inside of fake cubans! I love me some Tatuaje, but shit, I may have to start going elsewhere. :blush:

It has been over 3 years since I've purchased a Tatuaje. For the price, I prefer other cigars.

 

[Dozerhead]

I bet if you dissect a Padron you won't find that kind of garbage in there! It tells you a lot about a company when they send you a BS response for a product of inferior quality. Nice way to take ownership of the problem.

 

[RoguePuffer]

I could disect one of the swisher sweets I was bombed with, and I bet it would look better than that!!!

Ok I am no expert, but I had some random (bottom of the humidor, wrapper turned yellow, looked like hell) clearance cigar the other day I payed 2.75 for the thing was in a 58% humidity enviroment (bad humidor) and it smoked ok. I was done with about a third to go and was bored so I started picking it apart. It was all long leaves various colors, various shapes and sizes, but it all was easily pulled apart without breakage. This is rediculous, a marlboro red looks better than that and dosent contain stems!

I couldent imagine any reason why this person would have directed you back to the dealer. Ultimatly it is the manufacturers responsability and they should stand behind their product. In this case the company rep should have been appolagizing profusely and without question put a care package into the mail for you at no charge. I know all to well what bad word of mouth can do to a company and they should have treated you like gold regardless of wether it was their cheapest or most expensive product. Hell even if it was their seconds that you purchased they still should have sent you out a new bundle.

Great way to drive business away! Idiot...

 

[Mr Peat]

I bet if you dissect a Padron you won't find that kind of garbage in there! It tells you a lot about a company when they send you a BS response for a product of inferior quality. Nice way to take ownership of the problem.

Actually you can find pretty good sizes of stems in a high end Padron. I took one out of a Padron 1926 #2 that was about 3 inches long. Its not as common to find one like you will in the cheap Punch NC for example. But it still happens. Start watching the cap area after you cut it. You maybe surprised. I know I was.

 

[cigar smoke]

Unfortunatley, I have had a couple resent purchases of No 3's and Petit Robustos and both were very underfilled. Very disappointing. As far as Pete's response he should have bent over backwards to right the situation and not sent you back to the vendor. The fact that he states the cigars were on sale and extremely afordable has no barring on the quality of the product. The explanation for the poor quality tobacco is shameful

Bob

 

[redraider]

When I was new to cigars I swallowed the Tat Kool-aid. After 3 years of smoking good cigars I have realised his cigars are nothing but over-hyped crap. I am like everybody else and would rather smoke something else for the price. Tmoney is probably in a Pete circle jerk over at BOTL. I am sure the new special special limited release of the east west central double secret probation haloween christmas easter fathersday holy grail will be released soon... He wont speak up over hear again..

 

[grateful1]

When demand goes up... some companies live with it and some don't.

 

[tomthirtysix]

How fucking dare anyone out there make fun of Pete after all he has been through.!

He lost his lawsuit, he went through a marketing problem. He had two cigars flop.

His blender turned out to be a user, a cheater, and now he's going through a legal battle. All you people care about is….. readers and making money off of him.

HE’S A HUMAN! What you don’t realize is that Pete is making you all this money and all you do is write a bunch of crap about him.

He hasn’t performed on stage in years. His cigar is called “la riqueza” for a reason because all you people want is MORE! MORE-MORE, MORE! MORE!.

LEAVE HIM ALONE! You are lucky he even makes cigars for you BASTARDS!
LEAVE PETE ALONE!…..Please.

Cigar Pass talked about professionalism and said if Pete was a professional he would’ve pulled it off no matter what.

Speaking of professionalism, when is it professional to publicly bash someone who is going through a hard time.

Leave Pete Alone Please…. !
Leave Pete Johnson alone!…right now!….I mean it.!

Anyone that has a problem with him you deal with me, because he is not well right now.

LEAVE HIM ALONE!

 

[MadMonk]

That is one nasty looking cigar. I would say that the right thing to do is for you to get new cigars, in the mail, without wasting any gasoline, time, or anything even slightly inconvenient. Time to go smoke a Padron.

 

[4cbln3]

Man I just met him in April and he was really a nice guy, however, I guess his quality control over at the factories are being neglected and it's showing up in our stock. Although businesses go through growing pains sometimes, it's the response from the owner to do what is right that puts people back into trusting their product again.

I was speechless when I read what he said to you Greg, in fact, instead of replying I made sure to first smoke one of my no.5's from a box with at least a year old to see if I got those resting in my humi. This random stick didn't have that hollow draw you spoke of and it tasted like I remember them, thank goodness.

I am going to stay away from them in future purchases and allow other makers into my humi. If I wanted P1's I would just buy P1's (and they ain't cheap too!)

Sorry you had to go through that, but you did help this brother by sharing your story.