Tatuaje Cohete Reserva

The Tatuaje Cohete Reserva is an offshoot of a cigar that has obtained cult status over the years, the Tatuaje Cohete. The Tatuaje Cohete was a 4 x 50 petite robusto released as an exclusive offering to Tower Pipes and Cigars in Sacramento, California. In 2022, Tatuaje announced it was bringing back the Tatuaje Cohete for a limited run but would also release the Cohete with three different wrapper options. While the original blend was released with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, there would be two additional Cohete releases: Cohete Capa Especial (Ecuadorian Sumatra) and Cohete Reserva. Today, we turn our attention and look at the Tatuaje Cohete Reserva.

It is worth noting that the Cohete was the second store-exclusive project that Pete Johnson brought back for a limited run as a national release and would incorporate different wrapper options. Tatuaje would bring back the Tatuaje T110 (a Hawaii Store Exclusive) in 2021 and would release it in four different wrapper options: Habano (original), a Sumatra (Capa Especial), Connecticut Broadleaf (Reserva), and Mexican San Andres (Tuxtla).

Regarding the Cohete, Tatuaje has said this was a limited production run and has not indicated if this cigar will return soon.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Tatuaje Cohete Reserva and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

In addition to the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, the Tatuaje Cohete Reserva consists of all Nicaraguan tobaccos used for the binder and filler. The Tatuaje Cohete Reserva production is handled at the My Father Cigars factory – owned and operated by the Garcia family in Estelí, Nicaragua.

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.

Vitolas Offered

The Tatuaje Cohete Reserva comes in one size – a 4 x 50 Petite Robusto. The cigars were presented in 25-count cabinet boxes.

Appearance

The Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper of the Tatuaje Cohete Reserva had the color of a milk chocolate bar. Upon closer examination of the wrapper, there was some toothiness along with a slight amount of mottling. The surface of the wrapper had a small amount of oil on it. There were also some very thin veins and minimally visible wrapper seams.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Tatuaje Cohete Reserva. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw consisted of a combination of mocha (a fusion of coffee and chocolate notes) and earth. This was a satisfactory pre-light draw experience. It was time to toast up the Tatuaje Cohete Reserva and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Tatuaje Cohete Reserva opened up with more notes of mocha and earth, which moved into the forefront rather quickly. In addition, notes of dried fruit, cedar, and a touch of black pepper surfaced in the background. The mocha notes had a fusion of coffee and chocolate but seemed skewed toward the coffee note. On the retro-hale, there was an additional layer of black pepper.

The mocha and earth were still the primary notes at the start of the second third of the Tatuaje Cohete Reserva. There was more sweetness from both the mocha in the forefront and the dried fruit in the background than at any other point of the smoking experience. As the cigar moved toward the midway point, the sweetness diminished again, and the mocha notes morphed into more of a black coffee note. At the same time, there was an increase in the cedar and pepper notes from the background.

By the final third, the earth notes were still grounded in the forefront. The coffee notes receded into the background while the cedar notes replaced them in the forefront. In addition to the coffee notes, there were still notes of pepper and dried fruit. This is the way the Tatuaje Cohete Reserva came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

When it came to the burn of the Tatuaje Cohete Reserva, early on, the cigar had a straight burn path and straight burn line. As the cigar reached the 1/3 point, the burn started to meander, which required frequent touch-ups for the duration of the smoke. While the touch-ups did the trick, there were more in the way of touch-ups than I prefer. The resulting ash was silver-gray. It wasn’t an overly firm ash, but it wasn’t loose or flakey. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both maintained ideal levels.

Burn of the Tatuaje Cohete Reserva

Draw

Overall, the draw of the Tatuaje Cohete Reserva performed exceptionally well. The draw had a touch of resistance- something I like. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

The Tatuaje Cohete Reserva might be small, but it has some firepower. This cigar started out with medium to full strength and medium to full-bodied flavors. There wasn’t much in the way of variance in intensity levels, so this cigar stayed medium to full for strength and body for the duration of the smoking experience. The body maintained a slight edge over the strength in terms of strength versus body.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

The banding of the Tatuaje Cohete features two bands. The primary band is the classic brown and white Tatuaje Brown label band. The secondary band is a standard black and gold band with “Reserva” on it. I also like the text of “BROADLEAF” being included on this band to indicate this is a Broadleaf cigar. This combination of bands is simple, but I find it works nicely. I also think the simple wood cabinet boxes work well here.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The Tatuaje Cohete Reserva didn’t quite live up to the smoking experience I had with the 2022 Habano-wrapped Tatuaje Cohete. The Reserva brought a lot of the classic coffee and earthy broadleaf flavors. It also brought a cedar and pepper component, which I didn’t find quite as enjoyable. This cigar comes in at a $9.00 price point – which is not a bad price in today’s market. But I’d reach for the Habano-wrapped Cohete over this one every time. In the end, if you can find one of these, I’d recommend trying a sample first and seeing if this is to your liking.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Wood, Apricot, Earth, Mixed Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Very Good