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Tatuaje Black Label Petite Lancero Review

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Cigar: Tatuaje Black Label Petite Lancero
Size: 6 x 38rg
Filler: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown Criollo from Esteli
Price: $190-215/Box, $8.60ea
Individual Weight: 8.85g

Pre-Light: Smelling the body of the cigar gives off a sweet scent of bread, suede, and raw black tea. While the construction is beautiful on this cigar, the triple cap is off-center and there is a noticeable vein midway in the sticks length. The draw is nice and loose and the dry air meets my tongue with a subtle hay taste.

Light: The first puffs remind me of what I call the Tatuaje Flavor. Wonderully nutty, with woodiness and aromatic spice. These however, seem to have more spice on the nose than the previous Tat's I've reviewed in the past. It starts to exibit the depth of flavor very early on. This seems to be a more pronounced Tatuaje than what I've experienced before. The levels of flavors build quickly to show multiple layers of spice flavors. Paprika, Cinnamon, and Fenugreek all show themselves on a nirvana inducing retro-hale.

1/3rd: Notes of honey, vanilla, and cinnamon are most present as we enter the end of the first third. The cigar seems to be burning qucker than most lancero sized vitoilas I've smoked. Sweet tea flavors start to dance on smaller puffs, with a darker more black tea aroma upon double puffs. The ash is a much lighter shade of grey than most cigars this age which indicates high quality tobacco to me. However, the ash seems to fall off every half inch, which doesn't bode well for the roller.

½ Way: The flavors are consistetly building, without becoming over powering. The classic Tatuaje subtleness is found in this cigar as it is in all of Pete Johnsons' creations. While this blend is more powerful than previous Tats I've enjoyed, it seems to be less potent than many of the limited release sticks I've found offered by Pete. Charred oak flavors are coming through at this point. While I have yet to enjoy a whiskey with this cigar, I could see the two going very well together. There is a leatheryness to the smoke that is hard to describe. It isn't the typical leather hues I'm used to, but more of a worked lamb-skin Cabretta leather found in a new golf glove. The burn has remained slightly uneven throughout the cigar, but not to the detriment of the burn. The cigar has kept a perfect even cherry throught the review, and burns well sitting, not just while smoking.

Final 3rd: The small vein on this cigar doesn't appear to be affecting the burn any, as the side which it is present is burning the most even. The flavor is still intensifying as most cigars do as they get into their final stages. This one however, is as smooth and flavorful as it was when it was lit. It doesn't seem to be picking up any bitterness as the oils increase under the Nicaraguan Sun Grown Criollo wrapper. More wood is starting to come through as the leather takes a back seat for a bit. As with most Tatuajes I've had, the hardest part of smoking this cigar is removing the band. Please Pete, make it easier on us to get the paper off! The burn has evened out into a paper thin edge of toasted tobacco, buring evenly around the cigar.

Final Thoughts: This cigar came in at just under 9 grams, which is a bit light when it comes to most lanceros or off-lancero vitoilas. Most 7 x 32 cigars we've tested weighed in at 12-14 grams, with the 6 in Petites usually hitting 10-12. At nearly $9 per stick, this does does reduce the overall value to me as the cigar burns a bit quick. The cigar finished in one hour and fifteen minutes, which is about 25 minutes faster than I enjoy most cigars of a similiar size. That being said, I got more pleasure out of it than some of those as the quality of tobacco on this cigar seems to be second to none. As it is a limited release for Tatuaje, these won't be around long. Do yourself a favor and pick a box up as quckly as you can. This cigar should not be missed.

For the full review, high resoultion photography, and final score, please visit The Daily Tobacconist