Tatuaje Nicaragua 7th Natural

Purchased: 2 Corona Singles (5 5/8 X 46)
Store: Club Havana in Saratoga, CA
Price: $11 ea
Buy again? I need to get a box of these!
Experience Rating: 100

I picked up a Christmas present for my youngest son this afternoon, and as I was heading home, I realized that I was just down the street from a local B&M that had been there for years and decided to pay it a visit. I’m not one who buys cigars from B&Ms on a regular basis simply because the markup is so high. But there’s no better place to find sticks I’ve never smoked.

As I was perusing the cabinets, I saw several boxes of Tatuaje cigars. They had the Black and Havana VI (and Verocu), and they had three boxes of the 7th line: Natural, Reserva, and the Capa Especial. Not familiar with Tatuaje blends other than ones I’ve had and others I’ve seen on Cigar Page and Cigars International, the 7th line was completely new. And so I picked out a couple of the Naturals to start out with, plus a Padron ’64 in a Corona (a vitola I hadn’t had yet).

I used the shop’s V cutter on one of the 7th cigars then proceeded to the back to get comfortable and enjoy the stick. And enjoy it I did! So much so, that it has made my list of boxes to get!

I didn’t look up any information on the cigar but later looked it up and saw that it was rated as a full-body cigar. That kind of surprised me. The smoke was definitely rich, but it was SO smooth that it masked the strength of the smoke. No matter. This was one amazing cigar and I’m glad I have another one to smoke!

Before I go on, I’m a little surprised that there’s not much talk about these very fine cigars. Given that they’ve been around awhile, maybe they’re old news and people have moved on, but at least to me, the 7th has all the makings of a classic. And it’s a shame because I believe these cigars are on par or way better – at least to my palate – than what I see lots of people smoking and raving about online.

One thing that I’ve come to know about Tatuaje cigars is that Pete Johnson is not stingy with the tobacco. Every Tatuaje I’ve picked up is rock solid and has a heft to it. The 7th is no exception. It’s solidly constructed. But what I love about it is its rustic appearance. Just a single brown band wrapped around rustic-looking wrapper that, upon close inspection is pimpled with oil nodules! I saw that and shook my head smiling at the treat that I was going to have.

In the first third was roasted nuts, a little cedar, and an oak wood quality to the smoke. It was not very peppery at all. I could barely detect the tiniest of bites on the finish. In the background was what I can only call an indescribable sweetness.

By the second third, tobacco and leather enter the picture and the sweetness becomes more pronounced. It reminded me of the sweet nectar that a Bird of Paradise flower exudes. And come to think of it, there was a flowery component to the smoke. Wonderful! Near the end of second third, the black pepper makes itself known and the finish becomes pleasantly spicy. But it wasn’t a lingering finish whatsoever. It was definitely longer than the first third, but it kind of surprised me that the finish wasn’t longer consider the amount of smoke each draw produced. I love when that happens!

Into the final third, the cigar’s true strength came out. Each puff created a cloud of thick, white smoke. The flavors from the second third remained but were kicked up a few notches. The pepper spice level amazingly didn’t change. But the sweetness… Wow! It went from sweet nectar to sweet cream as the smoke got really creamy with a thick, velvety mouthfeel. I likened the feeling to sucking on the end of a whipped cream cannister!

Wow! That was one special cigar I had to today. I won’t smoke the other until tomorrow. Tonight, it’ll be the ’64 and a shot of Aberlour A’Bunadh.

Update 10/24/2025: Since I smoked that first one, I’ve gone through a couple of boxes of these. The 7th Natural is one of my all-time favorite cigars.