Quick answer: Tatuaje's best-known sub-brands are the T110 (a 2009 Hawaii-exclusive short robusto that returned in 2021), the Reserva J21 (a 5 x 50 robusto in the Miami brown label line), and Verocu (a stronger Havana VI, born as 2007 East and West regional releases). All are Garcia-made. Singles run about $8 to $20.
Pete Johnson released the Tatuaje T110 in July 2009 as an exclusive for a single wine-and-cigar shop in Honolulu. Two hundred boxes of 25, one stubby size, no press push. The run sold through fast, and for the next decade the T110 was a cigar people argued about more than smoked. I tracked down a five-pack at a small tobacconist in Charlotte years later for $80, well over its original shelf price, and it earned the hype.
Tatuaje is one of the rare premium brands where the sub-brands and small releases carry more mystique than the core lines. This guide covers the series that matter, what makes each special, and how to find them without paying collector markups.
What Are the Tatuaje Sub-Brands?
Tatuaje is Pete Johnson's Nicaraguan cigar brand, founded in 2003 and rolled by Jose Pepin
Garcia's family from the first cigar through today's releases. The name is Spanish for tattoo, a nod to Johnson's ink. Rather than pushing one flagship, Johnson built a family of sub-brands and line extensions: the brown label Seleccion de Cazador, also called the Miami line and home of the Reserva J21; the red label Havana VI and its stronger Verocu offshoot; the Connecticut-wrapped Cabaiguan, launched in 2006; and the T110, a 2009 Hawaii shop exclusive that halfwheel reports returned in April 2021 as a 25,000-cigar national release. Limited projects like the Monster Series, La Verite, and Cojonu fill out the calendar. Production still runs through the Garcias' My Father Cigars factory in Esteli, and the 2026 sizes announced at this year's PCA trade show come from that same floor. Most singles cost $8 to $20.
Who Is Pete Johnson?
Pete Johnson grew up in Maine and moved to Los Angeles at 18 to play music. The band faded; the cigars did not. By 1997 he was buying cigars for the Grand Havana Room, the members-only club in Beverly Hills.
In 2003 he founded Tatuaje and went hunting for someone who could roll the old Cuban profiles he loved. He found Jose Pepin
Garcia, a Cuban expat then working out of a small Miami operation, who rolled him a cigar on the spot. A 90 rating for the Tatuaje Cabinet Especiales in Cigar Aficionado's October 2004 issue put the young brand on the map.
The partnership never ended. More than two decades on, the Garcia family still makes Tatuaje, the brand marked 20 years with its 20th Anniversary line at the 2023 PCA show, and the 2026 releases are still Garcia-made. The full Tatuaje complete brand guide covers the broader portfolio.
Tatuaje T110
The T110 started as a joke that got out of hand. Johnson had an unreleased prototype so strong he nicknamed it Thermonuclear.
In July 2009 he released a tuned-up version as an exclusive for a Honolulu wine-and-cigar shop: 200 boxes of 25, measuring 4 3/8 x 52. The name decodes the cigar, per halfwheel: T
for Thermonuclear, 110
for its length in millimeters.
The blend wears an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over a ligero-heavy mix of Nicaraguan tobacco from Jalapa and Esteli. Expect black pepper and spice up front, cocoa and espresso underneath, and no mercy. A second batch of 190 unbanded boxes followed that December, then nothing for over a decade while demand grew. In 2011 Johnson channeled the blend into Fausto, a regular-production line on the fuller end of the portfolio, plus its Avion extension.
The T110 itself returned in April 2021: 1,000 boxes of 25 at a $10 MSRP, rolled at My Father Cigars S.A. Wrapper variants followed, including the Capa Especial (Ecuadorian Sumatra), Reserva (Connecticut Broadleaf), Tuxtla (Mexican San Andres), and a Corojo version. You no longer need the secondary market: batches still sell out, but they recur, and Fausto delivers the same DNA year-round.
