Bear with me now, this is going to be a long one …

Back in October of 2009, Pete Johnson (Owner of Tatuaje Cigars, for the 2 of you who have been living on the Moon for the last 2 years) came into Dallas to one of my Favorite B&Ms, Cigar Shop and More. He was there to pimp the upcoming Drac and Boris release, and while he was there, he graciously allowed me to take a portrait of him for my Icons of Cigars Project.Well, in between the portrait and the talking, he gave me one of the first El Triunfador Internationals that had been out in the public at the time and asked me to smoke it. Well, I said, “Of course, as soon as I put it in my Vino for a week or two, and photograph it” etc, and he said “Nope, you have to smoke it right here in front of me”.

So, I said fine and went and photographed the cigar outside the store, which is why the photos look a bit different then normal. Then I smoked it and took notes while Pete sat and talked to a group of us for a couple of hours.

Well, I kept ahold of those photos and the review, and decided to publish my thoughts when the release date got a little closer. It just so happens that about a month ago, NHC started giving away samples of another vitola of the same blend, the No.4, a Robusto, to customers who purchased some Tatuaje products, and I happened to get a hold of one of those as well. So, I figured I would do a dual review of sorts. While the official review will be on the Lancero, I will also be giving my thoughts on the differences between to two sizes.

So, with that behind us, let’s move on to the informational portion of the review.

There is quite a bit of information, some of it quite wrong, on the web about this cigar, and since I seem to be the first blog to publish an official review, I wanted to get it all right, so I emailed Pete with a few questions and clarifications.

As you may or may not know, the El Triunfador (which means “The Winner” in Spanish), a 7.5×38 Lancero was released in September 2008 in VERY limited quantities to select stores around the country. Dubbed the “Ghost Cigar”, it was hardly even talked about until after it was being sold. It is considered by many to be a good medium/full cigar, a sentiment I agree with.

In early to mid 2009, it was announced that Tatuaje would be releasing an International only (i.e. not to be sold in the U.S.) blend that would be using the same El Triunfador name, but would be a much milder blend.

When Pete came to Cigar Shop and More in October, he mentioned that the El Triunfador International blend WOULD be released in the U.S., and that there would be quite a few more vitolas as well. We now know there will be six, yes, six, different sizes and will be priced between $6-$9, depending on vitola:

• No. 1 – 6 1/2 x 42 Lonsdale
• No. 2 – 5 1/2 x 52 Belicoso
• No. 3 – 5 5/8 x 46 Corona Gorda
• No. 4 – 5 x 48 Robusto
• No. 5 – 4 3/8 x 42 Petit Corona
• No. 6 – 7 1/2 x 38 Lancero

Interestingly, other then the Lancero, the exact same vitolas as the five original La Riqueza releases. There WILL be a Lancero produced (you heard it here first!). Apparently, there will be also be a 7th vitola, but “not for a while”.

So, to sum it all up, there is a new Tatuaje cigar being released in March-ish. The new blend is quite a bit milder then most Tats, and it will also be named El Triunfador. Two separate blends, both named the same, but one is a dark almost Maduro wrapper, and the other is a lighter Sungrown wrapper. They will also have different bands and packaging, and still only one size on the Original Release blend, a lancero, at this time.

(If you have made it this far through my ramblings, I applaud you).

But enough of that, let’s get down to business, shall we?

• Cigar Reviewed: El Triunfador No.6
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
• Wrapper: Habano Ecuador Sun Grown
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Size: 7 1/2 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 38
• Vitola: Lancero
• Est. Price: $6-$9, depending on vitola
• Date Released: March 2010

The wrapper on this cigar is a fairly light brown, and is almost seamless. No major veins show at all, and it is has a very smooth look. There is almost no oil present, but not rough at all.

I also LOVE the band, it is VERY reminiscent of an older style Cuban cigar; Simple, elegant and striking. In fact, while I was smoking this cigar, I kept thinking that the band reminded me of something, and I finally came up with it. I smoked a cigar called the Farach Farachitos from the 1950s a while ago for my “Vintage Smokes” section, and the bands are quite similar… (Note: I am NOT saying that Pete copied any specific Cigar Bands, but he has said over and over in various interviews and when I have talked to him that he gains inspiration from the Classic Cubans, and as far as I know he has not even seen this band, I just thought the similarities were interesting…):

As soon as I lit up the El Triunfador No.6, I was greeted by quite a bit of spice and pepper together (which did surprise me a bit, considering the fact this was supposed to be a milder smoke!)…but that receded VERY quickly (within the first 5 puffs or so), and I was left with a great creamy, sweetish cedar flavor that coated my mouth nicely…

The Second Third was quite a bit like the first…just a great sweetish cedar, a touch of pepper, and I detected a faint floral flavor that blended VERY well with the rest…just a great combination…

Here, I am going to break away from the review for a second, and focus on the ash of the Lancero…I have NEVER, in all my years of smoking, seen an ash like this…about as white as you can get (you are talking about ash after all), and almost TOTALLY seamless…this is a testament to the construction of the cigar as a whole I think…Take a look:

(back the the review): The last third still had that wonderful sweet cedar, and the pepper increased a bit (especially at the very end of the smoke), but I also detected a citrus flavor (orange?) as well, but it was fleeting…I was easily able to nub the smoke, and it never got hot at the end…

Final Notes:

• As expected, this Lancero tastes NOTHING like the Original Release El Triunfador, not even close…I actually enjoyed the No.6 more then the OR…
• Between the Robusto (No.4) and the Lancero (No.6), I enjoyed the Lancero infinatly more…If you like the No.4, then the No.6 is going to blow you away…The flavors were just more “Ripe” then with the Robusto, and the construction was amazing…
• As I mentioned, the burn and draw were impeccable for both the Lancero and the Robusto, but the Lancero was a thing of beauty…
• The Final Smoking Time on the Lancero was One hour and 45 minutes, and the Final Smoking Time on the Robusto was One hour and 15 minutes…

The Bottom Line: When seeing this wrapper for the first time, I was a bit taken aback by the lighter shade, especially considering most of Tatuaje’s other cigars…I knew this would be a milder blend, and I was not disappointed in that regard… in fact, would put this at a “Mild+” (or “Medium-”)…It is also not the most complex cigar on the planet, but I could tell that alot of thought had gone into the flavors that ARE present…when I was talking to Pete about this blend (while smoking the Lancero), I asked him what profile he was going for in this cigar, and he told me that he wanted to produce an “Everyday” kind of cigar, one that you could smoke every day, at any time, and never get bored…and Honestly, I think he nailed it…the flavor is VERY reminiscent of an older Cuban cigar...milder with sweetish undertones, and a long, clean finish that ties it all together…While milder cigars do not make up the bulk of my smoking (I do prefer a more robust smoke), I do appreciate a change of pace cigar, and I have a feeling this will be one of those for me, Especially considering the great price point…

Final Score: 88