Tatuaje Cigars is no stranger to thinking outside the box in the industry. The immensely popular Monster Series was created in 2008, and some popular shop exclusives like the CQ1, CQ2, and Little Boris are extremely well known. One of the most popular shop exclusives has to be the Pork Tenderloin, released in 2010, which was limited to 5,000 cigars. To this day, Tatuaje fans talk about the cigar, and every now and again, one springs up in a collection somewhere, though I would imagine most have been enjoyed at this point.
Fast forward to 2022, Pete Johnson introduces the Tuxtla series, which replaces the wrapper of an existing cigar in the portfolio with a Mexican San Andrés wrapper. The cigars chosen for this project were the T110, Tatuaje 7th, and the Avion ’13. With the popularity of the Pork Tenderloin, it just made sense to bring it into the Tuxtla line. At the 2022 PCA Trade Show, the Tuxtla Lomo de Cerdo was announced. Not many other details were included in the release announcement. The cigar is a 5 1/8 X 52 vitola, is the same blend as the original Pork Tenderloin with a Mexican San Andrés wrapper and will be available in 25ct bundles. The quantity of cigars manufactured is dependent on the number of orders taken.
Under the lid
The packaging of the cigar defines it perfectly. It looks like meat from the butcher shop wrapped in white butcher paper with green and black graphics. One detail I found particularly appealing, in addition to size and blend information, was the “safe handling” or lighting instructions on the bundle label.
- Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Filler: Nicaragua
- Vitola Reviewed: 5 1/8 X 52
- Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
- Release Date: March 2023
- Number of cigars released: Undisclosed.
- MSRP: $12 ($300 for a bundle of 25)
The cigars have a dark brown wrapper with a light oily sheen, several bumps under the wrapper, and quite a bit of tooth. They feature a closed foot and a pigtail cap, which are well-constructed. The cigars are relatively firm to the squeeze test, with no soft spots detected. The aroma coming from the foot of the cigar has stone fruit, espresso, and damp cedar, while the cigar’s body has more of a curing barn, barnyard profile to it. The pre-light draw was slightly tight due to the closed foot, yet I could detect baker’s chocolate, fresh ground coffee, salted cashews and a hint of citrus.
Having been able to experience the original Pork Tenderloin, I am anxious and excited to get this one going!
Performance Notes:
First third: A significant black pepper and cocoa blast start things off. With the cigar having a covered foot, I tend to start smoking as soon as fire is put to it vs toasting the foot as I normally do. My thought is you experience the extra tobacco on the foot. It was left there for a reason, right? Getting a little farther along, the pepper subsides slightly, leaving a good spice layer. As the cigar settles in, salted cashews, dark chocolate, damp cedar and a faint sourdough bread note appear. These flavors are similar to what I expected from the San Andrés wrapper. Retrohale is mostly fresh ground black pepper and raisin, with just a hint of cabinet spice on the finish. Strength early on is mild to medium, while body and complexity are solidly in the medium range. Burn and draw are almost perfect with a thick, heavy white smoke.
Second third: Moving along to the middle of the cigar, the profile does not shift much. The damp cedar increases slightly in intensity, as does the sourdough bread. Some cabinet spice is starting to creep into the profile as well. At the same time, the salted cashew note becomes dominant, giving the cigar an overall salty profile causing an increase in saliva output in the mouth. A solid raisin note also appears here, adding a pleasant yet subtle sweetness to the profile. The retrohale has become a little spicier, more of a smoky chipotle spice, with a little bit of bittersweet chocolate and a mineral note. Strength has pushed through the middle of the medium range nearing medium-full, while body and complexity remain medium. Burn and draw remain amazing, with the heavy white smoke continuing to pour from the foot. I have noticed at this point that the ash on this cigar is firm as well, needing persuasion to fall before it ended up in my lap.
Final third: The cigar gets a little darker and heavier in the final third. Bitter dark chocolate, damp earth, espresso, leather and charred oak drive the profile. At the same time, the retrohale intensity has increased, with more of the smoky chipotle pepper, mineral notes, and charred oak. Nearing the end, the cigar starts to turn a little bitter, with all of the dark, heavy notes competing for attention on the palate. Strength has attained medium-full, while body and complexity remain medium. Burn and draw perform exceptionally the entire way through, as I have come to expect from Tatuaje Cigars.
Core flavors throughout the smoking experience were chocolate, cedar, salted cashews, and raisins, with charred oak and chipotle pepper to round things out.
Strength: Medium-Full
Body: Medium-Full
Complexity: Medium-Full
Smokin Experience: While this cigar was good, with flawless construction, great burn, and draw, it fell a bit short of the smoking experience I had with the original. That being said, this was a great cigar! I love both Connecticut Broadleaf and Mexican San Andrés wrappers. Still, a component was missing in the flavor profile that elevated the original to the next level that I felt deserved a mention. These are fairly easy to obtain now, allowing those not fortunate enough to experience the blend of the OG to taste this interesting blend.
Purchase Recommendation: I recommend at least a couple of fivers, although these are bundle-worthy, you might be unable to locate one. It will be interesting to see if these are as sought out as the original, as it seems certain that a much higher quantity was produced this time.
Smokin Facts:
- This cigar is also available in the CRA sampler pack with a different colored band.
- The original Pork Tenderloin was blended for Jose Agosto from the now-defunct Gloucester Street Cigars.
Smokin Wrap
Cigars smoked for the review: Three
Average smoking time: 1 hour 22 minutes
Score: 89
Kevin Acuff – Senior Reviewer & Editor
Kevin Acuff was born and raised in Northeast Ohio. Growing up in a rural area, he was able to indulge in some very exciting life experiences at a young age. He acquired his private pilot license before he had a driver’s license, spent several years on the competitive bass fishing tournament trail, and even spent a couple of seasons racing motorcycles. In 2001, he relocated to Las Vegas, spending the better part of the past 20 years working in the sign industry. It was one of those industry trips, back in 2014 that changed his life for good. His boss handed him a Siglo V and an instantaneous bond was formed.
