Tatuaje 7th Tuxtla

Tatuaje’s long history of cigar making continues, bringing the past to the present through a Mexican-focused expansion to some of the company’s most beloved cigars in 2022. The timeline that brought us to the Tatuaje 7th Tuxtla cigar spans several years, going back to Tatuaje’s beginnings in 2003. Pete Johnson created a cigar that was an “Old World Full Bodied Cuban Style Cigar,” being the Seleccion de Cazador (aka “Tatuaje Brown Label”). As this line developed and further line extensions were made, the seventh size addition was a 5⅝” x 46 corona gorda. This semi-limited offering was called the 7th Reserva, and was released in 2010. Over the years, the 7th has had three wrapper releases: Ecuadorian Habano, Ecuadorian Sumatra, and Connecticut Broadleaf. Fast forward to 2022—Pete Johnson came out with a formula that would see a San Andrés wrapper applied to three former releases, creating the limited project series called Tuxtla (pronounced “Toos-tlah,” “Toot-slah,” or “Toosh-tlah,” depending on what online translation you trust).

The Tuxtla project name comes from San Andrés / Tuxtla—the region that virtually all Mexican leaf is harvested. We all know of Pete Johnson’s fondness for the Mexican San Andrés wrapper. With former releases such as Mexican Experiment (ME I and ME II), The Face and The Krueger (both of the Monster Series), and Tatuaje TAA 51th, we know Tatuaje’s use of this wrapper makes for great cigars. Now, to the delight of Tatuaje enthusiasts, the wrapper finds its way into some of the company’s most beloved releases, and is likely to continue its reach in the years to follow.

All three releases in the Tuxtla line are limited, with plans for Pete to continue to grow the Tuxtla line and make more extensions. There could even be hope in the future for some of these to go on to full production.

Tatuaje 7th Tuxtla Breakdown

Appearance

Tatuaje 7th Tuxtla has the classic brown band from the Seleccion de Cazador and the size is the same as the 7th Reserva in this series. There is a secondary band that is white and green, which reads “TUXTLA.” The green is similar to a caddy green hue. The wrapper color of the Mexican leaf contrasts nicely with the bands. The shade of the wrapper is a rustic, dark, unfinished wood color. The leaf is slightly oily and toothy, with a rugged overall appearance. It has visible seams and a good number of raised veins. The pre-light impression of the cigar does not really impress me, and the raised seams do have me worried going into the cigar.

Smoking Experience

There was not much aroma from this cigar at the cap, but shifting towards the foot of the cigar, there was a scent of sweet herbal tea. The cigar was straight cut, showing a nice clean cut and no construction issues at the cap. A cold draw brought flavors of spicy earth with an almost burnt-like inflection. When toasting and lighting, initial flavors of creamy/earthy milk and tea come through. Light notes of coffee also come into the mix. Off the start, the retrohale brings spicy black herbal notes into the mix.

Midway through the cigar, it starts to transition from creamy to a spicier experience. It picks up on that burnt earth and earthy coffee flavor. Interestingly, there is not much sweetness to the cigar. Herbal notes continue to develop on the palate, being found primarily through the retrohale.

When finishing out the cigar, it really picks up on rich, dark burnt earth flavor with light herbal notes. The herbal supporting flavors concentrate into cardamom at times—an herbal warmth like a cross between eucalyptus, mint, and pepper. The retrohale finishes with a strong, spicy herbal tea note. The aftertaste left on the palate reminds me of a lingering full-bodied hot herbal tea.

As I noted before, I was worried about the wrapper seam construction. However, this was not an issue, and the seams did not split during the smoke. The burn was a bit wavy for me, with one or two touchups. The smoke output was light and not really noticeable. The ash stayed on for about three cm at the start, and then just one cm at a time after that.

Would I Smoke This Cigar Again?

Tatuaje 7th Tuxtla has a nice unique flavor from a Mexican San Andrés wrapper. The rich burnt earth and creamy herbal tea was really interesting and different. This variant of 7th Reserva with the Mexican San Andrés wrapper really works, and brings more character to the cigar. I would smoke this cigar again. I’m not sure if I would go for a full box purchase, but a baker’s dozen would be recommended.

• The three limited cigars to bear the Tuxtla sub-band in 2022 were Avion 13, Tatuaje 7th, and T110.
• Released in May of 2022, all three variations were packaged in boxes of 25 cigars. The Avion 13 and Tatuaje 7th were limited to 2,000 boxes, and the T110 was limited to 4,000 boxes.
• The next cigar to receive the “Tuxtla treatment” was the Tatuaje Lomo de Cerdo (a spinoff of 2010’s Tatuaje Pork Tenderloin), which shipped in early April of this year.
• Cigar Dojo has given a rating of 93 to the ME II and The Krueger in the past, considering former Mexican-wrapped Tatuaje cigars.
• In fact, in 2022, the Tatuaje 7th Tuxtla was awarded the No. 3 Limited Cigar of the Year from Cigar Dojo.
• As of this writing, the Tatuaje 7th Tuxtla has a “97% Smokable” rating on Dojoverse, being ranked in the top 13 percent of cigars on the leaderboard (out of ~4,700 cigars).

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