Tatuaje Cojonu 2012 broadleaf

[Don Fernando]

In 2003 Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars released a cigar with the name Cojonu, which is slang for ‘balsy’ according to my friends of Halfwheel, and that fits the whole Tatuaje brand if you ask me. Now because the cigar had a year on it you could suspect it to be a yearly limited but no, Johnson decided to make a regular release with a new edition every three years, with the Tatuaje Cojonu 2006, Tatuaje Cojonu 2009 and also a regular production under the name Gran Cojonu in big ring gauge and no bands. Now for the 2012 Cojonu Johnson did something special, he not only released the Tatuaje Cojonu 2012 with the regular Ecuadorean Habano wrapper but also a box in the shape of a book with Cojonu 2012 with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and a Sumatra wrapper aka Capa Especial. And its all in the detail, a book contains 24 cigars, 12 Tatuaje Cojonu Broadleaf and 12 Tatuaje Cojonu Capa Especial, to keep the ’12’ theme going, even the cover of the book says it “The Cojonu two 12’s”.

Sadly there was no Tatuaje Cojonu 2015 edition, next time I see Pete I’ll ask why and if there will be a 2018 Cojonu. In retrospect, of all the times Pete and I talked we never spoke about any of the Cojonu cigars as I can recall. And I never heard about them online either, so that might be the answer to the question why there wasn’t a Cojonu 2015. Back to the cigar, which is also called Tatuaje Cojonu 2012 Reserva. It has a 6 1/2×50 size and is made with Nicaraguan filler and binder and a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. The wrapper is dark, it feels like velvet and has a little spark of minerals, the veins are hardly noticeable and it gives the cigar a great appearance. The construction, which is slightly box pressed, feels good and the triple cap is very well made. The rings, well, it has the standard brown Tatuaje ring with the flor de lis and white, swirly lettering on thin paper and even though its not fancy, I like the simplicity of the Tatuaje rings. Unfortunately it doesn’t match with the second band which is shiny and black with golden outlines and a straight font saying Cojonu 2012. I wouldn’t have used shiny paper, golden print and a straight font because it doesn’t match the simple style of the regular ring. Now the aroma of the cigar isn’t very strong and much to my surprise a little minty.

I punched the cigar, the cold draw is fine and spicy, woody and peppery. Once I lit the cigar with my soft flame lighter I taste coffee with pepper. After three puffs I also taste some sweetness. A centimeter later I taste toasty wood with spices, some pepper and a little bit of sugar. Slowly the sweetness disappears, it’s all toasted wood with pepper and herbs.

After a third I still taste wood, with a toasty touch but also some chocolate. There are also some spices and herbs. Halfway it’s a little burned toast but not in an unpleasant way with pepper, citrus and a little bit of mint. There is still a little hint of cocoa, mildly sweet. Slowly the pepper and spices grow on the tip of my tongue.

The smoke is quite thick and a nice amount of it. The draw is good, not perfect but very good. The ash is white, dense and firm. The burn is straight and slow. This is definitely a balsy blend, full bodied and full flavored. There is enough evolution and the balance is good. The smoke time is 2 hours.

Would I buy this cigar again? I still have a few and I enjoy other Tatuaje cigars better, but it’s still a very good cigar.

Score: 90

https://cigarguideorg.wordpress.com/...-2012-reserva/