So what the deal with Tatuaje?

[strife]

I've looked at New Havana's Tatuaje many sampler packs, and ask the Brotherhood to recommend which sampler to get. I tend to enjoy a cigar with a little more flavor than those considered "mild," if that helps with a recommendation.

You're pretty safe with anything Tatuaje for flavor, IMO the only cigar close to Mild is the Cabaiguan Connecticut Shades and they are tasty as hell. Definitely one of my go to cigars that's more a medium smoke than mild that still starts off with that expected up front Pepin pepper punch.

 

[kenaiking]

Thanks guys that really sums it up well. Now I just have to wait

 

[SmokeProper]

I'll tell ya what the deal with Tatuaje is....or at least what MY personal viewpoint on it is.

Everytime I walked into a b&m 4 or 5 years ago, what I'd find were a lot of Dominican and Honduran cigars that were blended with mass-market tastes in mind. Sure there were some quality Nicaraguan cigars out there (Padron for example) and some nice stuff coming from Fuente (Opus for example), but the majority of sticks at the time were dominated by a lot of well blended but not particularly exciting or dynamic tasting cigars. I would walk through a shop and know that 95% of the stock would disappoint my tastebuds.

Tatuaje led the charge in bringing small production boutique cigars to the market, dynamically blended cigars that were EXCITING to my tastebuds....much like CCs, although obviously with a different flavor profile, but similar in the thought process in the way that they were blended. It's noticeable in just about everything that Don Pepin manufacturers, but it's particularly evident in the cigars Pete had Pepin make for him. Obviously Pepin is a huge part of what Tatuaje does, but Pete's own personal taste (I believe) push what Pepin creates to the maximum, falling right in line with what cigar enthusiasts wanted and happened to be exactly what the market was lacking at the time.

Basically, I think that unlike most of the big companies in the cigar industry, Pete was just a regular cigar nut like us who was really in tune with what cigar nuts wanted. He wasn't trying to make cigars for the masses to be sold in multi-million quantities, he was trying to make stuff for people like us--and like him.

On top of that, by Pete joining in and chatting (and sometimes fighting) on forums like this one, Tatuaje as a company had a lot of "transparency", meaning we could see for ourselves what the brand was all about. The hardcore cigar guys could TELL that Pete was "one of us" and wanted the same things out of cigars that we did. I don't think anyone else out there was really doing that at the time.

Then you gotta factor in the packaging, appearance, and marketing of the product. Most cigars on the b&m shelves were cello wrapped and packed in display boxes...but the hardcore cigar nuts were buying CCs in cabs and dress boxes, and never in cello. I mean come on, the packaging was JUST LIKE the CCs we were buying. Slide lid cab boxes, tied in a yellow ribbon like a wheel, no cello, with a sealed Tax label and a box code. A box code on NCs! It was genius packaging and marketing, and it caught a lot of us hook-line-sinker.

Lotsa cigar companies--even the big guys--are doing that sort of stuff NOW, but at the time it was revolutionary. He basically catered to the desires of the hardcore cigar enthusiast in a way (flavor, packaging, marketing, transparency) that no one else was doing at the time.

Big ups to Pete Johnson for turning the U.S. cigar market on it's ear. I for one am glad that somebody did it. He got me--and a lot of other folks, obviously--buying NC cigars again.

Wow, good write up.

 

[shuckins]

tatuaje box code...

 

[Robinsond]

This post really helped me out too! I've only had one tat, and have 1 more sitting in my humi that were both gifted to me. I have no place locally to get them, but I'm going to bookmark newhavanacigars and maybe pick up a fiver.

I've got to dwindle down my stash that I have now because I don't even think I could fit 5 more sticks...better get smoking!

Oh and if there's anybody that wants me to do reviews on em, just send them over. I'll most likely smoke em promptly, and post my usual review with pictures etc. I LOVE writing reviews, especially taking pictures! Going to write up a review on a stick I had on Thursday.

Thanks all!

-Dave

 

[pcirelli]

Electric Sheep: Great post and I couldn't agree more! Fortunately, I've had some "brothers" point me in the right direction re: Tats/Illusiones and although I haven't been a serious cigar smoker for decades I really appreciate these smokes. Almost everything else at this point is kind of a dissapointment for me.

My first real Tat experience was on vaca in OBX on the back deck smoking a Verocu #9. Everything about the cigar just blew me away and now I have a humidor mainly filled with Tats. Cheers!~
-Pete

 

[Speedbump]

i could not agree more sheep!

 

[VillageIdiot]

That is a wonderful, well thought out, passionate piece of writing Duane. If tatuaje nation had a "see what others say" section, that would be the front page display.

