Cigar Review: Black Label Cazadores by Tatuaje Cigars

• Vitola: Cazadores
• 6.375” x 43 ring gauge 
• MSRP $10
• Purchased at Burns Tobacconist

Background

Worst “limited edition” ever…or worst product roll-out ever…something. That’s kind of how I feel about the Tatuaje Black Label right now. Make no mistake, it’s a great smoke and I’ve enjoyed getting my hands on them in various sizes over the years. But the last decade feels a bit like a tease now that there are 5 full-time, regular-release vitolas. We got teased with Corona Gordas in ceramic jars, torpedoes in questionably-shaped tubos, Robustos in event-only 3-packs, Petite Lanceros when they were available, Corona Gordas in melamine jars, full-sized Lanceros in samplers, full-sized Lanceros AND culebras in limited edition packs…another release ofd Corona Gordas in melamine jars. Really…just how pickin’ limited was this “limited edition?”

So finally the tobacco gods shone their faces on us and decided we could be blessed with 5 sizes in regular production. Two of the sizes were very familiar: Corona Gordas (again! Yes, they are a great size in this line, but still…) and Petite Lanceros (with the promise that we will actually be able to get them regularly this time). New for this go-around are the Petite Robusto (4” x 50) and Gran Toro (6.5” x 50), as well as the Cazadores that I’m smoking for today’s review.

I’ve smoked everything but the Gran Toro at this point and have to say, the different sizes do make for a quite stunning primer on how size affects strength and body. The Petite Lancero is a powerhouse of a stick, while I’ve been told by others that the Gran Toro is much more in the medium-body and strength category. The others fall in between. Of the ones I’ve smoked, I have enjoyed them all, but felt that the Cazadores size is a fantastic balance between strength and flavor.

This blend is 100% Nicaraguan tobacco with a Sun-grown Criollo wrapper leaf, and they are made in the My Father factory. As noted, I’ve had a few of this blend over the years…I’ve bought the vast majority of them myself, including this review sample. Burns has some sticks in stock, but not enough to add to the website at the moment; I’ve linked to the general “Tatuaje” page of the web store, which is where you’ll find the Black Label when the supply is consistent enough to add them.

Prelight

The new boxes are very good-looking, in addition to being easier to display on the shelf than either the jars or the stand-up boxes used for the previous Petite Lancero releases. The cigars themselves are wet-packed, no cellophane, tied together with ribbon and wrapped in foil. So opening a box is a lot of work, but also gives off an amazing aroma. Two thumbs up for wet-packing!

The band used on most of the sizes is the old-school plain paper, black background with white type and art. The exception is the Corona Gorda, which uses the glossy paper, silver foil and embossing begun when they did the melamine jar release. I wish they had done all of these in that same band…mostly because they are easier to remove without ripping the band to shreds. Honestly, almost all of Tatuaje’s plain paper bands won’t let go without being reduced to confetti.

The cigar itself was a dark caramel color with touches of red under certain lighting. The wrapper leaf had an oily feel and an aroma of sweet hay, earth and leather that reminded me of some of the best Ecuadorian Habano leaves. The foot had a more solid earthiness along with notes of cedar.

The cold draw of the cigar was very good, featuring notes of natural tobacco, hay and barnyard.

Flavor

The Tatuaje Black Label Cazadores fired up with a solid mix of earth and cedar, followed closely by subtle dried fruit and vegetal notes, then notes of pepper on the finish. The retrohale had a much stronger pepper burns, as well as strong cedar. As I got further into the first third, I tasted more bitter espresso bean notes while the sweetness subsided a bit and the earthiness took a back seat.

The bitterness subsided during the second third, leaving the strong flavor of natural tobacco shot through with cedar and a bit of red pepper.

Pepper came through loud and clear on the last third, with the natural tobacco and cedar flavors subsiding a bit. Earth was detectable under that.

Construction

The draw on this sample was a little snug, but anything but problematic. I had a straight burn line and solid ash.

Value

The price point on these is fair for the experience they deliver.

Conclusions

I’m truly happy that the Tatuaje Black Label is now available all the time. It’s been a favorite of mine for a long time and it’s good to know that I can get it in a variety of sizes pretty much anytime I want (except for now, when they seem to be in short supply…time will fix that). The Cazadores vitola is a great example of the blend, sitting at medium-to-full in body with lots of earth and pepper, along with enough cedar and coffee notes to ensure lots of complexity and enjoyment. I highly recommend this size of this blend.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10