Tatiana Groovy Blue Belicoso TAA Exclusive

While the vast majority of exclusive products created for members of the Tobacconists’ Association of America (TAA) over the years have been traditional cigars, there have been a few exceptions, including not only different cigar cutters—the latest being XIKAR’s Xi2 – The Tobacconist cutter that shipped in May—but also a small number of flavored cigars.

In March, Miami Cigar & Co. announced the latest flavored cigar to be named as a TAA exclusive under the company’s popular Tatiana brand of flavored cigars. The Groovy Blue Belicoso is a 6 1/4 x 52 belicoso that—like the rest of the cigars in the Groovy Blue line—incorporates an Indonesian wrapper covering a Dominican binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic.

If you are unaware of what the TAA is, Charlie Minato wrote an excellent explanation in his news story about the Tatiana Groovy Blue Belicoso:

The TAA is a membership group, which also includes approximately 40 manufacturers, that gathers annually to discuss issues facing the industry and retailers, as well as to have its annual trade show, a unique event that works on a group buying format in order to secure exclusive deals for these generally high-volume merchants.

During the event—which took place March 26-30 at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic—the organization holds two selling events, one known as the Dream Machine, where the retailers collectively order to secure larger discounts, while the other is a more traditional trade show. Typically, around a dozen manufacturers release new exclusive cigars for the retail members of the organization under the TAA Exclusive Series Program banner. Those manufacturers agree to give a portion of the proceeds to the organization, a minimum of 50 cents per cigar.

In addition to the Tatiana Groovy Blue Belicoso from Miami Cigar & Co., the TAA 2023 Exclusive Series Program includes new cigars from the following manufacturers:

• C.L.E.
• Crowned Heads
• E.P. Carrillo
• Espinosa Premium Cigars
• Ferio Tego
• Forged Cigar Co.
• General Cigar Co.
• Gurkha
• J.C. Newman
• Joya de Nicaragua
• Kristoff
• La Palina
• My Father
• Plasencia
• Rocky Patel
• Quality Importers Trading Co.
• Quesada
• Tatuaje
• Villiger Cigars North America

Taking the Tatiana Groovy Blue Belicoso TAA Exclusive out of the cellophane, I am a bit surprised at the somewhat restrained aromas coming from two of the cigars, although the third one is quite a bit more aggressive in that regard. The wrappers on all three cigars are a dull, milk chocolate brown color with almost no hint of oil but plenty of extremely prominent veins all over. Physical inspections reveal soft spots on all three cigars in exactly the same location—about half an inch above the foot band—and all three are extremely spongy when squeezed. Aromas from the wrappers of two of the cigars are extremely similar, with somewhat restrained notes of sweet generic berries and cloves leading to earthiness, woodiness and some leather, all of which are surprisingly strong enough to punch through the flavored aromas. However, the last cigar is a different story altogether: the aromas are significantly more aggressive from the wrapper, with strong blackberries easily dominating honey, brown sugar, caramel, milk chocolate and perfume. Notes from the feet of all three cigars are similar, with the same blackberry sweetness leading to cedar, licorice, milk chocolate, grapes and light earthiness. Finally, after Dickman cuts the cold draws, bring flavors of cola syrup, berries, honey, peanut butter, perfume and a slight cedar.

It is hard to miss the extremely cloying saccharine sweetness that covers the cap of the Tatiana Groovy Blue Belicoso TAA Exclusive once I put it in my mouth, a flavor that sticks with me as I light the foot of the cigar. That sweetness does almost nothing to combat the bitterness that I taste in the first few puffs, but eventually, the profile levels out, leaving me with main flavors of cloying berry sweetness and anise. Secondary flavors of honeycomb, sweetened cereal, grapefruit, apple juice and light earth flit in and out, but considering how aggressive those flavors are in the profile, the retrohale is surprisingly restrained and includes slight black pepper and a light sweetness that reminds me of sugar-free lemonade. Flavor ends the first third at full, but both the body and strength lag far behind at a point firmly between mild and medium. In terms of construction, there are no issues whatsoever so far, with the burn, draw and smoke production all working in harmony.

While the artificial flavors of generic berry sweetness continue to dominate the cigar profile during the second third, I notice that some more traditional cigar flavors are beginning to peek through every once in a while, including creamy cedar, earth and even a touch of a coffee bean note. The saccharine sweetness on the cap has also dissipated quite a bit, although it remains strong enough to impact the profile during the entirety of the second third. Additional flavors in the profile are very similar to the first third, including sweetened cereal, honeycomb, grapefruit, generic fruit juice, grapes and gritty earth, while the retrohale has shifted a bit to include more black pepper and a new perfumey sweetness. Flavor stays at full, and while the strength has ticked up to land at a point just under medium, the body stays put between the mild and medium marks. Construction-wise, the draws and smoke production continue along their excellent paths for all three cigars, but two of the sticks run into enough trouble to necessitate a couple of corrections each with my lighter.

Although I am tasting more and more “traditional” cigar flavors as the final third of the Groovy Blue Belicoso begins—including cocoa nibs, earth, leather tack and a surprisingly creamy nuttiness—none ever become strong enough to overtake the berry sweetness that continues to permeate this blend until the end of the cigar. While the sweetness on the cap is still noticeable, it is not nearly as overwhelming as it was during the first two-thirds. Secondary flavors of honey, apple juice, cloves, milk chocolate, mocha coffee and caramel, while the retrohale has shifted again, this time to a combination of black pepper and imitation vanilla sweetness. Flavor is still at full, the body increases to a point just under medium, and the strength manages to hit a solid medium before I put the nub down with less than an inch remaining. Finally, the construction returns to where it was in the first third, with nary an issue when it comes to the burn, draw or smoke production until the end of the cigars.

Final Notes

• There is at least one other flavored cigar that is a TAA exclusive. Drew Estate makes the ACID Big Bang as an exclusive for TAA retailers. Unlike most of the TAA exclusives we write about it, it’s an ongoing release that Drew Estate has offered fo
• Two of the three physical specs for the cigars I smoked for this review were within normal limits: the lengths were 6.04, 6.08 and 6.17 inches, while the ring gauges were 50, 50 and 52. However, the largest discrepancy by far was the weight: the first cigar weighed 14.41 ounces, the second came in at 12.8 ounces, and the final cigar weighed 13.32 ounces.
• Along with the above, the first cigar—the one that weighed the most of the three—featured aromas that were far more aggressive than the other two. Interestingly, the flavor profiles were extremely similar for all three cigars, which is most likely due to the fact that the flavoring of the tobacco is responsible for the profile of these cigars instead of the actual tobacco itself.
• For some reason, I sneezed quite a few times while smoking two of these cigars, at least five times for each cigar. This is not a normal occurrence when I am smoking cigars by any means, so my only explanation is that something used to flavor the tobacco caused the reaction in me specifically.
• Two of the three cigars suffered damage to the wrapper when I took the foot band off. The resulting damage did not have any major effect on the overall construction of those two cigars, but it is something to be aware of.
• Miami Cigar & Co. advertises on halfwheel.
• The cigars smoked for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time for all three cigars averaged one hour and 39 minutes.
• If you would like to purchase any of the Tatiana Groovy Blue Belicoso TAA Exclusive cigars, site sponsor Corona Cigar Co. has it for sale here.