The Tatuaje PCA 2023 was a cigar made just for retailers who attended the PCA Trade Show in Las Vegas last year. In true industry fashion the cigar didn’t hit retailers until February of 2024. Tatuaje isn’t the only company to release their PCA exclusive just prior to the 2024 trade show as Padron did the same thing with the Padron Black.
The PCA 2023 is limited to 2,500 boxes of 20 cigars (50,000 cigars) and is available in just one size.
Cigar Review: Tatuaje PCA 2023
Size: 6 3/8 x 54 (Toro)
Wrapper: Ecuador Sumatra
Binder: Nicaragua (Double Binder)
Filler: Nicaraguan
Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
Release Date: February, 2024
Box Count: 20
The Cigar: For the record I am still mad at Alatadis USA for suing Tatuaje over the use of the fleur-de-lis as their primary band. I am not a fan of the P.H.J. logo which makes me thing of Paisley Park and Prince. I am also not a fan of the limited edition bands tatuaje uses which despite a color tweak over the years still reminds me of Rocky Balboa and the song Living in America creeps into my head. That said, you can’t smoke the band but the aesthetics just make me cranky. The Ecuador Sumatra wrapper has some mottling to it and a few prominent veins. In the hand the cigar is heavy (I need to invest in a gram scale) with no voids of tobacco and a covered foot
The Taste: The cold draw serves up nots of cedar and a subtle molasses and spice while the aroma from the wrapper and foot has a subtle mocha component. Once the cigar is lit there is an initial burst of pepper and what reminds me of rhubarb.
As we enter the first third of the cigar there is no question that no one does Sumatra like Pete Johnson and the My Father Factory. For me I always I associate the leaf as being a tad sour and that is not the case here. There are notes of pepper, saltines, mocha and nuttiness that all work together flawlessly. The retrohale has additional white pepper and there is still a touch of rhubarb present and I can’t even tell you the last time I had rhubarb for it to trigger a taste.
The second third sees notes of earth begin to develop with a mocha like sweetness in the background that lingers well into the finish. There are notes of roasted coffee beans, chocolate and pistachios that come and go working well with each other, but they aren’t as forthcoming as I would hope. The finish has an abundance of black and red pepper with a subtle tropical component that briefly hits as banana before fleeting quickly.
The final third sees the Sumatra wrapper begin to show itself with some sour components that I am just not a fan of. It’s not overpowering, but it is there enough to detract from the final score. There are continues notes of mocha and earth, with a nice amount of pepper but I can’t get past the sour and put it down a tad early.
Conclusion: Once considered one of the cheapest tobacco leaves out there Indonesian tobacco was rebranded as Sumatra. Today it grows in other locales such as Ecuador but it has a very distinct taste to it that you either love or hate. My Father & Tatuaje produce some of my favorite Sumatra expressions out there but when its sour, it can just ruin a cigar unless you are into that sort of thing. So how much does the last third change the score for me, I knocked 4 points of the Tatuaje PCA 2023 exclusive.
Score: 88
Price: $15.00 (Before any local or state taxes)
