Review: Tatuaje Series P

Sorry for not posting my normal mid-week review on Wednesday, but I was just too busy to make it to the shop. So, with that said, today I have a review of a cigar I've been dying to smoke. If you smoke cigars and  minimally keep up with the trends then you know all about Pete Johnson, Don Pepin and Tatuaje. I won’t go into all the details, history of the brand and partnership between the two men, but, if Tatuaje cigars aren't already on your radar, they should be. Mark my words.

Now. On with the show... Todays’s cigar (The Tatuaje Series P) is the budget line stick from Pete Johnson's immensely popular Tatuaje brand. The cigar has the same filler as one of Pete's premium Tatuaje's (Havana VI, my favorite Tatuaje ), but in a mixture of 60% medium filler and 40% long filler. It's this "sandwich" style of cigar rolling that makes the Tatuaje Series P less than $4 a stick. Can a Tatuaje still be a great cigar for less than four bucks? Let's smoke it and see.

Specifics
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan (60% medium filler, 40% long filler)
Binder: Nicaraguan
MSRP: Approx. $3.50
Smoking Location: House of Cigar, Columbus, Ohio
Beverage: Water

Pre-Light

 

Tatuaje Series P has that come-to-be-expected, very solid construction of a Pete Johnson cigar.  It has surprisingly great weight when held that doesn't give the impression of a medium filler cigar.  The wrapper on this stick is very smooth, has a nice medium brown color and minimal veins. The unlit aroma of the cigar is sweet and smells of tobacco and coffee. Once clipped, the draw is perfect and tastes very sweet but also somewhat earthy on the finish.

First Third

 

In the first few puffs of my Tatuaje Series P, I immediately get a strong peppery spice flavor.  On back end of each puff, I can also pick out a few notes of coffee and something else that I couldn't put my finger on. The draw is perfect and the cigar produces tons of great, thick smoke. The body of the cigar is a solid medium and very relaxing. The ash is pretty tight and a nice mix of gray and black colors. 

Second Third

In the start of the second third, the peppery spice mellowed out a lot.  The flavors coming to the front now are hints of leather and what I can only describe as a strong graham cracker taste.  The flavor was almost cinnamon, but not that spicy, and almost honey, but not that sweet.  Needless to say, this had me intrguiged. The body of the cigar backed off a bit also, but not nearly to the point of mild or weak. Ending the second third of my cigar the leather started to step up and brought a even nicer compliment to the graham cracker taste than I had experienced ten minutes earlier.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

 

The final third of my Tatuaje Series P is where this cigar truly gelled to perfection for me. The smoke volume was just as good as the first two thirds and the body had picked back up to a very relaxing medium. The flavors of the tobacco were now in full force with a perfect mixture of leather, graham cracker, and the reemergence of peppery spice. Not one flavor overpowered the others and they seemed to go hand-in-hand with each puff. The cigar never got hot, even as I approached the nubbing point.

"The Tatuaje Series P is a value line mix filler cigar." What? You must be kidding me? True, it is a mix filler cigar, but if you had told me this was a premium eight to ten dollar cigar, I would have told you to get as many as you can at that price.  For less than $4,  you are getting a real steal. The burn on this cigar was perfect from start to finish, and the flavors were so outstanding that I was disappointed when it was over. I will be stocking my new coolidor with these ASAP.

Would I buy it again? See my above comments. And if you have not smoked a Tatuaje Series P, I suggest you run to your B&M/online shop and pick some up.

Would I buy a box? ASAP.

Dan