Stogie Reviews: El Triunfador No. 1 Lonsdale

Since their debut in 2003, Tatuaje cigars have been highly acclaimed. Created by Pete Johnson, then buyer for the exclusive Grand Havana Room in Beverly Hills, Tatuaje was named the most in-demand cigar of 2009 by Cigar Aficionado.

These days, Johnson has expanded his cigar line, and in addition to several Tatuaje blends, he now produces Cabaiguan, La Riqueza, Ambos Mundos, La Verite, and El Triunfador. The latter, Spanish for “triumphant,” is marketed as an “Old World, medium-bodied, Cuban-style cigar” and sold in seven vitolas.

Back when the line was introduced in 2008, though, El Triunfador only came in one size: a Lancero. It also had a different blend, consisting of a Connecticut broadleaf maduro wrapper.

The new El Triunfador debuted in March 2010. It features a Habano Ecuador wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos, as well as a new band. The Lonsdale (6.5 x 42), which retails for around $7, has a rugged, oily wrapper, a beautiful triple cap, a slight box press, and a pre-light aroma of oak and honey.

I was expecting this cigar to start off fairly mild and then settle in to the medium-bodied range around the midway point. That’s what I had heard and read, anyways. But the Lonsdale caught me off guard when it kicked off with a bold, spicy profile of dark coffee, dry cedar, pepper, and leather.

After a half inch or so, the taste mellows to include more sweetness and more balance. While I wouldn’t describe El Triunfador as mild by any means, I can see how some cigar enthusiasts would find the Lonsdale to be less aggressive than the smokes in their normal repertoire. Regardless of your perspective, though, this is a delicious, harmonious specimen with a taste and an aroma befitting a cigar in this price range.

The combustion qualities are likewise impressive, with a fairly solid white ash and a straight burn line. The draw is effortless despite the Lonsdale’s narrow ring gauge and well-packed tobaccos.

I don’t think I’ll surprise anyone when I say that this is a fine cigar. El Triunfador Lonsdale exemplifies the quality many of us have come to expect from Pete Johnson’s creations, making it worthy of four stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys