Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Tatuaje PCA 2022 is a marbled medium brown along with some darker freckles. There is a network of lightly raised veins, the seams are smooth, the caps decently applied and the foot is covered with excess wrapper that is folded over. There are two bands, with the primary being the traditional limited band from the brand while the secondary is the traditional Capa Especial band for the brand. The aroma from the wrapper is dark earth and wood and while the foot is covered, I’m getting creamy coffee in addition to the dark earth and wood. The pre-light draw brings musty cedar and earth, along with a mild spiciness on my lips.
Seth: The Tatuaje PCA 2022 is a nice looking cigar. With a closed foot, and a lovely triple cap, the cigar has a dark Colorado coloring. Dark antique brown coloring. Smooth throughout with some faint oils. Medium sized veins scattered throughout the cigar. Slight firmness with some aromas of earth, tobacco and barnyard.
John: The Tatuaje PCA 2022 comes in cellophane and does not have a UPC sticker. The cigar has a primary Tatuaje Limited band, and a secondary band indicating Capa Especial in gold on ivory. For additional artisanal complications there is also a closed foot and what appears to be a soft box press to the shape. Nosing the wrapper, I could smell sweet tobacco and wood. As the foot is closed, there was nothing for me to pick up other than wrapper aromas.
Jiunn: The Tatuaje PCA 2022 has an oily, rich and hearty Colorado maduro wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll a tad bit loose and the head is well wrapped and capped. Aromas from the wrapper tell cedar, barnyard and cigar ash. Cold draw is understandably very tight with a dried red pepper spice coming through.

Team Cigar Review: Tatuaje PCA 2022

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with a dynamic baking spice, toasted cedar and light mustiness. At a quarter inch in, the baking spice mellows a bit, but still has a slight lead over the toasted cedar. At a half inch in, a light earth becomes present. The retrohale is toasted cedar, baking spice and light earth. At an inch in, the mustiness picks up a bit. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar is now up front, with baking spice and mustiness in the middle and earth in the background. The strength was slightly above medium.
Seth: The cigar begins with some dry earth notes that are paired with some nuttiness and pepper spice. Faint hazelnut flavor with some oat milk qualities on the finish. Medium in strength and body.
John: My first few puffs and I’m tasting creamy bread and wood. The middle of the profile is a combination of mild hay and baking spices. Some mild leather starts to linger on the finish as the first third continues. Light cocoa comes into the retrohale adding some complexity a short while later. By the bottom half, there is a subtle vegetal note at the end of the draw.
Jiunn: The first third creates a medium-full bodied and strength profile. Flavors consist of dry cocoa, barnyard, creamed coffee, leather and an on and off raspberry. Retrohaling highlights dried red pepper spice and cedar. The finish cakes the palate with leather, cedar and mixed nuts.

Team Cigar Review: Tatuaje PCA 2022

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the earth increases a bit and the toasted cedar transitions to toasted oak. At a half inch in, the baking spice transitions to black pepper. The retrohale is now toasted oak, black pepper and earth. At an inch and a quarter, the black pepper is now pretty mellow. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak is up front, with the earth in the middle and black pepper and mustiness in the background. The strength remained at slightly above medium.
Seth: I found a continuation of the earth and pepper spice notes from the first third. Some hazelnuts and oat milk on the finish. Some tobacco as well. Still medium in strength and body.
John: Creamy vegetal leads the cigar into the second third, with a combination of mild wood and earth to finish the puff. Creamy wood and mild cocoa start to define the profile with the finish as light leather and wood. By the halfway point, the center of the profile is a dry wood.
Jiunn: The second third has a reduction in flavor complexities and overall enjoyment factor. The flavors now consist of cedar, barnyard, leather and a baking soda effervescence. Strength and body remains medium-full.

Team Cigar Review: Tatuaje PCA 2022

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the black pepper gains a light sharpness to it. At a quarter inch in, the earth is now even with the toasted oak up front. The retrohale is now toasted oak, earth, black pepper and mustiness. At three quarters of an inch in, the toast level increases. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted oak and earth are even up front with black pepper right behind and mustiness a bit further behind. The strength remained at slightly above medium.
Seth: The final third was right in line with the first and second. Bits of hazelnuts, cream, pepper spice, dry earth and tobacco. Medium in strength and body.
John: Creamy vegetal leads the cigar into the last third. I find the start very similar to the second third, with dry wood still present on the post draw. Mild earthiness is finishing each puff as the last third continues. By the time the last third settles in, the profile has evolved to be primarily wood forward.
Jiunn: The final third is the same as the second third. Still a medium-full body and strength profile with flavors of cedar, barnyard, leather and baking soda effervescence.

Team Cigar Review: Tatuaje PCA 2022

Burn

Aaron: The burn was straight the entire way and the ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.
Seth: Good burn throughout.
John: The burn was straight through the first third. Unevenness developed in the second third, eventually requiring a touch-up to correct. No issues through the last third.
Jiunn: Burn performance was overall very good. The only minor complaint was the uneven burn, needing a couple quick touch-ups.

Team Cigar Review: Tatuaje PCA 2022

Draw

Aaron: The draw was slightly tighter than I prefer, but didn’t cause any issues with the smoking experience.
Seth: Very good draw.
John: The draw was perfect, right in the ideal zone between resistant and open.
Jiunn: The draw was perfect, providing the ideal air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with a dynamic baking spice, toasted cedar and light mustiness. Some earth joined in a bit later. The second third saw the baking spice transition to black pepper and the cedar transition to oak. The final third saw the pepper and mustiness increase. The Tatuaje PCA 2022 had a nice start, but by the second third, the earth had taken on a bigger role and knocked the level down a bit for me and maintained that level the rest of the way. Overall, the cigar was fairly average, and with the price point, I don’t really see it as something I’d come back to all that frequently.
Seth: I found the Tatuaje PCA 2022 to be a little flat. It wasn’t a bad cigar, but it just didn’t produce that great Ecuadorian Sumatra spice, and the blend wasn’t as strong and rich as I would have liked and thought. I love the size and presentation, and I wonder how the cigar will age, but not the strongest Tatuaje Ecuadorian Sumatra release.
John: The Tatuaje PCA 2022 had a promising start in the first third with some lighter flavors that complemented well. By the second third, the complexity seemed to drop off sharply, and by the last third it was linear with wood driving most of the last third. The burn required a single touch-up to correct, while the draw was perfect. Tatuaje makes a lot of great cigars, many of which showed up on our Top 25 cigar list of 2022. For me the PCA 2022 release doesn’t do enough to stand out from the other great offerings already available. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 50 minutes.
Jiunn: At this point in time, i.e. smoking the cigar for review about 3 months after release, the cigar is average tasting. Interestingly enough, I smoked this cigar at a local cigar shop about 2.5 months ago and the cigar was much more enjoyable. It has the overall Tatuaje ID of great body and heavier and bolder flavors, but it’s not packaged well yet. I know it will get better with some time.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.95

Cost/Point

$2.44

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.40

Cost/Point

$2.69

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.00

Cost/Point

$2.42

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.00

Cost/Point

$2.42

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Tatuaje PCA 2022