If you have been smoking cigars long enough, then you probably know about Tatuaje and its many limited runs. Pete Johnson – owner and founder of Tatuaje, is one of the few who knows exactly how to execute these projects to their full potential. But that also means that in its long history of limited runs, Tatuaje has some fan favorites that stick out more than others. Perhaps one of the most well known and most sought after is the T-110. This cigar was originally released in a single wrapper format with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and filler for R. Field Wine & Co in Honolulu, Hawaii back in 2009. The “T” stands for Thermonuclear which is a nod to the use of high priming tobaccos in the blend. The 110 refers to the size of the cigar in millimeters, something more common in Europe and Asia where the metric system is used.
The new releases which came out last year feature the Habano plus, a Sumatra (Capa Especial) and a Connecticut Broadleaf (Reserva). They all measure the same size as the original a 4 3/8 – 52 short robusto. It was available in twenty-five count boxes in each of the three different variations. However, there were 2,400 boxes of the Broadleaf and Capa Especial versions and only 1,000 boxes of the Habano. Pete has said that we can expect not to see these return for at least another three to five years.
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Cigar: Tatuaje T-110 Reserva Broadleaf
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Origin: Nicaragua
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Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
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Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
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Binder: Nicaragua
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Filler: Nicaragua
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Size: 4 3/8 x 52
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MSRP: Single: $10 / Box: $250
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Released: July 2021
I first grab this cigar out of the humidor, and I begin to get excited as I check it to make sure it is not damaged and find this cigar externally is flawless. The wrapper is very dark, oily and toothy. It has a nice firm feel too it which tells me this has a good amount of tobacco in it. Fearing it might be on the tighter side, I cut it and take a cold draw right away to find it actually draws very well. I pick up notes of barnyard hay, raisin, and cherry.
I first light the cigar and it burns perfectly right off the bat. The burn line is even, smooth and thin, no bumps or ripples. The first few puffs give me a blast of white pepper, jalapeno and a slightly burnt pie crust that is still enjoyable to eat. I notice at this point the cigar is giving off plenty of smoke production with every puff I take. This lines up with the oily wrapper that I talked about before. As I keep smoking through the first third of the cigar, it continues to stay consistent with the burn, draw, smoke production and the ash is nice and compact. The flavor however slowly ramps up higher as the cigar is smoked.
The second third arrives with a good amount of strength. As I said before the cigar continues to ramp up in strength of both flavor and nicotine. The pepper begins to intensify, and I can really feel it in the back of my throat. On an unrelated note, I was slightly sick when I smoked one of these and the pepper and spice components being as a strong as they were helped me clear out my nasal passages although some extra coughing came into play. Nevertheless, I continued to enjoy the strength of the cigar as I began to get notes of oak, and something reminiscent of a spicy Thai garlic sauce on top of everything else.
By the time the final third came into play a very complex set of flavors came with it. One thing I want to point out is the fact that while the pepper was the only core flavor note that stayed consistent all the way through – the pepper notes in themselves changed. Going from a black pepper to white pepper to a mix of the two plus some cayenne pepper by the end. There was a little more earth and spice in the final third as well as I picked up a strong scent and flavor of cedar as well as cinnamon and ground espresso beans.
This cigar is not for the mild or mild-medium smoker. If you don’t like strong and peppery cigars this isn’t for you. I personally have an affinity for this kind of cigar and pretty much most things that are made in this factory so for me it was very enjoyable. Through the entire smoke session, all three cigars smoked almost flawlessly in terms of burn, draw and the overall construction. Plus, there was plenty of flavor transitions and complexity. When these cigars return someday – don’t hesitate to give them a shot. After smoking all three variations, I would say the Reserva Broadleaf is my favorite.
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Cigars Smoked for Review: Three
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Average Burn Time: 1 Hour and 30 Minutes
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Score: 91
By: Matthew Tabacco
Born and raised in New England, Matthew Tabacco began smoking cigars and living up to his unique namesake in 2017. What began as just a social indulgence became a world of everything premium cigars- learning from some of the biggest and best in the business. From casual smoking to lighting up on the hit podcast The Smokin Tabacco Show, Matthew can usually be found in some of the largest smoke shops in the country enjoying a cigar, talking business, or preparing for a show.
