L’Atelier Imports – IPCPR 2016

As per usual, L’Atelier shared space with brand-runner Pete Johnson’s other operation, Tatuaje. But where they usually occupied less than one quarter of the My Father Cigars booth, L’Atelier now shared a whole new setup, 50/50 (ok, maybe 40/60), with Tatuaje.

The booth as a whole took on more of Tatuaje’s style, being jet black with a background of various tattooed Tatuaje members. Definitely more Tatuaje oriented, but L’Atelier had some updates as well.

Extension de La Racine ER16

It’s the 4th installment of L’Atelier’s annual, limited edition Extension de La Racine, which is sold exclusively to IPCPR attendees in a new vitola each year. ER16 is the shortest size yet, using a 4⅞ x 50 robusto vitola. The band has also been updated, replacing the glossy finish for a matte look (something I’ve always advocated for… e.g. here and here).

Identité

If there has ever been a signature theme for L’Atelier, it’s the use of Sanctí Spiritus tobacco in the blend, and French themes/concepts. Not surprisingly, you’ll find both in their latest line: Identité. The name is French for “identity”, because that’s exactly what Sanctí Spiritus tobacco has become for the brand. And in this new blend, the tobacco is used in every portion (wrapper, binder, filler).

Sanctí Spiritus is a hybrid of Criollo and Pelo de Oro tobacco, made to combine the unique, flavor aspects of Pelo de Oro with the heartier elements of Criollo.

UPDATE: L’Atelier Identité Melange Spécial No. 2 Cigar Review

Négociant Monopole 2003

Pete Johnson’s two brands collaborate for Négociant, creating a blend that is very “un-Pete”. A man that has helped make Nicaraguan tobacco a favorite for the vast majority of non-Cuban-smoking enthusiasts, Pete has eschewed Nicaraguan leaf in 2 out of 3 portions of this blend. On top of that, when’s the last time you saw a Connecticut shade wrapper on a Johnson blend?

Packaging appears neutral between the 2 brands, but the cigar’s use Tatuaje bands (similar to the Black Label), borrowing L’Atelier’s gold color scheme.

Négociant Monopole 2003. CT. Ecuador wrapper. @tatuajecigars @latelierimports #tatuajecigars #lateliercigars #cigars #tatlatwhatisthat

A photo posted by Pete Johnson (@tatuajeinc) on Aug 10, 2016 at 6:39pm PDT

Other

La Mission du L’Atelier 1982: As promised, the vitolas are slowly growing in La Mission du L’Atelier, a line that launched at last year’s show. Here’s our explanation from our review on the La Mission du L’Atelier 2009 size:

Each size in the line is named for a year when the Château La Mission Haut-Brion winery received a perfect 100 point rating from renowned wine critic Robert Parker (La Mission 1959, 1989, 2009). There are currently three sizes in the line, but will soon expand to seven, matching the number of 100 point wines from the winery.

A 4th size was added earlier this year with the 1955, there will now be a 5th with the 1982—which is a 6⅛ x 52 torpedo (soft box-press).

Surrogates Crystal Baller 646: There’s a new, smaller version of the brand’s Crystal Baller cigar, made in a 6½ x 46 Corona Gorda vitola.

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