During the 2023 PCA Convention & Trade Show, My Father Cigars and Tatuaje announced a collaboration project named La Union—Spanish for The Union—a two-part release that will eventually consist of two different humidors—black and red—containing a total of four different cigars, two in each humidor. The impetus behind the new joint project is simple: the two companies have been working very closely together for 20 years, with virtually every Tatuaje cigar ever made produced by the García family. Oh, and then there is the fact that Tatauje founder Pete Johnson is married to Janny García of My Father Cigars.
The black humidor started shipping to retailers in early February and contains 20 cigars each of two different blends: one was blended by Johnson and is made with a shade-grown Nicaraguan corojo 99 wrapper, while My Father’s blend was blended by Jaime García and incorporates an Ecuadorian habano wrapper. However, the internal blend of both cigars is made up of Nicaraguan tobacco grown on the García family’s farms, including Pelo de Oro tobacco.
In contrast, the red humidor version is currently scheduled to be released in early 2025 and will include a Tatuaje blend covered in an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, while the cigar blended by the Garcías will feature a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper. Both of those blends will also incorporate Nicaraguan tobacco for the binders and in the filler.
Regardless of the blend or humidor, all of the cigars are being released in the same 7 1/4 x 50 vitola—the companies call it a prominente especial—and each individual cigar has an MSRP of $60. Each humidor is priced at $2,400 and includes 40 cigars—20 of each blend— as well as a La Union-branded XIKAR Xi1 Perfect Cut cutter. The companies are producing 1,500 of both the black and red humidors, with 1,200 slated for the U.S. and the other 300 for international markets.
Each of the cigars are rolled with a 109-style cap, which is sort of like a hybrid between the round cap of a traditional parejo and the tapered point of a belicoso. In addition, all of the cigars included in the first humidor release were produced by just two pairs, each limited to making 250 cigars per day.
Note: The following shows the various La Union vitolas. Some of these cigars may have been released after this post was originally published. The list was last updated on May 9, 2024.
87
Overall Score
At its core, the La Union — Tatuaje for My Father (Black Humidor) is a tale of one blend with two very different profiles: the first two-thirds of the cigar are smooth and creamy, dominated by a combination of sweet cashews and aromatic cedar on the palate as well as white pepper and fondant sweetness on the retrohale. However, the blend takes a dramatic turn during the final third, punctuated by a noticeably aggressive uptick in strength that affects the balance of the entire profile, and not in a good way. Even with that said, this is a good enough cigar to recommend trying now, but I am hoping a bit of time will help even out the roughness in the final third and thus elevate the entire profile to greater heights.
- Cigar Reviewed: La Union — Tatuaje for My Father (Black Humidor)
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
- Wrapper: Nicaragua (Corojo 99)
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Filler: Nicaragua
- Length: 7 1/4 Inches
- Ring Gauge: 50
- Vitola: Conde 109
- MSRP: $60 (Box of 40, $2,400)
- Release Date: February 2024
- Number of Cigars Released: 1,500 Boxes of 20 Cigars (30,000 Total Cigars)*
- Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3
*The boxes contain 40 cigars, but only 20 of each type.
The combination of length and ring gauge makes the La Union — Tatuaje for My Father (Black Humidor) an imposing sight, and all three cigars are covered in similar medium brown wrappers that are somewhat dry to the touch, although there is very little tooth to be had. Two of the cigars have large soft spots in the same general location—just under the secondary band on the front—and while one of the cigars is rock hard, the other two are extremely spongy when squeezed. Aromas from the wrappers include sweet woodiness, milk chocolate, dry earthiness, barnyard and generic nuts, along with some very light chalk. Strong and sweet cedar leads the scents emanating from the feet of the cigars, followed by creamy hay, vanilla bean sweetness, white pepper, espresso beans and earth. After straight cuts, the cold draws are dominated by sweet and creamy cashew flavor along with secondary flavors of cedar, cocoa nibs, gritty earth, white pepper and sourdough bread.
After beginning with white pepper and earth, the main flavors shift to creamy cashews and aromatic cedar with secondary notes of cocoa nibs, toasted bread, bitter espresso, nutmeg and a light vegetal note. The retrohales have both white pepper and fondant sweetness, although the former seems to be getting stronger as the first third burns down. Flavor is at medium-full, while, by the end of the first third, both the body and strength pass into solid medium territory. Construction-wise, one cigar needs a minor touch-up with my lighter to stay on track—the other two feature razor-sharp burn lines—but all three cigars have excellent draws and plentiful smoke production.
The profiles of the cigars remain creamy during the second third, with cedar and cashew flavors leading secondary notes that include plain popcorn, dark chocolate, espresso beans, gritty earth and nutmeg. In addition, while the light vegetal note from the first third remains in place for two of the cigars, the third one features a distinct—albeit fleeting—citrus peel note on the finish. White pepper is still obvious on the retrohale, but the sweetness has morphed into a distinct floral sweetness. Flavor remains at medium-full, but the body graudlly increases to a point just over the medium mark, and the strength increases to medium-plus. Unfortunately, all three cigars run into burn issues that need correcting a couple of times each, but once again, there are no problems whatsoever with either the smoke production or draws.
