It was at this point that the Tattoo really took off for me. The retrohale was incredibly smooth, showcasing cocoa and leather alongside a tingling sweetness. Once again, the citrus made an appearance, but this time with a more zesty character that I found very enjoyable.
FINAL THIRD
Heading into the home straight of my Tatuaje Tattoo experience, there were subtle shifts taking place within the profile. Firstly, the cocoa became more pronounced and blended beautifully with some earthy tones. This then transitioned into a rich mix of cedar and leather on the finish, which provided a fitting end to something that had been such a nostalgic journey up until this point.
WAS THE CIGAR A GOOD BURNER?
The burn line kept itself in check throughout the entire smoke, only requiring one minor correction at around two-thirds in. Aside from this, there was never anything to cause concern or detract from what was going on flavor-wise.
The ash clung on for an inch or so before falling off in neat chunks, revealing an even cherry underneath that showed no signs of wanting to go out anytime soon.
WAS IT A FLAVORFUL SMOKE?
Yes! While not being overly complex or transitioning between flavors too frequently, this medium-strength cigar certainly had its own identity. It stayed true to itself throughout and offered enough depth to keep me interested without ever becoming mundane.
WOULD I BUY IT AGAIN?
This is where it gets tricky. The Tatuaje Tattoo does everything right when it comes to affordable pricing and presentation. It’s full of character both inside and out but lacks complexity in terms of flavors – which is by no means unusual for budget-friendly sticks like these.
I’d definitely pick up another one if I wanted to reminisce about simpler times; however, as a regular smoker who craves variety and wants each experience to be different than before? Probably not.
At this point, I thought my palate was going to get peppered again — but instead, the pepperiness moved to the retrohale. There it took the form of an herbal spice reminiscent of warm ginger and saffron.
The mocha faded away, but things definitely got more earthy in the profile as some cedar and leather notes started developing.
FINAL THIRD
Yes, you guessed it: The profile still produced spices (mostly black pepper), but with two differences. First, earthiness had ramped up a couple notches; and secondly, it kept sweetnesses of espresso and dark chocolate from becoming too cloying.
STRENGTH
It’s medium-bodied. But there were times – both at the beginning and end of my burn – where it seemed like there was some fire in its belly.
Should make sense in an experienced cigar handler’s rotation; for the price though it’s a great choice for a stogie novice looking to press their lips to something fuller without breaking the bank.
FINAL THOUGHTS
A tattoo is something we look at to remember someone or something by. And I won’t forget about this Tatuaje Tattoo anytime soon. It’s meant to be and succeeds as an “everyday smoke” that shows off a good amount of flavors for just $5 a stick.
It gives you lots of value for such a dependable cigar so definitely keep some around…so don’t forget to pick up your box of Tatuaje Tattoo cigars from cigars.com today! More information available at our Tatuaje cigars review below.