Vitola: Robusto Extra- 5.125” x 52 ring gauge
- MSRP ~$12
- Gifted
Background
Pork Tenderloin…the name is familiar to Tatuaje fans. After all, it followed up Porkchop as a store exclusive for Gloucester Street Cigars in Boston in 2010, and it has become one of the most highly rated and sought after Tatuajes in history. 200 bundles of 25 sticks were produced back in 2010, with each cigar packaged in cellophane (a Tatuaje oddity for that time) and the bundle wrapped in white butcher paper. I thought I’d never see one, although I’ve had plenty of the TAA releases from Tatuaje that are based on the Tenderloin (and Barclay Rex) blends. Then Pete Johnson and his crew decided to get lost…
When Pete started the “Oh F*ck, I’m Lost” tour last November, he announced that they were going to produce a certain amount of Porkchop and Pork Tenderloin cigars for the tour. When they decided that Chattanooga would be the first stop on the second leg of the tour, I knew I would get some somehow. So…Pork Tenderloin is made with Nicaraguan filler and binder, along with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper…in other words, I’m just about ready to call it “perfect in every way” before I even light it up!
This review is based on the second Pork Tenderloin I have smoked (from the 2016 batch). Both of these were gifted to me…and I’ve been able to trade around for some extra cigars that I can enjoy later…thank God the Chattanooga cigar community is pretty tight at this time in history. I got some of the background details from an old Smoking Stogie review of the original release that halfwheel has posted.
Prelight
The butcher paper bundle packaging is pretty cool, coming complete with price tag and USDA sticker. There is no band on these…you just have to know what you’re looking at. For that matter, I need to mark the cellophane of the other Tenderloins I have at this point so I know what they are when six months or a year from now.
The wrapper leaf is pretty ugly overall…but that’s how Connecticut Broadleaf looks most of the time! It was a dark chocolate coloration with plenty of veins visible, but nothing that seemed like it would cause a problem. The truncated pigtail on the cap was rough and ugly, too. Yet, for a Broadleaf fan like me, the ugly look is just the promise of a very tasty cigar.
The wrapper had an aroma that mixed earth with cocoa powder. The foot of the cigar had much the same, with maybe just a little woodiness mixed in. The prelight draw was fantastic and had much the same flavor as some of the best TAA 2015 cigars I can remember: cocoa powder and dark roast coffee, along with a touch of earth.
Flavor
It took a bit of patience to get this lit evenly and completely, but once I did, the flavor was outstanding. I got tons of semi-sweet chocolate notes, along with an earthy undercurrent, notes of cedar, and a peppery punch in the nose. From the very first moments this cigar put me in mind of how well the TAA 2015 played with the same basic flavor profile (and how “just not there” the 2016 version ended up being).
I cruised slowly through the first third and into the second, while the notes of cocoa powder died a bit and more espresso bean came through. The sweetness stayed fairly even, but instead of chocolate, there was a bit of a dried fruit character to it. The pepper mellowed a bit, but didn’t go away completely.
In the end the dried fruit and chocolate flavors merged together for a wonderful sweetness, countered by the bitter coffee and earth flavors, all as the pepper spice ramped back up.
Construction
I had a great draw, very even burn line and solid ash.
Value
Limited production and event-only sales status make the price of about $12 on these a great price. It’s about the same price as the TAA releases and performs much the same, as well.
Conclusions
It’s easy to tell why the Pork Tenderloin has been one of Tatuaje’s most regarded cigars for the better part of a decade. It was simply fantastic. If you’ve had the TAA 2015, you basically know everything that’s going to happen in the course of the burn…but this might have been just a touch better. It featured a great mix of sweet and bitter notes and possibly the best use of Broadleaf that I’ve ever encountered. This is an easy one to give a Perfect 10 rating to.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 10/10
