Tatuaje to Release TAA, PCA Exclusives Again in 2023

This year, Tatuaje will once again be releasing exclusive cigars for retail stores that are members of Tobacconists’ Association of America (TAA) and/or the Premium Cigar Association (PCA).

Many of the details are still being worked out, but Pete Johnson, Tatuaje’s founder, said that like the 2022 releases, there will be two different cigars that will share a common binder, filler and size. They will differentiate by their wrappers, though Johnson said he has not decided which wrapper will be used for which cigar. For 2022, Tatuaje created a Connecticut broadleaf-wrapped version for the TAA, while members of the PCA who attended that organization’s trade show were able to purchase a version with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. Both of those cigars were shipped to retailers in January 2023.

What Johnson has confirmed is that both cigars will be offered in a 6 3/8 x 54 parejo vitola, they will come in 20-count boxes, and they are scheduled to ship to stores in November. Pricing has not yet been announced for either cigar.

Tatuaje will once again be making a donation of 50 cents per cigar sold to each organization, though with production numbers not yet disclosed, the total amount of the donation is unknown at this point. In 2022, Tatuaje produced 1,000 boxes of each cigar, meaning the company donated $10,000 to each organization.

It will mark the 12th time Tatuaje has created an exclusive cigar for the TAA, and the second time the company has done so for PCA.

The 2023 Tobacconists’ Association of America’s annual meeting, which includes two selling events, takes place March 26-30 at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic. The TAA is a fairly small group of some of the country’s top tobacconists, about 80 retailers, as well as 40 or so manufacturers. The association 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.

The 2023 PCA Convention & Trade Show, the cigar industry’s largest annual trade show, will take place July 7-11 at the Venetian Expo Center in Las Vegas.

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.