Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua (regions undisclosed)
Filler: Nicaragua (regions undisclosed)
Size: Cazadores (6⅜ x 43)
Strength: Mild-Plus → Medium-Plus (nub)
Body: Medium → Full (last couple of inches)
Price: U.S. $10.80–$16 per cigar; $262.50–$270 per box of 25 (varies by retailer)
Factory: My Father Cigars S.A., Nicaragua
Blender: Pete Johnson
Release: Summer 2026 (Regular Production)
Smoking Time: 1:15
Experience Rating: 97
I smoked five of these before I got to the review. They’ve become my regular smoke whenever I visit my local lounge. I fully intended to write the review after the second one, but I got so caught up in the smoke that I abandoned the idea.
After five of them, I realized something. While Nick Melillo is considered the King of Broadleaf, I think Pete Johnson is just as deserving of that title, if not more so. He’s been working with Broadleaf for a long time.
With the El Triunfador Original, he doesn’t use Broadleaf for weight. He brings out its best flavor qualities and packages them in a medium-strength smoke. That lets the cigar spread its wings and express itself in a way I haven’t experienced in a Tatuaje before.
And damn, does this cigar feel alive!
Synopsis
Strength begins just under medium and remains remarkably steady through the first half before gradually climbing and finally reaching medium-plus at the nub. Body starts at medium, rises steadily throughout the experience, reaches full during the last couple of inches and remains there through the finish. Activity begins low, accelerates sharply through the early progression, peaks during the home stretch and then recedes in stages until settling back to low at the nub.
The Cazadores looks like an old-school, rustic cigar. Its Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper is dark and slightly mottled. As with all Tatuaje sticks, the cigar is packed with tobacco.
The wrapper gives off a wonderful fruity sweetness along with dry grass and stale bread. At the foot, the aroma is thick with dried apricot and forest floor.
The cold draw is a little tighter than I prefer, but it isn’t plugged. I can taste subtle sweet tobacco with a little stone fruit and hay.
The Cazadores opens with a rich Broadleaf combination of dark chocolate, burnt caramel and a slight fruity sweetness. The body goes straight to medium, while the strength starts surprisingly below medium.
A light spice settles on my lips as charred cedar enters with a weak espresso. The espresso is dark in tone, but it isn’t strong at all. There’s not much going on yet, but I can feel an inherent energy that’s just waiting to be released.
In my experience, it’s rare for a cigar to settle almost immediately, but that’s what happens here. It started out stable, and the structure was evident from the first puff.
The core forms around the three Cs: coffee, caramel and cedar. The body thickens ever so slightly as a background sweetness floats around the periphery and the spice continues swirling through the front of my mouth.
About an inch in, a bevy of baking spices begins dotting the profile. Nutmeg, cardamom, clove and cinnamon appear as a touch of ginger enhances the swirling spice. The caramel in the core pulses in intensity, leaving a sweet note on my lips.
The complexity is amazing as more flavors file in. Sweet tea is followed by a surprising lemon zest and tangy, sweet citrus juice. Toasted almond and peanut appear, with cashew tagging along like the kid who doesn’t want to be left out. Herbal notes of sage and thyme join them as the sweetness becomes like sugar cane juice. The finish is long, and that cane juice is its main character.
The core takes on a creamy complexion as the body thickens significantly. A little nicotine enters and pushes the strength up, but it’s very subtle.
The spice stops swirling and firmly plants itself in the middle of my tongue. Its action is now wave-like. It builds at the start of the puff, crests as I finish and then recedes. The sweetness combines with the coffee on the finish, and it’s like I’ve just eaten a coffee candy.
Even with its dark-leaning complexion, there’s an underlying energy in the profile. It’s like cruising the Malibu coast in a classic roadster. There’s horsepower, but it’s a vintage car, so you baby it.
At the halfway point, the finishing sweetness becomes like sweet, green coconut. It’s amazing. The coffee candy takes on that slight coconut note as the spice begins asserting itself, bouncing between my tongue and the roof of my mouth.
The body continues building while the strength remains a solid medium. Secondary flavors are whizzing by. Nothing new has been added, but I can feel their movement and only make out what they are when I take a glance.
I’ve got the top down on the roadster, and the wind is whipping through my hair. The profile’s dark complexion is like my Wayfarers shielding my eyes from the sun coming off the water in the distance. There’s so much going on and enough content that the roadster imagery is crystal clear.
As I enter the home stretch, the draw tightens as the cigar loads up, but a quick poke with my PerfecDraw opens it back up. I’m still on that PCH cruise with the world whizzing by.
The spice returns to its wave-like action, but now it feels like gear shifts signaling changes in the motion of the secondary layer. The spice downshifts and the movement slows. Then it upshifts, and everything starts moving more quickly. The imagery here is pretty amazing.
When I’ve smoked this cigar previously, I wasn’t really paying attention to that movement. I could feel the profile’s implicit energy and sense everything moving, but I just sat back in my comfy chair at the lounge and took it in.
The body is pushing close to full as the profile darkens and the strength climbs just a little. There’s so much energy on display, and that coconut-laced coffee candy persists on the finish.
This smoke is so lovely.
By the time I hit the last couple of inches, the spice becomes more assertive, coating my lips and the front half of my tongue. It isn’t overpowering, but it’s certainly pronounced. The coffee candy still won’t go away.
Not that I’m complaining.
The movement backs off significantly as savory elements begin to appear. Grilled beef, Maui onion chips and bread enter the profile. What? Did I just stop at a roadside burger joint? Damn!
The body is now undeniably full, and the strength is edging closer to medium-plus as I feel a little more pressure from the nicotine. It isn’t quite there, but it’s getting close. Even with the uptick in spice and strength, the retrohale remains really comfortable. That’s unexpected.
With the movement reduced, I can make out the secondary flavors again. The herbal notes and baking spices are all still there. Even with less activity, this thing is incredibly complex.
As I enter the last inch, the profile darkens like the sun setting on the horizon. There’s no change in strength. It seems pegged just short of medium-plus.
The citrus notes step forward, waking me up and providing a stark contrast to the darkening environment. I imagine myself sitting in that roadside shack with a mai tai in hand, watching people file out of the restaurant, get into their cars and drive away. Those are the secondary flavors leaving.
And yet, that gorgeous coffee candy sticks around. It makes me think that’s my honey, who’s been accompanying me this entire experience.
By the nub, it’s just me and my honey, holding hands and watching the sun go down. The strength finally reaches medium-plus.
The sun disappears over the horizon.
Damn! This is such a great cigar!
One thing you can count on with Pete Johnson’s blends is that they’re always incredibly structured and composed. They’re powerful, but also restrained. This particular smoke has an inherent power that’s released in a way that doesn’t bowl you over.
With the strength holding at medium for most of the experience, the profile had lots of room to express itself.
And I love its expression!
Leave a comment