Cigar Review: Tatuaje Reserva Broadleaf Collection Havana Cazadores

With the FDA deadline just days away at the time, the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show saw a flurry of new cigar announcements, as expected. Pete Johnson’s Tatuaje was no exception with a number of new offerings. But I don’t think I have to go out on a limb to say fans of Tatuaje were most excited for the new Tatuaje Reserva Broadleaf Collection.

The Tatuaje Reserva Broadleaf Collection consists of a whopping 100 cigars selling for $1,200, featuring ten each of the six original Miami Seleccion del Cazador (Brown Label) “HUNTER” sizes, plus the J21, SW, K222, and Cojonu 2003 blends. Originally, the cigars were set only to be available in 5,000 master cases of 100 (pictured above). More recently, though, Tatuaje has announced some will be released in boxes of ten of each size.

The master cases of 100 began arriving at retailers recently and StogieGuys.com secured one. In the past, I’ve noted that my favorite Tatuaje Brown Label cigar is the lonsdale-sized (6.4 x 43) Havana Cazadores, so that’s where I decided to start.

Like all of the Reserva Broadleaf Collection, the Havana Cazadores uses Nicaraguan binder and filler with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper instead of the Ecuadorian wrapper used in the regular Brown Label blend. To differentiate from other Reserva lines (including K222, J21, and SW, all of which use the Reserva secondary band), the Broadleaf Collection bands all say Broadleaf in small letters below Reserva on the second band.

The attractive wrapper is not surprisingly darker than the regular line, and it’s decently oily and dark brown in color with a few prominent veins. Made in Miami, the cigars are well-constructed with excellent combustion, an easy draw, and a solid dark gray ash.

The primary flavors are charred oak, toast, and black pepper. Secondary flavors include red pepper, earth, coffee, and dark chocolate. Flavors are largely consistent from beginning to end of the hour-plus smoke, with tempered strength that walks the fine line between balance and full flavor.

The non-Reserva Havana Cazadores is the fullest-flavored of the original line, in part because it is wet packed in foil. The first Havana Cazadores Reserva is equally full-bodied, but no more. It swaps out some woodiness for more powdery chocolate and charred notes.

I lit up the Broadleaf Havana Cazadores with high expectations. The three samples I smoked for this review didn’t disappoint. My only hope is that the rest of the Broadleaf Collection can live up to this one. A perfectly constructed combination of full Nicaraguan flavors with the restrained richness that Connecticut Broadleaf provides, the Tatuaje Reserva Broadleaf Collection Havana Cazadores earns our highest rating of five stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. A list of other five-stogie rated cigars can be found here.]

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys