Cigar Review: El Triunfador

Lancero, 7.5" x 38 ring gauge, $8.80
Less than a year ago, this cigar did not exist. Actually, if you listen to the man behind the cigar, Pete Johnson of Tatuaje, it still does not exist. He called it "a ghost cigar." He did not want a lot of buzz about this project and he apparently got his wish at least for a while--it still does not appear on any official company website. Nevertheless, I am holding one in my left hand as I put pen to paper with my right--El Triunfador is definitely not a figment of my imagination. According to other sources, the filler and binder of this stick are Nicaraguan while the wrapper is a Connecticut Broadlead, either naturally dark or maduro depending on who you listen to (sometimes there are distinct disadvantages to the progenitor of a cigar disavowing its existence). It only comes in one size (lancero) at the moment, although I have heard a rumor of another size being introduced soon. It is rolled for Pete Johnson by, guess who!, Don Pepin Garcia.

This cigar has a classy, rustic look. The wrapper is dark with just a little oil and a lot of tooth. The cap is tripled with a pigtail and the band is minimalist, like pretty much all of Johnson's lines. The aroma from the body is "classic humidor" with just a touch of compost coming from the foot.

The cold draw had a sweet flavor with a bit of chocolate but also some black coffee and spicy notes. After lighting, the flavor is more black coffee than chocolate, but there is a bit of spice to it still, as you would expect from a Garcia cigar.

Before the first third was done, the Triunfador started exhibiting draw problems, making it the second time in as many sticks that this had happened to me. Both sticks were bought at the same time from the same box, so it could be a bad batch. I've had bad burns once before, I think, on a different batch, and this definitely happens from time-to-time on lanceros, but still a bummer. As the first third finished up and the second started, the flavors were of coffee and cedar. The burn line also started to go awry at this point, making me wonder if Don Pepin Garcia's Quality Control unit was on vacation when this was made.

The last Triunfador I had continued to plague me for the entire length, but this one did not. Fortunately, the burn line straighted up during the second third and before the last third started the draw was dramatically better. The coffee flavor persisted and there was a leathery aspect as well as the cedar; the spice was a long-gone memory.

Except for the brown-label Tatuaje, this is perhaps my favorite Pete Johnson stick. Even though it is more apt to have construction issues because of the size, I always come back for more. It is a medium-to-full smoke that packs plenty of flavor.

Body: 7/10
Strength: 6/10
Complexity: 8/10

AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10