Tatuaje Cigars

Pete Johnson, founder of Tatuaje Cigars, brought his company from the ground up to become one of the most successful boutique cigars around. After working at Gus’ Cigar Shop in Los Angeles for a few months in 1992, he bought the store and remained there until 1995. Throughout the 1990's he worked at a few cigar shops and tried to make his own blends, but nothing worked out for him. It also wasn’t the best time to come out with a new blend for someone that was fairly new in the industry. This all changed in 2003 when Pete Johnson met Jose “Pepin” Garcia. They developed the blend that they named Tatuaje, which means “tattoo” in Spanish, something that reflects Pete Johnson’s love for tattoos. Tatuaje is produced by Don Pepin at the El Rey de Los Habanos Factory in Little Havana in Miami, Florida. Recently in 2006, Tatuaje has released a new line called the Tatuaje Havana VI, made in Esteli, Nicaragua. This line was made to be a cheaper alternative than the original, high end Tatuaje line.

Tatuaje was the first brand that Don Pepin made entirely on his own, and it launched him into the spotlight. Since the explosion of this brand, Pepin has become quite the famous blender, being snatched up by many companies to produce various lines and private labels. Cigar Aficionado has given Tatuaje cigars many awards, including being in the top 25 cigars of the year for three consecutive years from 2005-2007. In 2005, the Tatuaje Cabinet Taino was actually ranked number four as well as the Noella being number 9 in 2006. All Tatuaje cigars have received favorable ratings from Cigar Aficionado, most of them rating in the 90+ categories. All Tatuaje cigars are rolled with a Cuban triple-cap and feature 1st Generation Cuban-Seed tobacco grown in Nicaragua.

There are multiple lines within the Tatuaje cigar brand, including the Tatuaje Cabinet, Tatuaje Reserva, Tatuaje Cojonu and the new Tatuaje Havana VI series. There are currently seven different sizes in the Tatuaje Cabinet cigar line, which features a Corojo 99 wrapper and is a Nicaraguan Puro. Depending upon the cigar in this line, the strength varies due to the filler, as the Especiales is rather mild, while the Cazadores certainly packs quite the punch. Also, if you take the first letter of the first six sizes, it spells out Pete Johnson’s dog, Hunter. Obviously this has nothing to do with the cigar itself, but hey, it’s kinda fun!

The Tatuaje Reserva is also a Nicarguan Puro, which uses a Nicarguan Corojo wrapper, except for the SJ21 which uses a Ligero leaf, to unite this excellent blend. As with all Tatuaje cigars, the Tatuaje Reserva starts out a bit peppery, and then the cigar begins to get smooth and creamy during the first half of the Tatuaje Reserva. Undertones of coffee are present, and as you pass the second half of the cigar, leather and earthy notes begin to show. In conclusion, this cigar is only offered in three sizes, but all have gotten nothing but rave reviews from all of our aficionado customers.

The Tatuaje Cojonu cigar line has three sizes, and all are powerful full-bodied cigars. Starting in August of 2006, the wrapper was changed to a delicious Ligero wrapper that has definitely improved the cigar. Each cigar size is named after the year it was introduced, except the bandless Gran Cojonu. Tatuaje plans to introduce a new size every three years, something to look forward to.

The Tatuaje Havana VI is something that BestCigarPrices.com is proud to offer to you, a more affordable blend from Pepin and Tatuaje. All Tatuaje Havana VI cigars are made in the traditional Havana style using a triple cap, and all of the cigars are Nicaraguan Puros. These quality medium-full bodied cigars use a 1999 Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper. In addition to the regular sizes, BestCigarPrices.com is excited to offer you the Tatuaje Havana VI Exclusivo Verocu, which is a cigar that Pete Johnson described as a Havana VI on steroids. This limited edition cigar is available in two sizes, and these sizes are unique to each coast of the United States. Being on the East Coast, we’re proud to offer you the Verocu #2, which is exclusive to the Eastern side of the United States. Act soon because these cigars are in limited quantity and they’re something that any aficionado should consider picking up. Tatuaje cigars have taken on the boutique industry by storm and by purchasing either a box or a five pack, you’ll see what we mean.

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