Tatuaje Cabaiguan Lancero

By Jeremy Hensley | February 19, 2016

In April 2014 Pete Johnson released the Limited Lancero Collection featuring 10 highly acclaimed Tatuaje cigars all in a 7 ½ by 38 Lancero vitola. The Limited Lancero Collection is made in small batches on a regular basis and is readily available. Today, I bring to you the eighth installment of my Tatuaje Lancero Series with the Tatuaje Cabaiguan Lancero.

Included in the Lancero sampler:

• Tatuaje (Brown Label)
• Tatuaje Havana VI
• Tatuaje Black Label
• Cabaiguan
• Cabaiguan Guapo
• La Riqueza
• El Triunfador Original
• El Triunfador
• La Casita Criolla
• Fausto

According Tatuaje’s website, Cabaiguan is a city in the northern Santi Spirites province in Cuba. Made at My Father Cigars in Esteli, Nicaragua, the Cabaiguan is manufactured in five regular production vitolas: Imperiales  (7 by  47), Belicosos Finos  (5 ½ by  52), Coronas Extra  (5 5/8 by 46), Robustos Extra  (5 ¼ by 50) , Cabaiguan Petit  (4 ½ by 32). Since I have been on a Connecticut Shade kick as of late, I am really looking forward to this cigar. 

The Facts

A gift from my bride
Price: $95.00 per box of 10 / $9.50 per cigar
Vitola: Lancero
Size: 7 ½ by 38
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 20 Minutes

Pre-light

The Tatuaje Cabaiguan Lancero wears a medium tan wrapper with a couple medium-sized veins, easy to see seams, and a few stretch marks. The entire cigar gives slightly when pressed between my fingers.  Bringing the Cabaiguan to my nose, there are notes of barnyard, deep red fruit notes, chocolate, and some cedar.

The foot shows off more of the cedar and chocolate, as well as some crushed red pepper that is leaving a tickle in my nose. The cigar ends in a pig-tail cap, well, what’s left of it. A shallow-cut reveals a perfect draw with just the right amount of resistance. Rich cedar and clove come across on the dry draw.

First Third

After an easy, quick light, the Cabaiguan opens with some cedar and a blast of pepper that is intense through the sinuses. There are dark notes of coffee and cocoa on the finish. An inch in and the spice settles. A thick carbon line as this lancero burns evenly leaving behind a light gray ash. The cigar maintained medium flavors throughout third, with the spice starting full and downshifting to medium. The profile is simple, but well balanced and pleasant. A cubanesque saltiness is beginning to peak through at the end of the third. 

Middle hird

The flavors as a whole have stepped up their game with the coffee and cocoa matching up with cedar and spice in the profile. The saltiness identified earlier is adding a layer of complexity to the cigar. Each small draw pulls forth a satisfying amount of smoke. A newly found richness is pulling though, along with a hint of wet cedar and an earthiness. The Tatuaje Cabaiguan Lancero continues to burn along with no issues with an even burn and the ash holding upwards of an inch.

Final Third

Closing out the second third and making my way into the final third, the saltiness is the most dominant flavor in the profile. I am beginning to feel some strength putting me a nice relaxed state of mind. The cigar has a run on one “side” but of no concern so far. The profile in the final third is rich and consists of cedar, earth, salt, and pepper. There is a toasted quality to the smoke, but not overshadowing the other flavors.

Wrap-up

The Tatuaje Cabaiguan Lancero delivered the most consistent, straight forward profile in the collection so far. But is that a bad thing? Not at all! The flavors, while consistent for most of the smoke, were very satisfying and cubanesque. Marketed as an “Old World Medium Bodied Cuban Style Cigar”, and I would say this cigar perfectly fits that description. I am already looking forward to smoking through the other vitolas in the line-up.