The Tatuaje Black Tubos was released in November of 2009, and is the third national release of the personal blend for Tatuaje Brand owner, Pete Johnson. Previous to the national release, the only way to get your hands on Pete’s personal blend was if Pete would gift you with one at an event. The Tatuaje Black Tubos comes in boxes of 10 and are limited to 4,600 boxes. MSRP is $14 per stick.
Tatuaje Black Tubos
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown Criollio
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Made In: Nicaragua – My Father Cigar Factory
Size: 6×52 Torpedo
Price: $14.50 per single
Appearance & Construction: The Tatuaje Black Tubos comes in a matte black tube with Tatuaje printed in silver writing. As I take the cigar out of the tube, I am greeted by a shaggy foot and a vintage looking wrapper. Of course you can’t help notice the illustrious Black Tatuaje Label which has an aura all its own. The roll looks okay as the head of the torpedo looks a touch sloppy.
Smoking Characteristics: The draw of the Tatuaje Black Tubos has an excellent draw after I snipped it down enough and produces a good amount of smoke. The burn was a little uneven and hence, messed with the ash a bit. The ash was a little chunky in some areas but very compact in other which I will attribute to the burn. The ash however, does hold on for quite some time. The biggest problem I had with this cigar is a small crack developed right above the band as I was smoking the cigar. It did not affect the way the cigar smoked but you don’t really expect a $14 cigar to do that.
Flavors: The Tatuaje Black Tubos starts with some nice spice and wood. Once the cigar gets going, I really begin to pick up nice rich flavors of cedar, spice, coffee, and some sweet tea. There was also a nice honey sweetness that seemed to come and go that was very enjoyable. The beginning of the second third is much of the same but at the midway point; cigar the cigar really hits its sweet spot. The pepper has almost diminished completely and the coffee and cedar notes really pick up. The final third of the cigar transitions to a sweeter earthy core with a gradual return of the spice. The body of the Tatuaje Black Tubos is medium to full and the strength is average
Final Thoughts: From the first puff I could tell the Tatuaje Black Tubos was smack dab in my flavor profile. Nice rich complex flavors that are moderately balanced. I think a bit of age would have balanced this cigar out a bit and would have made this cigar even better. However, the construction and burning characteristics of the Tatuaje Black Tubos is a different story. I usually never knock a cigar for construction and smoking experience but this is will be one of them. At $14.50 per single cigar I think having a crack in the wrapper appear when you are smoking it is unacceptable for a cigar in this price category. As I understand it this has been a common problem with these cigars and Pete Johnson as even stated so and said he will probably never do another Tubos cigar. Thankfully I kept the band on till it was burning and as soon as I took the band off the cigar exploded and was unsmokable. The rating I am giving this cigar is great but had the crack not of formed; this could have been an Excellent cigar.
Cigar Rating: Great
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