Some cigars are worth waiting for twice. At last week’s Tobacconists’ Association of America (TAA) meeting, Tatuaje announced a new limited edition for TAA retailers, the Tatuaje TAA 2027, and it goes right back to where the series started. According to halfwheel, the TAA described the new cigar as an homage to the first Tatuaje TAA release from 2011, using the same size and the same blend.
It’s also a comeback. Tatuaje made a TAA cigar every year from 2011 through 2023, then took a break. Here’s what we know, what came before it and why we’re excited about this one.
Tatuaje TAA 2027 at a Glance
According to halfwheel’s report from the TAA meeting, here are the specs:
- Size: 5 5/8 x 54, box-pressed
- Foot: covered
- Wrapper: Connecticut broadleaf
- Binder and filler: Nicaragua
- Packaging: boxes of 20
- Production: 3,000 boxes, or 60,000 cigars
- Timing: Tatuaje plans to have it on shelves in January 2027
- Where: TAA retail members only
Those numbers come from halfwheel, which reported the announcement on November 1. As of this morning we haven’t found a second outlet or a Tatuaje press release covering the 2027 cigar itself, so treat the details as halfwheel’s reporting until Tatuaje or the TAA publish more. We’ll update this post if anything changes.
Back to 2011: The Original
The history behind it is well documented, though. When the TAA met in Cabo San Lucas in March 2011, it announced that Tatuaje would make a limited cigar sold only at the TAA member stores that attended the convention and signed up, halfwheel reported at the time. Pete Johnson said the size being tossed around was 5 5/8 x 54. The first run was 1,500 boxes of 20, split between about 40 retailers.
Cigar Coop’s 2011 review describes the finished cigar: a 5⅝ x 54 box-press with a closed foot, a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler, sold in boxes of 20. It also noted that the cigars were wet-packed, wrapped in foil soon after rolling. That’s the template the 2027 release goes back to.
The 2011 cigar didn’t stay a one-off for long. According to Cigar Coop’s review of the TAA 2016, after the first four TAA releases Johnson went back to the beginning and re-released the 2011 cigar as the Tatuaje TAA 2015. Cigar Aficionado’s 2015 TAA coverage described that cigar the same way: 5 5/8 x 54, dark, box-pressed, all Nicaraguan except for a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, made by My Father Cigars in Nicaragua. halfwheel’s list of every Tatuaje TAA release shows the 5 5/8 x 54 size turning up again in 2020.
What a Covered Foot and a Box Press Do
If you’re newer to cigars, two terms in that spec list are worth a quick explanation.
A covered foot (also called a closed foot) means the wrapper leaf is folded over the end you light instead of being cut flush. The first few puffs lean heavily on the wrapper. With a leaf as bold as Connecticut broadleaf, that opening can be a little different from the rest of the smoke. Toast it gently and let the foot open up before you judge it.
A box press squares off the cigar’s round shape. A lot of smokers find a pressed cigar more comfortable in the hand and in the mouth, and it changes how the filler sits inside. Both terms, and plenty more, are in our Cigar Glossary.
Why TAA Exclusives Are Different
The TAA isn’t a typical trade show. halfwheel describes it as a membership group of around 80 retailers and roughly 40 manufacturers. Members gather once a year, and part of the buying happens as a group order, which helps these high-volume shops lock in exclusive deals. This year’s meeting ran October 25 to 29 at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic.
That’s why TAA cigars land only at member shops. We’ve been tracking this year’s field all fall. On October 26 we covered the TAA exclusives already shipping, including Fuente’s Black Pink, Casa Carrillo and Brick House. Then on October 28 we looked at CAO Flathead American Muscle and La Flor Dominicana Chapter III, LFD’s first new Chisel chapter in 12 years. Tatuaje’s return gives this year’s TAA two big comebacks.
The Cigar Guys Take
We love when a brand brings back its own classic instead of chasing something new. That’s what makes the Tatuaje TAA 2027 interesting. Collectors who have a 2011 or 2015 tucked away could someday line it up next to the 2027 and taste what 16 years of aging does to the same recipe. That’s about as close to a time machine as a humidor gets.
It’s also a nice counterpoint to the other big limited release of the week. Davidoff’s City Edition cigars for New York and Las Vegas went on sale today, sold only at its flagship stores. Davidoff is building exclusivity around a place. Tatuaje is building it around the people who’ve stuck with the series since the beginning. Both are smart. Only one of them is a 15-year-old blend coming home.
January is a ways off, and we’ll be watching for confirmation from Tatuaje and for the first boxes to land. If you’ve smoked the original 2011 or the 2015 re-release, tell us how it held up. We’d love to hear about it on the podcast.
Sources: halfwheel: Tatuaje TAA 2027 Coming in January · halfwheel: Tatuaje TAA (2011) · Cigar Coop: Cigar Review: Tatuaje TAA 2011 Exclusive · Cigar Coop: Cigar Review: Tatuaje TAA 2016 · Cigar Aficionado: A Baker’s Dozen Exclusive Cigars for TAA
