Tatuaje Federal Cigar 90th Anniversary 109 Rosado

Yesterday we posted the review of the Reserva with the Connecticut broadleaf wrapper that was limited to 100 boxes of 25. At the time of this review, the Reserva is completely sold out but don’t fret, the Rosado is available.

Like the Reserva the Tatuaje Federal Cigar 109 Rosado is based off the Verocu blend and is wrapped in a gorgeous rosado wrapper. A total of 300 boxes of 25 cigars were made and they come in a Cuban-style cedar box with 13 cigars on top and 12 cigars on the bottom.

• Cigar Reviewed: Tatuaje Exclusive Series Federal Cigar 90th Anniversary 109 Rosado
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Size: 7 1/4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 50
• Vitola: 109
• MSRP: $10.90 (Box of 25, $250)
• Date Released: Feb. 21, 2011
• Number of Cigars Released: 300 Boxes of 25 Cigars (7,500 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 3

As with the Reserva, this cigar is a beautiful specimen. It has a medium-colored rosado shade wrapper with minimal veins and a tight pack. The cigar is crafted well with a seamless wrap and a great 109-style cone shape to the head. The pre-light aroma coming off the cigar is very similar to the Reserva in that it is full of richness. It has lovely notes of barnyard but has an even stronger smell of fruits and floral flavors. The Rosado has a really nice sweetness to it that is hard to miss. The pre-light draw is nice and sweet with that floral note as well as some cedar and chocolate. The pre-light is a bit milder than the aroma it gives off but still very rich.

Starting off in the first third the cigar has a nice little pepper kick to it but fades fast after a few puffs. The one thing I notice right away is the lack of spice, while the Reserva had more of a spice kick this doesn’t, it’s much more mellow and refined. Initial flavors on the palate are cedar, dark chocolate giving it a really nice sweetness and some coffee notes here and there. Great start.

The beginnings of the second third is where I really start to love this cigar. There is an amazing floral note that takes hold and sits behind all the other flavors of cedar, chocolate and coffee. It’s not an in your face flavor, but an underlying note that really ties everything together and gives it amazing complexity. There is not only a combination of floral in the aroma but also in flavor. It’s a very nuanced profile with little gems of flavors here and there, not as in your face as the reserve and it really gives it its own personality and not just the same cigar with a different wrapper. The burn and draw are spot on.

Finishing up in the final third, the cigar develops a creamy texture to it much like the Reserva did—not so much a flavor, more just the texture of the smoke itself. Flavors are still woody, nice chocolate sweetness, bits of leather here and there and that gorgeous floral note that has carried along this whole cigar, it’s really the signature of this smoke and it’s what I remember most about it. It’s a character I tend to only find a lot in Cuban cigars and it’s just wonderful. There is a nice pepper finish on it giving it that nice Pepín García style that I enjoy so much. Much like its counterpart the Reserva I am able to nub this one with ease as well.

Final Notes

• I loved the floral notes this cigar had; it really tied the whole thing together for me. I like that while this cigar has the same internal blend as the Reserva it really was its own cigar, the difference in wrappers really make these two completely different cigars.
• Construction was great. I don’t think I had to touch it up once and it burned almost razor sharp the whole time. Mind you I smoked a few of these and they all burned that way. I really have to give it up to the rollers because it’s a unique shape and they mastered it.
• A lot of people have been asking me “What cigar do you like better, the Reserva or the Rosado?” It’s really hard for me to answer that because I like them both for different reasons and I think of them as two completely different cigars. If I was forced to answer one or the other I might have to choose the Reserva only because I prefer a cigar with more spice and this lacked the spice. However, they are both fantastic cigars.
• If you are interested in purchasing a box or even some singles of the Rosado you can call Federal Cigar at (603) 378-0573.
• Final smoke time was one hour 40 minutes.