 

[PLUSH]

I believe that is the reason why Tatuaje has such a "cult" following. They make some damn fine cigars, and I hope that Pete never looses sight of that in his product. Protect the brand and keep rockin the cigars.

 

[Virtuoso]

Thank you for the explanation!! This sums it up for me and I now want to try Tats more than ever. I really seem to enjoy Connecticut stuff lately so the Cabaiguan Connecticut sounds really really tasty!

 

[JukkaN]

Too bad you can't get these from Europe, atleast haven't found them anywhere. Usually I don't believe the hype, but in this case there's sooooo much hype, that there prolly is something interesting behind it.

 

[28Gauge]

I'll tell ya what the deal with Tatuaje is....or at least what MY personal viewpoint on it is.

Everytime I walked into a b&m 4 or 5 years ago, what I'd find were a lot of Dominican and Honduran cigars that were blended with mass-market tastes in mind. Sure there were some quality Nicaraguan cigars out there (Padron for example) and some nice stuff coming from Fuente (Opus for example), but the majority of sticks at the time were dominated by a lot of well blended but not particularly exciting or dynamic tasting cigars. I would walk through a shop and know that 95% of the stock would disappoint my tastebuds.

Tatuaje led the charge in bringing small production boutique cigars to the market, dynamically blended cigars that were EXCITING to my tastebuds....much like CCs, although obviously with a different flavor profile, but similar in the thought process in the way that they were blended. It's noticeable in just about everything that Don Pepin manufacturers, but it's particularly evident in the cigars Pete had Pepin make for him. Obviously Pepin is a huge part of what Tatuaje does, but Pete's own personal taste (I believe) push what Pepin creates to the maximum, falling right in line with what cigar enthusiasts wanted and happened to be exactly what the market was lacking at the time.

Basically, I think that unlike most of the big companies in the cigar industry, Pete was just a regular cigar nut like us who was really in tune with what cigar nuts wanted. He wasn't trying to make cigars for the masses to be sold in multi-million quantities, he was trying to make stuff for people like us--and like him.

On top of that, by Pete joining in and chatting (and sometimes fighting) on forums like this one, Tatuaje as a company had a lot of "transparency", meaning we could see for ourselves what the brand was all about. The hardcore cigar guys could TELL that Pete was "one of us" and wanted the same things out of cigars that we did. I don't think anyone else out there was really doing that at the time.

Then you gotta factor in the packaging, appearance, and marketing of the product. Most cigars on the b&m shelves were cello wrapped and packed in display boxes...but the hardcore cigar nuts were buying CCs in cabs and dress boxes, and never in cello. I mean come on, the packaging was JUST LIKE the CCs we were buying. Slide lid cab boxes, tied in a yellow ribbon like a wheel, no cello, with a sealed Tax label and a box code. A box code on NCs! It was genius packaging and marketing, and it caught a lot of us hook-line-sinker.

Lotsa cigar companies--even the big guys--are doing that sort of stuff NOW, but at the time it was revolutionary. He basically catered to the desires of the hardcore cigar enthusiast in a way (flavor, packaging, marketing, transparency) that no one else was doing at the time.

Big ups to Pete Johnson for turning the U.S. cigar market on it's ear. I for one am glad that somebody did it. He got me--and a lot of other folks, obviously--buying NC cigars again.

Great post, Sheep!! I couldn't agree with you more.:applause:

 

[Poriggity]

While I do love some tats, there are also other cigars out there that I enjoy just as much!
Scott

 

[ctaylor]

It seems like Tatuaje is the La Gloria Cubana (LGC in the 1990's) hard to find solid smokes with loyal customers.

 

[hdroadglide]

It seems like Tatuaje is the La Gloria Cubana (LGC in the 1990's) hard to find solid smokes with loyal customers.

except i don't expect pete to sell out and let his brand be producing average cigars.
i think ernesto even sees he can return to making a quality cigar again with his family.

 

[ctaylor]

No, I don't see that happening. Ernesto is coming out with a new cigar I saw in a magazine the other day, wonder if that will be any good?

 

[BrooksW]

No, I don't see that happening. Ernesto is coming out with a new cigar I saw in a magazine the other day, wonder if that will be any good?

It is great, I liked it quite a bit

~brooks

 

[srduggins]

Another thing I like about Pete is each vitola in his lines tastes different. I know this is true of almost all lines, but I think Pete actually blends his differently with that in mind. Can anyone else verify or invalidate this opinion?

 

[doublerobusto]

The Noellas are a good cigar to buy on the 'cheap' and sample a great cigar. I like the Gran Cojunos... but the flavor profile is not for everyone.