Tatuaje Reserva J21
The J21 is the robusto of Tatuaje's brown label Seleccion de Cazador line, the Miami
cigars that launched the brand. It measures 5 x 50 with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over aged Nicaraguan binder and filler, rolled at the Garcia family's Miami factory. Medium-full, with cedar, cocoa, white pepper, and a long finish.
The name is personal. Johnson told halfwheel it works two ways: J for Johnson, and 21 for the number he always wore playing sports. A friend's dog named Joss, who died at 21, gets a nod too.
There is also a Reserva J21 Broadleaf, a Connecticut Broadleaf version that entered regular production in February 2017 at a $12 MSRP and scored 92 with halfwheel that year. The J21 survived Tatuaje's 2026 Broadleaf Collection consolidation, which trimmed the roster to five vitolas and moved them into 21-count boxes.
Expect singles around $12 to $15 at retail. The Tatuaje Miami price tracker shows what the brown label line costs across the stores we monitor.
Tatuaje Verocu (East and West)
The Verocu is the Havana VI red label with the volume turned up. Johnson has called it a baby Cojonu or a red label on steroids.
Same Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over Nicaraguan double binder and filler, more strength.
The East and West story is real, just older than most retellings. In 2007, Tatuaje shipped two versions regionally: the Lado Occidental, a 6 1/4 x 52 sold only to retailers in the western half of the US, and the Zona del Este, a 5 1/2 x 54 for the eastern half. Same stronger blend, different sizes, so collectors traded across the country to smoke both.
The regional gimmick retired in 2015, when Verocu became a regular-production line with numbered sizes. In 2022 the Verocu Blue added a Nicaraguan Corojo 99 rosado wrapper at a $12 MSRP; halfwheel rated the Blue No. 2 an 87. Older numbered sizes typically cost a dollar or two less. Compare current Havana VI prices before you buy, since the parent line is the better everyday value.
Tatuaje Cabaiguan
The Cabaiguan is the gateway Tatuaje. Launched in 2006 as Johnson's first Connecticut-wrapped blend, it pairs an Ecuadorian Connecticut shade wrapper with aged Cuban-seed Nicaraguan filler, blended with Jaime Garcia and rolled at My Father in Nicaragua.
Flavor runs cedar, cream, roasted nuts, and light pepper. Mild to medium body, with more sweetness and depth than most Connecticuts at the price. If I am handing a newer smoker one Tatuaje, it is this, no hesitation. Prices sit in the single digits to low teens per cigar.
Other Tatuaje Sub-Brands
Tatuaje's release calendar runs deep. The other names worth knowing:
- Cojonu. Debuted 2003; a new size and tweaked blend arrives roughly every three years (2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, and on). Brown-label DNA with extra ligero.
- Black Label. A 2007 private blend Johnson shared with friends, released publicly in 2013 for the brand's 10th anniversary. Nicaraguan puro under an Esteli sun-grown Criollo wrapper, with new sizes announced for 2026.
- La Verite. A wine-style project from the Garcias' La Estrella farm: single farm, single vintage, aged as finished cigars. The 2008 vintage was rolled in 2009 and released in 2010.
- Mexican Experiment. A quiet 2012 release wearing a Mexican San Andres wrapper; the ME II followed in 2019.
- Monster Series. The annual Halloween release since 2008, honoring horror icons like The Frank, The Drac, and The Wolfman. The 2014 Pudgy Monsters sampler shrank the blends and added Chuck and Tiff.
- 20th Anniversary. The 2023 celebration line, regular production in two sizes: Grande Merveille (6 1/8 x 46) and Grand Chasseur (6 3/8 x 54).
Most limited runs sell out within weeks. The regular-production lines above stay stocked year-round.
How to Find Tatuaje Sub-Brands
Three approaches that work:
Track announcements. Cigar Coop, halfwheel, and the major review sites cover Tatuaje releases early, and allocated drops often open for pre-order within hours. Active codes for Famous Smoke can soften the box price when a drop lands.
