Cigar Review: Tatuaje Black Label Corona Gorda

Vitola: Corona Gorda
Size: 5.625” x 46 ring gauge
MSRP $10
Purchased at Burns Tobacconist

Background

Once one of those cigars that you would hear spoken about in hushed tones by those who were lucky enough to obtain them when they were originally released, the Tatuaje Black Label has become a fairly regular item on the shelves at many B&Ms. The Black Label (properly known as the Private Reserve) first appeared as a Corona Gorda in 2008. That was the fabled “original release” with the ceramic jars. It sold quickly and rumor was that it would never be seen again. The same blend appeared that year in a Robusto and the next year in a large Torpedo in the “Black Tubo,” then in 2010 there was a 3-size sampler that was given out at event (I got one when I bought a box of The Face that year.

That set the stage for the Petite Lancero, a limited production regular release from 2011; it went on to be one of my top cigars of that year. Late in 2012 the first of the “Old Man & The C” Black Label versions showed up at stores, giving us a chance to try the full-size Lancero in the blend (I didn’t get my hands on one until early 2013). Through 2013 the drum-beats were heard in the distance…they sounded like bare hands on 19-count ceramic jars. Would the original Tat Black Corona Gorda come back?

Sure enough, Pete Johnson elected to use part of his Tatuaje 10th Anniversary celebration to recognize this important part in the company’s history. The first size would be re-visited, albeit with a couple changes. Turns out those hands were actually beating on melamine, not ceramic (it’s hard to know the difference at a distance). If you read “melamine” as “plastic”…you’re really not far off. Also, the new cigars will definitely not be mistaken for the old ones because of the new-style band. Whereas the original releases of the Private Reserve (and all subsequent ones that didn’t have some sort of “special edition” label) used a matte paper stock with a look that is straight-up “Brown Label” with black ink, this release used a heavier, coated paper stock, along with embossing and silver foil. It is sharp-looking. Also, this run was made in Nicaragua at My Father Cigars, while the original was made elsewhere (Miami, I believe).

I purchased a jar of 19 sticks for myself and I’ve already smoked about 5 or 6 of them before this review sample. They are Nicaraguan puros with a Sun Grown Criollo leaf from Estelí used for the wrapper.

Prelight

Pete Johnson has always said the Black Label is an ugly cigar. He has made no bones about the rustic look and feel he was trying to achieve and I give a pass on minor inconsistencies and roughness of appearance as a result…if someone is trying to look rustic, they get points for achieving that look. The cap of the cigar had a nipple which was smashed sort of flat, while the foot had the folded-over closed look. I closely inspected the wrapper leaf of my review sample because I had encountered one in the bunch that had a crack near the wrapper; before I finished the cigar virtually exploded on me. Judging from that, this is not a cigar that you can count on burning through a small crack…it’s probably best to put cracked ones aside and try to repair and smoke them later.

This undamaged wrapper was oily to the touch and had a toothiness to it as well. The tawney, light brown color was even with very little mottling or variation, and the smell from it was a ripe barnyard aroma. The closed foot did not lend itself to revealing the aroma of the foot very easily, but I did detect a less pungent earthiness there. After clipping, the prelight draw was very good and tasted of earth and hay, with touches of leather, cocoa powder and wood.

Flavor

I fired up the Tatuaje Black and got an immediate flavor of earth and dark coffee beans. Secondary notes of fruit sweetness, cedar and hay came through on the palate, while the retrohale was very peppery although a touch of sweetness could be detected there, as well. The exact nature of the fruit sweetness was elusive; I normally get raisin, or dried cherry, or even dried berries…something dark, usually dried. This time it was lighter and crisper…maybe apple or pear…it was really subtle but there nonetheless. It was also quite enjoyable.

The earth, coffee and fruit flavors continued well into the second third, while the pepper diminished somewhat over that time. The cigar was still spicy, but not so much as the early portion.

As I puffed my way into the final third, the body of the Tat Black increased and the flavor got more dense…very smoky and earthy, with just enough pepper. The sweetness was a modest undercurrent balancing the darker notes.

Construction

While I’ve had a couple issues with other samples of this cigar I smoked, this one was constructed flawlessly. Overall, I have to say that construction has been excellent for a majority of the sticks, that one with the cracked wrapper being the biggest exception.

Value

The price on these is not overly prohibitive. $10 (plus a little more in most places, I’m sure) is fine for such a great smoking experience.

Conclusions

The Tatuaje Black Corona Gorda is an excellent cigar. For me it didn’t quite reach the level of the Petite Lancero and regular Lancero, but it was close, and it did have a better flavor than the Black Tubo or Robusto. The plan is to make about 200,000 of these sticks so after the initial rush on buying is done, there could be plenty of these in shops for some time to come. I would put this on a “must buy” list, whether it be a few sticks or a whole jar full.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10