Cigar Review: Tatuaje Exclusive Series TAA 2015
3 Nov 2015
The Tatuaje TAA 2015 (5.6 x 54) is a cigar with an impressive pedigree. The box-pressed smoke is a re-release of the Tatuaje TAA 2011, the first Tatuaje made exclusively for members of the Tobacconists Association of America (TAA). (The 2015 Tatuaje TAA is one of fifteen cigar offerings for 2015 made exclusively for TAA members.)
That original Tatuaje TAA release itself was based on one of my all-time favorite Tatuaje cigars, the Barclay Rex 100th Anniversary, which was the first in Tatuaje’s Exclusive Series. (The blend for Barclay Rex, in turn, was based on the Pork Tenderloin cigar, which was made for Gloucester Street Cigars in Boston.)
All of those cigars feature a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler. The wrapper is particularly enticing. It’s deep dark brown in color with a sprinkling of shiny crystals that show under the light.
Once lit, there is a burst of wood spice from the closed foot. Soon, the cigar settles into a medium- to full-bodied combination of oak, earth, bread, and char. There’s also some slight red pepper spice along with chewy dried fruit and leather notes.
It’s a complex smoke with lots going on, a roller coaster that starts off spicy before settling in to a more rounded combination of bread and cream.
Construction was good on two of the samples I smoked. Two others, though, suffered from a slightly tight draw that required multiple relights; nothing catastrophic, but it was a slight inconvenience.
Ultimately, while the 2015 Tatuaje TAA might not be quite as outstanding as the Barclay Rex it was based on, it is still an excellent smoke. With plenty of complexity, richness, and balance, the Tatuaje Tobacconists Association of America 2015 earns a rating of four stogies out of five.
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–Patrick S
photo credit: Stogie Guys
Patrick Ashby
Co-Founder & Editor in Chief
Patrick Semmens
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George Edmonson
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I’ve said this many times before and I’ll say it again…this TAA ’15 is my favorite release of 2015. Excellent smoke and my favorite of all the Tat TAA’s. Sorry about your draw issues, of the 7 I have smoked they have all been about spot on, great review buddy!
I’ve had only one of these, and the draw on mine was not good, either. I heard similar complaints from a couple of others, too. It’s led me not to pull the trigger on another, even though I found the cigar very tasty.
I smoked all four out of a box I purchased. (I made a rare exception to my rule of trying a cigar before purchasing a full box.) So I’ll be able to see if they are just shipped with a little too much moisture and will get better, or if it is a larger issue.
Smoked it, loved it…end of story