Tatuaje Gran Cojonu Review

Today I reach into the past with a cigar that is also from the present. It’s a little bit cryptic but the Tatuaje Gran Cojonu comes from a box with a manufacturer stamp date of 2013 making this smoke 2 years aged. The Gran Cojonu is part of the Reserva line and according to the Tatuaje website the cigar is still made in Miami, Florida.

Cigar Review: Tatuaje Gran Cojonu
Size: 6.5 x 60
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Full

The Look: The Gran Cojonu lacks a cigar band which to a degree disappoints me as I like people to know what I am smoking and the lack of the band prevents the stimulation of conversation. But alas, you can’t smoke the band. The Ecuador Habano wrapper is as oily as they come, and the toothy cigar with thin veins is rolled to perfection. The foot of the cigar is closed and in the hand the stick from Tatuaje is firm with an above average weight.

The Notes: The cold draw of the Tatuaje Cran Cojonu is loaded with cedar notes and  sweetness similar to that of a Necco wafer. The aroma off the foot and wrapper has a chocolate like sweetness.

The cigar lights easy due to the closed foot of the cigar and once we are fully lit the initial notes are pepper on the palate and through the nose. About a half-inch in the pepper begins to fade and some savory notes of coffee and nuts become the focal point over a subtle canvas of leather.

In the second third of this powerhouse from Tatuaje the cigar begins to develop a rich chocolate note in addition to continued coffee. The nuttiness begins to fade as some cedar comes into the mix over a continued subtle leather note. Through the nose the pepper remains though it is less potent than the first third.

The last third of the Tatuaje continues with notes of chocolate and coffee that seem to get richer with each puff and as the cigar comes to a close the chocolate note begins to take on more of a fudge like essence on the palate. The pepper through the nose remains but is also joined by coffee on the short finish.

The Burn: The slow burning Gran Cojonu has a firm white ash that held for almost the first half of the cigar before dropping for a second time around where a band would be placed. The draw is perfect with the right amount of resistance adding to the slow burn which was razor-sharp with a thin combustion line. The cigar remained lit from first light to last puff.

The Finish: When released in 2009 the cigar was amongst my favorites at the time, but like many I have lost sight at what is good and always opting for what is new. Reaching into the humidor for this cigar takes me back to when I first discovered Tatuaje and this might just be one of the best 60 ring gauge cigars on the market.

Score: 93
Price: $15.00 each or $161.99 for a box of 12

Random Notes

• The cigar is amongst the oiliest I have have ever come across.
• I love the ease of lighting a cigar with a closed foot.
• Despite disliking a 60 ring gauge cigar this is probably the only one I will smoke on a somewhat regular basis.
• I’m surprised Pete Johnson never added a ban to the Gran Cojonu.
• When I first smoked this cigar in 2009 I rated it a 97.
• It might be the age, but the cigars were less peppery than I recall them to be.
• Smoking Time was almost 3 hours (yes, I am a slow smoker)