Tatuaje 20th Miami Reserva RL22

Last year, Tatuaje released a pair of cigars to commemorate the company’s 20th anniversary in business. Those two cigars—the 6 1/8 x 46 Grande Merveille and the 6 3/8 x 54 Grand Chasseur—are made in Nicaragua at the My Father S.A. factory and are composed of an Ecuadorian habano-seed wrapper, a Nicaraguan double binder and a filler blend made of all Nicaraguan tobacco.

In November, the company began shipping a different pair of cigars that were also released to celebrate the same anniversary named 20th Miami Reserva EL22 and RL22. According to Pete Johnson, Tatuaje’s founder, both cigars were made in 2021 with only one roller assigned to each cigar, and the boxes of cigars were aged for 18 months before being shipped.

 

Both the RL22 and the EL22 were made at My Father Cigars Inc.’s Florida-based El Rey de los Habanos factory instead of in Nicaragua. In addition, the RL22 and the EL22 are both limited to 25,000 total cigars packaged in boxes of 25.

The Tatuaje 20th Miami Reserva RL22, a 5 1/2 x 42 corona is made with an Ecuadorian habano maduro wrapper covering a binder and filler blend made up of Nicaraguan tobacco. It has an MSRP of $16 per cigar.

• Cigar Reviewed: Tatuaje 20th Miami Reserva RL22
• Country of Origin: U.S.A.
• Factory: El Rey de los Habanos
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano Maduro)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 5 1/2 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 42
• Vitola: Corona
• MSRP: $16 (Box of 25, $400)
• Release Date: November 2023
• Number of Cigars Released: 1,000 Boxes of 25 Cigars (25,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

Thick and rustic dark brown wrappers cover all three of my Tatuaje 20th RL22 cigars, and they have so much tooth to them that I am reminded of rough sandpaper as I rub my finger across them. Large, protruding veins are everywhere, and one cigar has a knot on it that is hard to miss. (More on that below in the Final Notes section.) Two cigars are quite firm when squeezed, but one is noticeably more spongy and also has a large soft spot just above the foot. Aromas from the wrappers of all three cigars start with strong and sweet barnyard followed by generic earthiness, woodiness, nutmeg, coffee beans and a light vegetal note. Thanks to the cover feed, the scents from the feet are much the same, but I do pick up a more distinct cedar note, as well as new cinnamon and cocoa nibs. After straight cuts the cold draws include sweet cinnamon, dark chocolate, espresso, cedar, earth and cashews.

While the cold draw is a bit firm due to the covered foot, as soon as I light the protruding tobacco on fire, it opens up quickly. The profile starts with a combination of bitter espresso, earth, and a nice amount of spice on my tongue, but the main flavors of charred meat and cinnamon quickly take over the top spots. Secondary flavors of earth, anise, salted popcorn, cocoa nibs, and generic nuttiness flit in and out at various points, while the retrohale features both black pepper and a light fruity sweetness. The flavor ends the first third at medium-plus while both the strength and body hit a solid medium. The burn on all three cigars starts out straight but becomes more wavy as the first third comes to an end—albeit not bad enough to correct as of yet—but the draws and smoke production are both excellent.

There are some changes in the profile of the 20th RL22 during the second third, starting with the main flavors in the profile, which has shifted to a combination of almonds and gritty earth. Additional flavors include powdery cocoa nibs, sourdough bread, baker’s spices, leather tack and a slight vegetal note. In addition, while the black pepper on the retrohale has not changed, the amount of fruity sweetness—which now reminds me of raspberries—increases. The flavor has increased to medium-full, and while the body only increases slightly to land at a point just over medium, the strength jumps to land at medium-plus. Unlike the first third, all three cigars have burn issues that necessitate a couple of corrections with my lighter each, but the draws and smoke production continue along their excellent paths.

Powdery cocoa nibs join the gritty earth note at the top of the profile during the final third, replacing the almond flavor from the second third. Notes of dried tea leaves, yeast, creamy cedar, citrus peel and brewed coffee are also present in various amounts, while the amount of black pepper and raspberry sweetness on the retrohale has changed very little. The flavor remains at medium-full until the end of the cigar, while both the strength and body increase to land at medium-plus and medium-full, respectively. Finally, the smoke production and draws remain problem-free, and while the burn on one cigar evens up nicely compared to the second third, the other two once again need a correction with my lighter to stave off any larger issues before I put the nubs down with an inch remaining.

Final Notes

• According to the company, the Ecuadorian habano maduro wrapper that covers this cigar is the same leaf used on the Tatuaje Cojonú 2003.
• While the RL22 is a new cigar that commemorates Tatuaje’s 20th anniversary, the company is still not done releasing new versions of its 10th anniversary blend, like the 10th Anniversary Capa Especial line that was announced earlier this month.

• The wrapper on one cigar featured what I can only describe as a knot: basically, a protrusion made entirely of wrapper extending from the side of the cigar like a knot on a tree.
• While just about every aspect of these cigars was quite similar in terms of flavors, one of the cigars weighed noticeably less than the other two by about 1.39 grams.
• The construction on these cigars—specifically, the burn—was not as good as I have come to expect from Tatuaje products. There were no major issues, but continuing minor burn problems can add up to become a significant annoyance.
• The cigars smoked for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time for all three cigars averaged out to one hour and 28 minutes.
• If you would like to purchase any of the Tatuaje 20th RL22 cigars, site sponsors Cigars Direct, Corona Cigar Co. and SmokingPipes have them in stock on their respective websites.