The Tatuaje TAA 2023, the latest exclusive for the Tobacconists’ Association of America, will soon be on store shelves, at Pete Johnson of Tatuaje told halfwheel that the cigars will begin shippig this week.
The cigar is a 6 3/8 x 54 toro that uses a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, a Nicaraguan double binder, and fillers from Nicaragua. Pricing is set at $15 per cigar and $300 per box of 20 cigars, with production limited to 2,500 boxes of 20 cigars for a total 50,000 cigars, which are produced by at the My Father Cigars S.A. factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.
Tatuaje will make a donation of 50 cents per cigar sold to the TAA, a total of $25,000 for the organization, a membership group that includes approximately 80 retailers and approximately 40 manufacturers. The group 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.
This includes cigars made just for the group, which can include exclusive lines, exclusive sizes of existing lines, and previews of lines that will get a larger release in the future. In addition to Tatuaje, CLE, 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, Miami Cigar & Co., My Father, Plasencia, Quesada, Rocky Patel and Alec Bradley all produced cigars for the group as part of its Exclusive Series Program.
This marks the 12th cigar that Tatuaje has produced for the TAA’s Exclusive Series Program, dating back to 2011:
Note: The following shows the various Tatuaje TAA vitolas. Some of these cigars may have been released after this post was originally published. The list was last updated on Aug. 3, 2024.
- Tatuaje TAA 2011 (5 5/8 x 54) — $11 (Box of 20, $220) — 1,500 Boxes of 20 Cigars (30,000 Total Cigars)
- Tatuaje TAA 2012 (6 1/4 x 50) — $11 (Box of 20, $220) — 2,500 Boxes of 20Cigars (50,000 Total Cigars)
- Tatuaje 10th Anniversary Grand Chasseur TAA 2013 (6 3/8 x 54) — $11 (Box of 20, $220) — 2,500 boxes of 20 Cigars (50,000 Total Cigars)
- Tatuaje TAA 2014 (6 x 52) — $11 (Box of 20, $220) — 2,800 Boxes of 20 Cigars (56,000 Total Cigars)
- Tatuaje TAA 2015 (5 5/8 x 54) — $11 (Box of 20, $220) — 3,800 Boxes of 20 Cigars (76,000 Total Cigars)
- Tatuaje TAA 2016 (6 1/4 x 50) – $11.95 (Box of 20, $239) – 4,000 Boxes of 20Cigars (80,000 Total Cigars)
- Tatuaje TAA 2017 (6 x 52) — $11.95 (Box of 20, $239) — Not Disclosed
- Tatuaje TAA 50th (5 x 52) — $11.95 (Box of 20, $239) — 2,500 Boxes of 20 Cigars (50,000 Total Cigars)
- Tatuaje TAA 51th (5 x 52) — $11.95 (Box of 20, $239) — 3,000 Boxes of 20 Cigars (60,000 Total Cigars)
- Tatuaje TAA 2020 (5 5/8 x 54) — $11.95 (Box of 20, $239) — 3,000 Boxes of 20 Cigars (60,000 Total Cigars)
- Tatuaje TAA 2022 (5 3/8 x 52) — $14.50 (Box of 20, $290) — 1,000 Boxes of 20 Cigars (20,000 Total Cigars)
- Tatuaje TAA 2023 (6 3/8 x 54) — $15 (Box of 20, $300) — 2,500 Boxes of 20 Cigars (50,000 Total Cigars)
Tatuaje also produced a similar cigar for the Premium Cigar Association (PCA), although that cigar—the Tatuaje PCA 2023—used an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. It was released in February 2024.
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, the G-League's Valley Suns, 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.