Shop the retailers that stock Tatuaje deep. In our price feed, Smoke Inn lists over 120 Tatuaje products, the largest selection we track, with Famous Smoke and Best Cigar Prices each carrying roughly 100. Seeing every line side by side beats hopping between stores. That is the job of the Tatuaje price comparison page. Premium prices also drift quarter to quarter. The Cigar Price Index shows the trend before you commit to a box.
Work your local shops. Smaller tobacconists with Tatuaje allocations often hold limited releases for regulars, and plenty of cigar lounges receive Monster Series allotments that never hit the web. For older T110 or Monster releases, collector groups are the last resort; expect to pay well over original retail.
The best places to buy cigars online comparison breaks down how the big retailers differ on pricing and shipping.
How Does Tatuaje Compare to Other Garcia-Made Brands?
Tatuaje has been rolled by the Garcia family for more than two decades, and several sibling brands share the same Cuban-style backbone:
My Father Cigars. The Garcias' own flagship brand, with wider distribution and generally higher prices. The My Father vs Padron comparison shows how the family's house blends stack up.
Don Pepin Garcia line. The blends carrying Pepin's own name, including the Cuban Classic and Series JJ.
La Aroma de Cuba. Made by the Garcias for Ashton, and one of the best values in the family. The La Aroma de Cuba complete brand guide covers it in depth.
San Cristobal. Also Garcia-made for Ashton, Cuban-style and mid-priced.
Tatuaje remains the purist's pick of the group: Johnson blends closest to the old Cuban profiles, and the sub-brands give him room to experiment.
Trying to find a specific Tatuaje sub-brand allocation in your city? Tap the chat bubble at the bottom right of any cigarfinder.com page and ask Cigar Finder AI based on your location.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most famous Tatuaje cigar?
The T110. It began as a July 2009 exclusive for one Honolulu shop, just 200 boxes of 25, and built a cult following over the decade it stayed gone. Tatuaje brought it back in April 2021 at a $10 MSRP, and its wrapper variants keep the legend rolling.
Who is Pete Johnson?
The founder of Tatuaje. A Maine native who moved to Los Angeles for music, he bought cigars for the Grand Havana Room in Beverly Hills before launching Tatuaje in 2003 with Jose Pepin
Garcia as his blender. The brand name means tattoo
in Spanish.
Where are Tatuaje cigars made?
Nearly all Tatuaje production comes from My Father Cigars S.A. in Esteli, Nicaragua, run by the Garcia family, while the brown label Miami line is rolled at the Garcias' Miami factory. The partnership has run continuously since 2003, and Tatuaje's 2026 releases are still Garcia-made.
What is Tatuaje T110?
A 4 3/8 x 52 short robusto with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and a ligero-heavy Nicaraguan core. The name means Thermonuclear
plus its 110-millimeter length. Full bodied and pepper-forward, released in batches rather than year-round. The Fausto line is its regular-production descendant.
What is Tatuaje Reserva J21?
The 5 x 50 robusto of Tatuaje's brown label Seleccion de Cazador (Miami) line. J stands for Johnson and 21 was his number in sports. It wears an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper; a Connecticut Broadleaf version has been regular production since 2017 and scored 92 with halfwheel.
What is Tatuaje Verocu?
A stronger version of the Havana VI red label. It launched in 2007 as two regional exclusives, the Lado Occidental (West, 6 1/4 x 52) and Zona del Este (East, 5 1/2 x 54), then joined the regular lineup with numbered sizes. The 2022 Verocu Blue added a Nicaraguan Corojo 99 wrapper.
Why are some Tatuaje releases hard to find?
The limited projects (Monster Series, T110 batches, La Verite) ship in small runs and sell out within weeks, and lounge allocations absorb a share before cigars reach online shelves. The core lines are easier: Havana VI, Cabaiguan, Fausto, Black Label, and the Miami cigars stay in stock at major retailers.
Are Tatuaje cigars worth the price?
For fans of full-flavored, Cuban-style Nicaraguan cigars, yes. Most of the portfolio lands between $8 and $20 per stick, which undercuts comparable boutique releases, and the Garcias' construction is consistently excellent. Start with Cabaiguan or Havana VI, then work toward the T110 as your palate toughens.
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