PCA 2021: Tatuaje

In a year when many manufacturers seemed to be zigging towards not releasing many—if any—new products, Pete Johnson zagged and continued what has already been a fairly busy 2021 with new cigars. It’s a challenge to pick the most notable of the releases, though a new Monster sampler is certainly in contention for that honor, but there is plenty to choose from among the new offerings.

As for Tatuaje’s booth this year, it is a much more minimalist approach than in recent years when the company rolled out a sizable structure that indicated not only the success of Tatuaje, but its commitment to being part of the show for many years to come. This year harkened back to some of the earlier days of the company—albeit it in many more booth spaces—with an open layout, banners in the corners of the booth, and display cases concentrated in the center of the space. It was also one of the busier booths I stopped in on the first day, particularly in the first hours of the show floor being open as retailers looked to secure as much of the new and limited releases as they could.

La Riqueza SE

You may be familiar with Tatuaje’s La Riqueza line, and while this new release shares many of the same components—both on paper and in the actual blend—this is a new expression of the La Riqueza profile, which means it’s a fuller blend than the original. As far as production numbers, those are to be determined by what gets ordered at the show. You’ll also have to hold your breath for a bit before getting to smoke these, as they aren’t due out until March 2022.

• Wrapper: U.S.A. (Connecticut Broadleaf)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua

• La Riqueza SE (5 5/8 x 54) — $10 (Bundle of 10, $100)

Production: TBA

Release Date: March 2022

Tatuaje Advent Calendar

When Pete Johnson teased this project in the spring, he said it has been in the works for more than a decade. Now he’s ready to bring it to the market. Inside each calendar are 24 cigars, a mix of 15 core lines, five Monster releases, two holiday cigars and two Halloween cigars, often referred to as Pumpkins. All of them come in a 4 1/2 x 46 vitola, a new size for all of the cigars inside, and the five Monsters will be the same in all of the samplers. It also comes with an ornament that doubles as a tool to help open up each individual panel while keeping the box intact.

As for those 15 core lines, they are:

• Cabaiguan
• Cabaiguan Guapos Natural
• El Triunfador
• Fausto
• L’Atelier
• La Mission
• Négociant
• Surrogates Tramp Stamp
• Tatuaje Black Label
• Tatuaje Brown Label
• Tatuaje Havana VI
• Tatuaje ME II
• Tatuaje Nuevitas Jibaro
• Tatuaje Tattoo
• Tatuaje Verocú

MSRP: $200

Production: 5,000 Samplers of 24 Cigars

Release Date: Fall 2021

Tatuaje/L’Atelier Toro Samplers

Pete Johnson is releasing a pair of five-count samplers that provide an affordable way to dive into the Tatuaje and L’Atelier Imports portfolios, with one offering medium profile cigars and the other a stronger selection. All of the cigars are 6 x 50 toros, and nine of the 10 cigars are a new vitola for their respective lines.

The medium-bodied sampler will contain:

• Cabaiguan Guapos Toro
• L’Atelier Selection Speciale Toro
• Négociant Toro
• Tatuaje Havana VI Toro
• Tatuaje Nuevitas Estelí Toro

The stronger sampler will contain:

• Fausto Toro
• La Mission L’Atelier Toro
• Surrogates Bone Crusher Toro
• Tatuaje Selección de Cazador Toro
• Tatuaje Verocú Toro

The Fausto Toro is the lone cigar that isn’t new.

Both samplers have been pushed back to an October release due to delays with the packaging but will be on store shelves as soon as everything’s ready.

• Wrapper: Various
• Binder: Various
• Filler: Various

• Tatuaje/L’Atelier Toro Samplers (6 x 50) — $35

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: October 2021

Tatuaje Cojonú 2021

The latest Cojonú release is a beefy belicoso that adds to one of the core series in the Tatuaje portfolio and it is the first new Cojonú since 2012. For those not familiar with the Cojonú series, it’s the Selección de Cazador blend—the one also referred to as the Brown Label—but with more ligero primings of the tobaccos used in the filler. That gives it some added strength compared to the regular Brown Label line. It’s also made at My Father Cigars S.A. in Nicaragua, which could suggest that there might be versions with different wrappers in the works.

Johnson doesn’t have a shipping date firmed up yet, other than that he expects to begin shipping it in the fall.

• Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua

• Tatuaje Cojonú 2021 (7 x 58) — $14 (Box of 21, $294)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: Fall 2021

Tatuaje Monster Mash Sampler

Monster Series fans, get ready for a new release, as Pete Johnson has one coming to stores soon, and it’s got a new cigar inside. The Monster Mash features the first 13 Monster Series releases in the same ring gauge as the original version, though each an inch-and-a-half shorter.

There’s also a new Monster member inside, Creature, which Pete Johnson isn’t ready to completely talk about yet, though he did say it’s a 5 3/8 x 48 perfecto, a size that is the same as the Black Label Britanicas Extra, and it uses a Nicaraguan double binder and filler, though he isn’t ready to reveal what the wrapper is yet.

Production: 13,000 Samplers of 14 Cigars

Release Date: Fall 2021

Tatuaje T110 Broadleaf

After the original version of the T110 returned in April, Johnson announced two new variants for it in June, this one and a Sumatra-wrapped version. Both replace the Ecuadorian habano wrapper of the original version while keeping the same internal blend, and both share the same price. You might have noticed some boxes already in the market. That’s because a handful of retailers received them prior to the show opening, while the rest will begin shipping as soon as the show ends.

Both are limited runs of just 2,400 boxes and were all accounted for fairly early on day one, so be quick if you want to get your hands on some. Additionally, the remaining 600 boxes of the original T110 have also all been allocated and should begin shipping to retailers as soon as the show ends.

• Wrapper: U.S.A. (Connecticut Broadleaf)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua

• Tatuaje T110 Broadleaf (4 3/8 x 52) — $10 (Box of 25, $250)

Production: 2,400 Boxes of 25 Cigars (60,000 Total Cigars)

Release Date: July 2021

Tatuaje T110 Sumatra

• Wrapper: Ecuador (Sumatra)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua

• Tatuaje T110 Sumatra (4 3/8 x 52) — $10 (Box of 25, $250)

Production: 2,400 Boxes of 25 Cigars (60,000 Total Cigars)

Release Date: July 2021

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.