A couple of Tats recently haven't really suited me...

[TideRoll]

I hope it isn't a trend, but I bought several Tats a month and a half ago from a reputable, authorized dealer. I don't know if it is just me, but two of the three of those that I have smoked thus far didn't have the same taste or nose going for them that I have come to expect. The first one didn't distinguish itself that much, either, but I was at the beach and rolled up newspaper and rabbit tobacco probably couldn't have taken me off my game under the circumstances.

I had one tonight, a Cojonu '06, that was just plain harsh and all pepper, which was a pity since it was a birthday stick delayed by a day. I stuck with it, and got maybe an inch of halfway decent smoking out of it. It was still plenty strong (strong enough that I didn't feel like trying another stick afterward), but without that distinctive taste/aftertaste that so many of us have come to appreciate.

I'm chalking these up as being too fresh or perhaps something happened to them before they got to the dealer. They've been well cared for since I got them (65% to 68%), and were different vitolas. Anyone else having this problem recently? I have heard a few folks comment on their sometimes fragile wrappers, but I guess everyone who is a fan of them has probably worried at least at some point that their popularity among the aficionados would dilute the quality.

[clampdown]

Im loving the ones I have, you had one in Leesburg, so i hope it was ok with you. Iam slowly smoking this box and just leaving them be to a degree in order to see where they might be in a year or so.

[ridein04]

I tried one of the brown label ones about a month ago and didn't even finish it. Been thinking of trying it again, maybe I too just received a bad one. I will give it little while and try some from my B&M's next shipment.

[muziq]

The Cojonu are powerhouses in my experience; after the two that I had about a month after purchase, I'm sitting on the remainder for at least a year to give them time to develop. YMMV, though. To me the Cojonu are like Opus and I'm firmly of the opinion that they need a lot more time than many are willing to give them. Being fairly new to market, it's a gamble...but based on what I tasted the first two times, I'm willing to wait it out.

In general, I sit on my Tats for quite a while, much longer than any other NC stick except Anejos and Opus.

EDIT: new nanners, new avatar

[LORD PUFFER]

I have liked the Tats I have tried thus far, but I still like the Pepin blends better.

[worr lord]

I'm not a big Tat fan, but the Reserva J21 I had last night was awesome, even at $11/stick >.<

[nozero]

I'm still too noob! I thought this would be a misplaced post about your tattoos!

[hurricane6]

I love tats, pepin etc. and i smoke them every chance i get, but last week end i smoked a cojonu '03 and found the 1st half to be utterly boring and the last half to be ok at best. I find the smaller rg's really suit me and my tastes.

[TideRoll]

Originally Posted by muziq

The Cojonu are powerhouses in my experience; after the two that I had about a month after purchase, I'm sitting on the remainder for at least a year to give them time to develop. YMMV, though. To me the Cojonu are like Opus and I'm firmly of the opinion that they need a lot more time than many are willing to give them. Being fairly new to market, it's a gamble...but based on what I tasted the first two times, I'm willing to wait it out.

In general, I sit on my Tats for quite a while, much longer than any other NC stick except Anejos and Opus.

EDIT: new nanners, new avatar

They're a fairly stout stick all right. This one had all the stoutness and almost none of the flavor. I've had this one several times before (the '03, too, among other Tats), and these last ones have just been missing that essence. I've had some pretty fresh Tats that were darned decent right off the bat, but like you I've also found they put on age well.

I'm not about to give up on the line or the other various Pepin stogies. They are just too good to abandon after a few off sticks.

[pathman]

Most of the Pepin blends I have in my collection have gotten better with a little time on the cedar. When they are fresh, I think they go through a little sick period. I've got some of the red label Tats that were terrible when I bought them, but now 4 months later, they are coming into they're own.

[sonick]

Tatuaje are the only Pepin-made sticks that have treated me wrong.
3 cabs, tasted or burned bad. 4 havanas, plugged, tasted bad or burned bad.
2 white labels, tasted awful.

I will never touch another tatuaje as long as I live.......

[montecristo#2]

Originally Posted by sonick

Tatuaje are the only Pepin-made sticks that have treated me wrong.
3 cabs, tasted or burned bad. 4 havanas, plugged, tasted bad or burned bad.
2 white labels, tasted awful.

I will never touch another tatuaje as long as I live.......

Did you smoke them straight from the B&M or did you store them for a little while? If you did store them, what RH were they at?

The only reason I ask is that I have never had a Tatuaje that burned bad. Occasionally one will be slightly tight, but honestly, I can't remember any with serious burn problems. As others have mentioned, these really need to be stored around 65% or lower, otherwise they absorb too much moisture.

In terms of flavor, that is obviously going to depend on your tastes. Personally, I like certain vitolas in the Miami-made series, find the Havana VI a little too sharp/intense (the only way I can describe the flavor profile which is not necessary full-bodied) and think the Series P are rather mild. To me, the series P taste similar to the Havana VI, just not as intense. I actually prefer the series P over the Havana VI.

[sirxlaughs]

could they have been going through the same type of 'sick' period that cuban cigars go through?
all the tats i have had were great..
i had a Pepin white label from a local b&m that was wonderful..
i bought a box shortly after, and the one i tried out of the box was much harsher than the one from the b&m..
the box code is still very young, so i am attributing that to age for the time being..

[GAW]

I've had some mixed experiences with all the Tats but overall still smoke them regularly and enjoy them. They are Nic puros and rolled as most Cubans are with young tobacco and the benefit of box dates ,so maybe they will have to be treated with more attention to their provenance to get the most out of them.The fact also that Pepin does not grow or maybe have complete control of his sources with the tobacco he uses could be resulting in variability of taste batch to batch.A blend can be adjusted more easily to maintain a consistent flavor profile.Just my thoughts - it is of concern for sure. Jerry

[SteveDMatt]

I am very happy with all of the Tats I've had. I love the whites for a milder earlier day smoke. I know they haven't gone over really big here, but I really enjoy them, so much so that a box purchase may be in my immediate future even though I have about 6 left.

The reds are a nice spicy stick that I also really like.

I have only had a couple of the brown lables. The first one kicked my ass. After that I was scared for a while, but the next couple I had didn;t hurt me so bad.

I also had a couple Cabiaguans that have treated me pretty good also.

Tats are really one of my favorite lines.