Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown Criollo Estelí
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 5.625 x 46 Corona Gorda
Strength: Medium
Price: $10.00
My cigars received 5 months of naked humidor time.
A fan favorite for a long time. So, what the hell am I doing reviewing a slam dunk? To remind one and all that this is a very affordable and solid smoke…that can be had for as little as $9 after promo codes. This is considered a bargain cigar in 2025: Year of the Greedy Snake.
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
The aroma of the wrapper belies its Nic puro stats: Floral, honeysuckle, strong malt, and Frosted Flakes.
The draw is spot on. I owe Dr. Rod $6.81.
The cold draw falls in line with the Nic guts: Spicy black and red pepper, barnyard, peppermint, and malted milk balls.
Blast of puffery and there is that peppermint again. Followed by dark chocolate, black pepper, red pepper, mushroom, creaminess, fresh pine, lime, and slight cinnamon.
“You can fool some of the people some of the time — and that’s enough to make a decent living.” …W.C. Fields (fledgling cigar reviewer)
If I’m in a foreign land, like Pittsburgh, and I find myself in a cigar lounge, my go to is always the Tatuaje Black Label. It is usually shipped without cellos, the price is affordable even in a B&M, and it is one of the most reliable smokes anywhere. I prefer either the corona gorda, lancero, or panatela.
Today would have been my kid sister’s 68th birthday. I will lift a flagon with the dragon…the vessel with the pestle that has the brew that is true, to my sister Stacie tonight…with my favorite cigar. Hang on Sloopy.
Sipping coffee brings out a like-mindedness from the blend. Strength began at medium and continues an inch in. The creaminess surges. The ignition of spiciness that occurred during the first few minutes has mellowed nicely. The balance is now on course.
Cigar construction is impossible to judge prior to lighting up because I’m always wrong. Once it’s lit, the story unfolds. Pete Johnson did a nice job with this reasonably priced stick.
The approach of the second half takes 45 minutes. Strength scooches up to an easy going medium plus. I could live on the Black.
“We love Abbey Road. All the microphones work.” …Paul McCartney.
Stewart Copeland had a small flat a few doors down from Abbey Road. We’d sit outside on the stoop and smoke pipeful after pipeful of hashish while watching tourists attempt the zebra crossing photo and dodge angry taxi drivers. Now and again, someone got flattened. This was an era when as soon as a new Abbey Road sign was placed on the wall in front of EMI Studio, someone stole it. Soon after, the borough got the message and used a black magic marker on the wall instead.
In July of 1974, Average White Band released their hit “Pick Up the Pieces.” The moment I heard it on the radio, I clenched my fist and yelled Huzzah! Finally. It took a Scottish funk band to steer the Brits in the right direction…there was now something on English radio that swung, and wasn’t a dirge. I raved it up to my Curved Air comrades and got blank stares in return. Damn. Back to the grave of Brit prog rock.
The second half proves to be worth the wait. Flavors intensify. Depth gains a real foothold. Transitions are smoother. Not a deeply complex blend but the richness of the leaves makes it OK. Not every expectation is about the sudden bitch slap.
“Beer: Helping ugly people have sex since 3000 B. C.” …W.C. Fields
1968. My dad came into my bedroom to give me the news that my kid sister was arrested at Disneyland. She and her friends thought they could get away with smoking weed on Tom Sawyer’s Island. Apparently, the entire modern world thinks the same thing, so the place crawls with undercover cops. Yes, there really is a Disneyland jail. While he was telling me this, his elbow rested on the top of my dresser where I sloppily left my bag of smoke along with a brass waterpipe. He looked at the pipe. He stared at the weed: “I know what you’re doing Phil.” I gulped deeply. “You…are smoking a pipe.” And then gave me a nod and a wink: “This is better than you smoking cigars.” As he left, we both shook our heads in dismay that Stacie now had the dreaded permanent record.
So much has changed over my lifetime. Imagine in 30-40 years from now, you’ll look back and reminisce how primitive 2025 was. You’ll laugh and wonder how you made it through. It’s cool to look back and remember. Maybe in your old age, you’ll have a blog and write about something you love, like cigars. Young guys will point and make fun of you for being a grumpy old man…the cycle of life.
You think something in your life makes you think you can’t take it anymore. That’s our job. To take it. And then stick the experience in your blog at a later time.
This was a filler review. No need for me to pontificate endlessly. If you need a solid medium strength cigar that you can rely on every time you put torch to foot, the Tatuaje Black Label is your baby.
“Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what people do or say. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.” …W.C. Fields
“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of the things not meant for you.” – Buddhist saying
We reviewers are often and regularly asked to critique affordable cigars. We get it. The rank-and-file cigar smoker can’t afford to drop $15-$20 every time they light up unless it’s once a week or just once a month. Because of sponsorships and relationships, cigar reviewers aren’t comfortable calling out an industry bringing in $59B dollars a year. As much as a third of that is profit. If cigar manufacturers reduced their profit by 25% and discovered that they could live on only $15 billion dollars markup, your cigars would go back to pre-Covid pricing. Cigar companies thank God for Covid every time they hear the cash register ring…if not for the pandemic, they would have had a tough time coming up with excuses for getting away with murder.
You can purchase Tatuaje Black Label cigars (8 sizes) from sponsor Small Batch Cigar. Take 10% off with promo code KATMAN.
RATING: 94
Check out Katman’s Kartel at Small Batch Cigar and score deals on cigars from My Top 32 Cigars of 2023 ~ Rated 96 or Higher! Use promo code: KATMAN for 10% off.
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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
