Today we review Tatuaje Selection de Cazador also known as the brown label. I am taken back to a conversation I had with a former business associate when the brand first came out and I was smoking them like crazy. The conversation basically went, why are you smoking that, no one will know who Tatuaje is in a few years ago. This was at the start of the brand, and one can argue Pete Johnson changed the face of the cigar industry with his brand that was once considered boutique. Today, the cigar is a staple in many humidors and it’s safe to say Pete was one of the boutiques that made it when so many others failed.
Cigar Review: Tatuaje Selección de Cazador
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: 5.5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Size: Regios
The Look: Packaged in cabinet boxes, the Tatuaje Selection de Cazador aka Brown Label comes sans cello. The cigars feature a wrapper that is loaded with oils and a few thin veins. The band is simple with the word Tatuaje in white over a brown background with a couple of fleur-de-lis of to the sides of the brand name. Looking at the foot of the cigar, it is well packed and you can see some veins from the tobacco leaf as well. I bring this up because I’ve heard to often this being called stems which is wrong. The veins are an important part of the blend bring strength to the cigar, they aren’t a bad thing unless poorly placed by the roller causing a plugged cigar.
The Notes: The cold draw serves up notes of sweet cedar and cream while the aroma off the foot of the cigar as similar notes along with a fresh baed bread. Once the cigar is lit there is a robust pepper through the nose along with some subtle brown sugar on the palate.
As we smoke the first few puffs the notes of brown sugar remain with a hint of nutmeg and a touch of cinnamon. As the ash begins to develop a touch of cedar is added to the mix that becomes more dominant as the cigar progresses and by the end of the first third it has overtaken the brown sugar as the focal point. The retrohale sees the addition of black pepper and some raisin sweetness with cedar on the aroma.
In the second third the cedar component becomes the dominant flavor profile as notes of brown sugar and cinnamon slide into the background. The retrohale still has some black pepper but the cedar really shines on the moderate finish of the cigar along with a subtle nutmeg.
As we close out the brown label Tatuaje the cedar remains dominant on the aroma of the cigar. On the palate the cedar is matched by cinnamon with a subtle nuttiness and a touch of earth to round things out. The finish is longer as we finish out the cigar where pepper lingers well after the cigar is completed.
The Finish: I’ve been smoking a lot of Tatuaje over the last week or so as they are smoking extremely well right now out of the box off the shelf. Our cigar stores were only doing curbside pickup so the volume diminished allowing these to age over the last 6 weeks which is a short time, but they are fire right now. I’ve always been a fan of the brand, and it was the first brand I had any loyalty to when I began cigar smoke. It still remains a favorite today.
Score: 94
Price: $10.50 / $236.99
Tatuaje Regios
Tatuaje Regios Foot
Tatuaje Regios Burn