I can feel the strength building during the final third of the La Unions, and all three easily reach the full mark by the time I am finished with them. The main flavors have not changed— the same combination of cashew and cedar continues—though the secondary flavors now include sourdough bread, sawdust, nutmeg, coffee beans and powdery cocoa nibs. By the halfway point, the vegetal note and the citrus note that were present on the finishes have completely disappeared. The retrohale still has the same white pepper and floral sweetness noticeable as the second-third. The flavor stays put at medium-full, and the body increases to medium-plus, but the full strength affects the balance of the profile for all three cigars, albeit to different degrees. The burn continues to be an issue for two cigars—each needs two more corrections with my lighter—but the draws and copious smoke production remain high points on all three cigars until I am finished with them.
Final Notes
- All things considered, La Union is a really confusing release: not only will there be two different humidors with four total different blends, but each cigar is the same size and vitola, and all four will have the same main band and foot band. It obviously helps that the two humidors are not being released at the same time, but getting the cigar you want is not going to be a simple matter of just walking into a store and saying “Can I get one of those La Union cigars?”
- One way to help keep things straight: the Tatuaje-blended cigars have covered feet, while My Father’s cigars for Tatuaje do not.
- Per Patrick: The primary band has the initials E.R.H. and two dates on the right side. E.R.H. is an acronym for El Rey de los Habanos, the Garcia family’s factory that was in Miami’s Calle Ocho. That’s the factory where Tatuaje got its start. The first date, 5-20-2003, is a reference to when the factory was incorporated, while the second date, 10-22-2003, is accompanied by another number, 29, which Pete Johnson told me related to a particular invoice related to his products. The inside of the bands have 2003 on the top band and 2023 on the bottom band.
- Speaking of the bands, the three bands on the cigars—including the foot ribbon—all have wildly different designs and color schemes. In fact, the pink ribbon foot band seems so out of place with the two just-short-of-gaudy bands above it that it makes seeing the cigars for the first time a bit jarring from a visual perspective.
- Pelo de oro, which translates to golden hair, is known for its unique golden color and the difficulties associated with growing it. The tobacco has been banned in Cuba due to its propensity to attract mold, but it’s grown in a few places outside of the island, including the García’s farms in Nicaragua.
- If you are wondering what’s under the space in the middle of the bottom of the box, it’s just empty space with some ventilation slots. It seems clear that this is for humidification for those who want to store the box. — Charlie Minato.
- The logo on the top of the boxes—and printed on the foot bands—is a rendering of Johnson shaking Jaime García’s hand with José “Pepín” García, Jaime’s father, blessing the union.
- As of the date of this review, an exact shipping date for the La Union Red humidors has not been announced, but Johnson told Woggi that they are slated for release in early 2025.
- While fondant sweetness is certainly not a regular note I pick up in the profile of cigars—in fact, the last time I recall it in a cigar I reviewed was the La Aurora 1985 Maduro Robusto— it is a very specific flavor that I tasted too often to count during my time as a documentary wedding photographer since it is often used on wedding cakes.
- The box we purchased was numbered 847/3,000.
- Speaking of the box, it is as massive as it is impressive, and I would not be shocked at all if becomes a contender in Woggi’s Packaging Awards. The presentation is amazing, and I especially love the labeled cedar planks covering the cigars on either side when you first open the box.
- Unlike what Patrick experienced in the cigars he reviewed, I did not have to relight any of my cigars, but I was extremely surprised at how many times I had to correct the burn lines.
- The cigars are listed at 7 1/4 x 50. None of the six cigars that were measured—three of the My Father cigars that Patrick reviewed and three of the Tatuaje cigars that I reviewed—came in at exactly 50 ring gauge. However, Charlie noted something quite interesting: all three Tatuaje cigars I smoked for this review were the exact same 50.5 ring gauge, while the My Father cigars that Patrick reviewed came in at 49, 49 and 49.5 ring gauge.
- The cigars for this review were purchased by Woggi.
- Final smoking time averaged two hours and 13 minutes for all three cigars.
- If you are looking to purchase any of the La Union — Tatuaje for My Father (Black Humidor) cigars, site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars Direct and Smokingpipes carry the La Union.
87
Overall Score
At its core, the La Union — Tatuaje for My Father (Black Humidor) is a tale of one blend with two very different profiles: the first two-thirds of the cigar are smooth and creamy, dominated by a combination of sweet cashews and aromatic cedar on the palate as well as white pepper and fondant sweetness on the retrohale. However, the blend takes a dramatic turn during the final third, punctuated by a noticeably aggressive uptick in strength that affects the balance of the entire profile, and not in a good way. Even with that said, this is a good enough cigar to recommend trying now, but I am hoping a bit of time will help even out the roughness in the final third and thus elevate the entire profile to greater heights.