Vitola: Belicoso Fino- 5.5” x 52 ring gauge
- $19.99
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
Fifteen years…that’s how long it’s been since Pete Johnson and company started shipping Tatuaje-branded cigars to consumers in America. That really isn’t all that long in the cigar industry, with giants like Fuente and La Aurora celebrating 100 year anniversary during the last 15 years, but seeing how many brands have risen up, sold strong, then fallen and disappeared during those same 15 years, it is still an anniversary worth celebrating. In the last few weeks, Tatuaje’s 15th Anniversary blend has started showing up in stores.
The 15th Anniversary features white and gold banding very similar in design to the brown 10th Anniversary bands that showed up 5 years ago and a blend that was a store exclusive for the Grand Havana Room—where Pete worked for several years before starting his own brand—for several years. As with most other Tatuaje cigars, this one features Nicaraguan filler and binder. The wrapper is where things start to get interesting, though. They are producing 2 sizes of the 15th Anniversary (Belicoso Fino and Torpedo) in 2 different wrapper varieties: Rosado Claro and Rosado Oscuro, both variations being Ecuadorian Habano. They are produced in boxes of 10 at El Rey de los Habanos factory in Miami. This is slated to be an on-going, though limited, release.
I smoked the Belicoso Fino size in both the Rosado Claro and Rosado Oscuro wrappers and decided that I would rather present a review of the Claro first. I was not a big fan of the Oscuro when I smoked it, but I will try it again at some point in the future. I bought this review sample at Burns Tobacconist.
Prelight
One thing I noted about this release is that it comes in cellophane, which is traditionally unusual for Tatuaje releases…although it seems to be the way they are going in the last couple years. I won’t be surprised to see brown label shipping in cello when it eventually happens…and it’s just one more step beyond that before they start adding barcodes at the factory. For better or worse, I can see this becoming known as the “White Label Tatuaje.” The band being white with gold foil type and trim definitely gives it a look and feel similar to Davidoff…the immaculate, light-colored wrapper leaf helps in that respect, as well.
Speaking of the wrapper…rosado claro, so it does have just a slight reddish hue to the light brown coloration. The leaf was lightly veined and very oily to the touch. The aroma from it was a mix of cedar, hay and sweet earthiness. The aroma from the foot of the cigar was more strongly earthy, but still with some grass and wood notes since the wrapper is partly closed over the foot. I should also remark that the exterior build quality of the cigar is exquisite and befitting a stick with this price tag…no sloppy seams or wrapper patches here.
Taking the advice of someone from a long time ago, I cut the torpedo-tip of the cigar using a slight angle, which should give a slightly bigger surface area for draw and decrease the risk of tightness. It did have an excellent draw when I tested it and it tasted of sweet hay and cedar.
Flavor
I lit up the cigar with my single-flame torch, taking my time to not scorch the wrapper up the sides of the stick. Because of the closed foot, it did take some time, but once going, it was sweet with a great cedar note, a bit of earthiness, and a little red pepper spice left on the tongue at the finish. The first third continued on with wood and sweet hay and earth notes, while the pepper evolved into more of a cinnamon note and a roasted peanut note was evident on the finish.
As I cruised into the second third, I still got plenty of sweet hay notes, but the cedar faded and was replaced by a traditional “natural tobacco” flavor. There was some underlying earth and some spicy heat in the form of cinnamon still. The nuttiness faded, as well.
The last third had a creamier texture to the smoke while delivering up more earth and a small return of red pepper. Notes of cedar and roasted nuts played around in the background.
Construction
I had a fantastic draw, very even burn line with just a couple touch-ups needed, and an ash that was solid up to an inch.
Value
The price is high for a Tatuaje, but it is an exquisite and refined cigar, so I judge it worth the price.
Conclusions
The Tatuaje 15th Anniversary Rosado Claro is a fantastic cigar that is among the best things I have ever experienced with from the brand…and definitely my favorite Tat to not be adorned by a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. I’ve heard complaints about the price, but it’s not nearly the most expensive thing that’s issued from the Garcia family’s operations (the My Father LEs and Garcia y Garcia cost more) and it’s not the most expensive thing ever from Tatuaje (the RC series and sometimes the Verite project have higher price tags). Bottom line, this cigar is worth the high price; it’s rich and smooth and complex and unique within the Tatuaje line.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
