At this years Red Meat Lovers Club Dinner at the Smoke Inn Great Smoke event, Pete Johnson from Tatuaje Cigars was one of the guests of honor and sponsor of the dinner. Pete and Smoke Inn owner Abe Dababneh were showcasing the latest Smoke Inn Microblend Series cigar, the Anarchy Kaos. Before I get into the cigar itself, I should note this this the 10th year that Smoke Inn partnered with a cigar brand to make a limited edition cigar for what Abe dubbed, the Microblend Series. In all, there have been 16 cigars in the series. The first in the series, ten years ago was the the original Tatuaje Anarchy cigar.
Throughout the decade, many other brands partnered with Abe, but it is Pete who has been brought back four times in the last ten years starting with the original Anarchy followed by the Anarchy Apocalypse in 2012, then a re-banded Anarchy in 2015, and finally the Anarchy Kaos in 2020.
The 2020 Tatuaje Anarchy Kaos is a 6 1/2 x 49 figurado that was limited to just 20,000 cigars packaged in 10-count boxes. As an attendee of the Red Meat Lovers Club Dinner, I received a 3-count sampler box that included two Anarchy Kaos cigars and special extra cigar that was called the Pale Horse.
As for the blend, it is the same as the original Tatuaje Anarchy Kaos described as:
- Wrapper – Ecuadorian Habano
- Binder – Nicaraguan
- Filler – Nicaraguan
For this review I sampled the two Anarchy Kaos cigars in the sampler I received at the event.
Pre-Light Examination
The 2020 Tatuaje Anarchy Kaos is a beautifully constructed cigar that starts with an oily, dark chocolate brown wrapper that is light on veins. The cigar is solidly packed. The best part of the construction is the cap. It is what is called a 109 cap that has been used on numerous cigars of late, but Pete went one step further and added a coil of tobacco around the cap.
A single black band adorns the cigar that has a red anarchist symbol centered in the middle. Embossed in the band, on both sides of the symbol, is the name Tatuaje.
As I ran the Kaos along the nose and I detected a lightly pungent fermented leaf wrapper and notes of cocoa and baking spice off the foot.
Looking again at the cap, I was thinking about how to slice it. I decided to slice it right above the lowest coil and proceeded to give it some long cold draws. The restriction was spot on with a gentle pepper sensation on the lips and a nut like flavor on the palate.
Using my double flame torch, I warmed the foot and drew in the first pepper blast of smoke. Follow along as I burn the 2020 Tatuaje Anarchy Kaos to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Strong pepper hit to the palate and nose
- Butter Cracker aroma quickly wafts off the foot
- Full smoke volume right from the start
- Smoke smooths out well after a half inch of burn
- Medium grey ash forms on a slightly wavy and thick char line
- Buttery notes and a hint of cinnamon gently graces the palate
- Ash fell after a decent burn and revealed a well formed burn cone
- Cream notes enter and wrap a growing dark chocolate entering the second third
- Natural sweetness joins the mix
- The final third brings toasted caramel nuances with a maple syrup aroma
- Spice enters deep in the final third down to the finish
- Medium Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 40 minutes
Overall, the Tatuaje Anarchy Kaos was a delicious, medium strength, long burning figurado. Complex in flavor, it had smooth transitions from foot to nub with enticing notes of pepper, dark chocolate, cinnamon, and sweetness. The ash was medium grey in color and the burn had a mild wave to it. This is worth grabbing a fiver of, which you can still get on SmokeInn.com. We rate this a 92.
Point Deductions: (-1) Slightly Jagged Burn; (-1) Medium Grey Ash
