Tatuaje TAA 2016

The ever popular Pete Johnson has released his 2016 Tatuaje TAA blend. Tatuaje, which is a household name for any craft cigar smoker, is no stranger to blending fantastic TAA cigars—having undoubtedly the most popular bend in the TAA Exclusive Series. Here are the following years and vitolas of the Tatuaje TAA Series:

As you can see, with each year, production has increased with the amount of boxes available. Pete made an interesting decision starting on his 2015 release by making its vitola the same size as his original 2011 blend. He followed this up in 2016 by mimicking the following year’s 2012 vitola. Both of which, the 2011 and 2012, have become “unicorn-class” cigars for many smokers, due to an intriguing combination of full flavor, complexity, and limited availability.

Tatuaje TAA 2016 Breakdown

The cigar is said by Pete Johnson to be a combination of the Barclay Rex and Pork Tenderloin cigars. From the first look at this cigar, you’ll notice the trademark box-press vitola, dark and oily broadleaf wrapper, and closed foot that all previous TAA blends have—outside of the 2013 release. The cigar I used for this review had some large veins in the wrapper and a somewhat rough looking cap adhered to it. I noticed quite a bit of “tooth” on the wrapper and felt like it was of very solid construction—having hardly any soft spots to take note. Although, the dense roll had me slightly worried that the draw may be hard to pull from. The smell was of hay, leather, and barnyard.

Smoking Experience

Initially, after feeling the firmness of the cigar, I anticipated that I would have some tight draw issues. This, however, was not the case—I was able to light it and draw off of it with no problems at all. Within the first inch, it showcased a nice baker’s chocolate blast! This was joined by lots of black pepper on the retrohale. It gives a nostalgic feeling of warm, hot chocolate being heated on a chilly, winter evening. After the first inch, the retro spice toned down a notch. The ash held on solid for about an inch before falling.

• Flavors: bakers cococa » milk chocolate
• Retro: black pepper » sweet & smooth leather

Coming into the second third, it made me feel and taste like I was at a campground in a heavily wooded area. The taste was reminiscent of fresh-cut fire wood, getting ready to be set on a campfire. There is a pretty significant amount of smoke output at this point—with the ash falling around two inches.

• Flavors: light leather with a hint of ammonia » leather with some musky & earth notes
• Retro: leather mixed with white pepper » earthy with white & red pepper

The thoughts of fresh-cut wood maintained through the last third. There was a slight coating on my tongue, tasting of white pepper. The roof of my mouth had a tingling sensation, as the cigar’s strength grew. By the last inch or so, each draw had a definite temperature increase. It didn’t feel unpleasant, I just knew that I would not be able to nub the cigar. The overall burn throughout the cigar became a little wonky at times, but it always managed to correct itself.

• Flavors: leather with sweet cedar/musky notes » sweet cedar and semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Retro: white pepper with notes of red pepper sprinkled in

Would I Smoke This Cigar Again?

This was my 4th time smoking the Tatuaje TAA 2016. I would definitely call this “box worthy” for a couple reasons. First, the consistency and the volume of flavor output throughout are tough to beat. Secondly, the fact that with each prior year, the the Tatuaje TAA blends have only gotten better with time—I see no reason 2016 will be any different.

In other words, yes—I have and will smoke this cigar again…

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