Issue: Cigar Aficionado, Jan 01, 1970

Score: 92

The Tatuaje brand is only two years old, yet it has become one of the hottest boutique cigar brands in America. Created by cigar retailer Pete Johnson, who is known as Tattoo Pete by many in the cigar industry, the brand gets its name from the Spanish word for “tattoo” and is carefully crafted from powerful yet elegant Nicaraguan tobaccos in the tiny El Rey de los Habanos factory in Little Havana. Only about a dozen rollers work at the factory, which makes other brands as well, so there are only about 250,000 Tatuajes made per year. Johnson is now making a less expensive version in Nicaragua. The Tatuaje Cabinet Noella, a beautifully made corona, measures 5 1/8 by 42 ring. It’s among the smallest of Tatuajes, but like good, small Cuban cigars this smoke is packed with flavor. It’s rich, spicy and strong, with an underlying elegance.