Cigar Reviews
Tatuaje Seleccion de Cazador (Brown Label) Lancero
Back in April 2014, Havana Cellars, led by Pete Johnson, released a limited production sampler containing 10 highly acclaimed Tatuaje cigars all in a 7 ½ by 38 Lancero vitola including Tatuaje Seleccion de Cazador (Brown Label), Tatuaje Havana VI, Tatuaje Black Label, Cabaiguan, Cabaiguan Guapo, La Riqueza, El Triunfador Original, El Triunfador, La Casita Criolla, and Fausto. Today, I will be reviewing the Tatuaje Seleccion de Cazador lancero. This review is the third cigar I have reviewed out of the sampler. You can find the other two reviews here:
According Tatuaje’s website, the Seleccion de Cazador has eight frontmarks including: Petite Tatuaje (4 ½ by 32) , Especiales (7 1/2 by 38 Lancero), Noellas (5 ⅛ by 42), Havana Cazadores (6 ⅜ by 43), 7th (5 ⅝ by 46), Regios (5 by 50), Unicos (6 ⅛ by 52), ), and Tainos (7 ⅝ by 49). All Tatuaje Brown Labels, with the exception of the Petite Tatuaje and 7th, are produced in Miami U.S.A. at the El Rey De Habanos factory. The Tatauje Seleccion de Cazador Especiales (lancero) is a regular production cigar and can be purchased separate from the sampler.
The Facts
A gift from my bride
Price: $95.00 per box of 10 / $9.50 per cigar
Vitola: Lancero
Size: 7 ½ by 38
Wrapper: Ecaudorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 22 Minutes
Drink: Water
Pre-light
The medium brown Ecuadorian Habano wrapper has a mottled appearance with mainly small veins webbing across the leaf, and one prominent medium vein that runs the entire length of the stick. There are some bumps here and there, but overall the stick is smooth to the touch and a decent amount of oils can be felt on my finger tips.
A faint, pungent barnyard aroma is picked up off the wrapper and fuller notes of wet cedar, chocolate, and dark fruit are found on the foot of the Tatuaje Seleccion de Cazador lancero. A shallow cut of the pig-tail cap reveals very welcoming flavors of cedar, cherry. and big notes of chocolate. I am not finding any spice on the cold draw, which is rare with Tatuaje cigars.
First Third
Once lit, the cigar is a completely different story in terms of spice. Thick, spicy smoke coats my palate leaving a considerable amount of heat on my lips, tongue, and back of the throat. The spice is more of a feeling than a flavor with a lack of a pepper flavor commonly found in spicy cigars. The spice has settled at the half inch mark, with deep, rich woodsy notes taking front and center in the profile. As the cigar progresses, some sweet tobacco notes arrive in the profile. The cigar is burning evenly, leaving behind a white, layered ash.
Middle Third
Moving into the second third of this Tatuaje Seleccion de Cazador, the intensity of the richness and sweetness has picked up a notch. The spice is now mild is the mouth but full as the smoke is pushed through my nasal passage. A clove flavor has joined the mix and cocoa lingers on the finish of the smoke. One side of the cigar is having difficulty burning, but up to this point, no touch-up has been needed.
Final Third
A very satisfying amount of smoke has been pumping out of the Tatauje Seleccion de Cazador lancero since I lit it over an hour ago. Making it through the first and second third with no noticeable nicotine affects, the strength is now sitting the medium/full range and a nice relaxed feeling is washing over me. The flavors introduced earlier in the cigar are still holding strong, and the cocoa takes on a more significant role in the profile as the cigar winds down.
*Being so enthralled with the cigar, I am almost burned right into the band. I had to move the band down for the final photo.
Wrap-up
While I have only made my way through three of the cigars in the sampler, I can honestly say that smoking and reviewing the cigars in the Tatauje Lancero Sampler is turning out to be one my favorite review series I have featured here at Casas Fumando. Partially based on the fact that I love the size, but more importantly the cigars I have smoked (with exception of a tunneling issue on the Havana VI) are delivering solid experiences. In my opinion, the Tatuaje Brown Label really found its groove in the middle third and kept the groove all the way to the very end of the 7 1/2 inch cigar. If you are looking for the most complex cigar, you will not find it here. But if you are looking for a cigar that showcases satisfying, balanced flavors for over an hour and 20 minutes, this is a cigar that should be high on the list.
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