I’ve mentioned at times that I work for Two Guys Smoke Shop, and one of the things I do is work the mail order side and maintaining their website. Yesterday, a person called ordering some of today’s cigars and I forgot how much I love this cigar considering it one of the Top 5 Lancero cigars on the market. Interesting enough, one of the other Top 5’s for me was a cigar from Pete Johnson as well.
Today’s cigar is part of the Seleccion de Cazador line and is modeled after an old world full-bodied Cuban Cigar. It was released in 2003 by Pete Johnson and is made by My Father cigars in Miami, Florida.
Cigar: Tatuaje
Size: 7 x 38 (Lancero)
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Full
Source: Two Guys Smoke Shop
The Look: A flawless looking golden brown wrapper with only an ultra thin network veins visible and an abundance of oils. The simple brown and white band give this cigar the look of a classic Cuban cigar. The cap coms to a slight pigtail which only solidifies the overall appearance of the smoke. In the hand the cigar is firm with a well packed foot and an it feels hefty for a cigar of its size.
The Notes: The nose of the cigar off the foot produces an abundance of cinnamon notes with some essence of baked apples, making this one of the most aromatic pre-lights I have ever experienced. Once the cap is clipped there are some nice cedar notes present.
On first light the there is some subtle pepper through the nose and hints of caramel. As we progress through the first third of the cigar third of the cigar the pepper continues through the nose and picks up a little in intensity. There is also some subtle spice on the palate with some nutmeg and cedar.
In the second third of the cigar some of the cinnamon notes experienced on the nose of the foot begin to make an appearance with some apple notes and a touch of cocoa. The spice remains on the tongue, but it has toned down through the nose. As the second third comes to a close notes of cedar begin to take control.
The last third saw the cedar continue as the focal point with some cinnamon through the nose and on the aroma of the cigar. As we got past the band some leather notes came into play with a pepper finish moderate in length.
The Burn: Like most lancero cigars, this is not one I would suggest resting between your lips between puffs. The reason being is the ash is incredibly weak which is normal for the size. Every half-inch or so I wound up with ash on my lap or my sweater. Thankfully I didn’t burn any holes this time around. The draw was as expected for a lancero with some resistance that became more relaxed the longer I smoked the cigar. The ash was light in color and the cigar burned even throughout. If you don’t work a lancero the cigar can go out on you, and I did need one relight that was borderline user neglect.
The Finish: As cigar geeks we tend to love a good lancero or corona cigar, however rarely do we see anyone buy these in store or online. In fact, many retailers don’t carry them. We all say we want them, but a lot of times we don’t back it up with our wallets, as a result most companies just don’t bother making lancero cigars anymore. It is a shame because the subtle nuances that you pick up on a thinner cigar gets lost on the larger ring gauges. If you want to smoke a great lancero, this is a prime example.
Score: 93
Price: $10.00 / $224.99
Tatuaje Selección de Cazador Lancero
Tatuaje Selección de Cazador Lancero Foot
Tatuaje Selección de Cazador Lancero Burn
