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I always look forward to new stuff coming out like a little girl, for those of you like me check this out:

Pete Johnson, the owner of Havana Cellars and the Tatuaje cigar brand, is starting a new company, and Cigar Insider has all the details on its flagship brand.

Called L’Atelier Imports, the new company will be headquartered in Miami, rather than Los Angeles, where Havana Cellars is based. The company plans to debut a flagship brand, also called L'Atelier, that will be rolled at My Father Cigars from all-Nicaraguan filler and binder and wrapped in Ecuadoran leaf.

The brand will be medium to full bodied, according to Johnson, and the sizes are a take on the Cohiba Behike BHK trio launched by Cuba in 2010. There will be a LAT52 (4 3/4 inches by 52 ring), LAT54 (5 5/8 by 54), and a LAT56 (6 1/2 by 56), virtually identical to the trio of sizes in the Behike line, right down to the pigtail caps. L’Atelier will sell for $8.50 to $10 and will come in boxes of 15, and boxed samplers of nine cigars with three of each size. The line will debut in August at the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers trade show in Orlando, Florida.

“[The company is] a chance for me to expand my footprint in the cigar industry without adding to the Tatuaje portfolio, which is already at capacity,” said Johnson in a Cigar Insider interview. Tatuaje has made Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 list for eight straight years—Cabaiguan Guapo is the current No. 7 Cigar of the Year—and now includes 12 full-production lines as well as a host of limited-release cigars, such as the Monster Series.

me no give a shit

And if DPG is involved it cant be bad.

^ hey azzhat, they're more consistant than Viaje (and cheaper) and miles better than Gurkha and Patel's trillion different offerings!

what what whaaaaaat???

Pass...

I'm tempted the more i think about it

O my

Y
A
W
N !

I hope this new one comes in a humidor like the CAO Vision had.

CAO/Gurkha/Patel are making a ton of money, so it's hard to fault them for their decisions. Just because they don't cater to us doesn't mean they aren't successful.

At least Pete is making a completely new brand instead of another line within Tat. He realizes that Tat is "at capacity".

So is ExxonMobil and Walmart. (but I like your thinking!)





"at capacity" has no meaning. No more factories? No more rollers? No more tobacco? No more names? Then how could a spin-off company and cigar be created and made in the exact same factory? What exactly did Pete realize?

when CAO was "at capacity" the owner sold out and went to the beach...smart man. Rocky's just getting greedy.

I wonder what Viaje's new spinoff company will be named.

Good point!

Everything after the Tat Ybor Treasure and Fleur le Fleur has been jumping the shark.

+1 thats what I'm saying. at least he's giving another cigar a shot. he's carrying out part of his dream at least,(the other half to one day own a vineyard) gurkha and patel make all the same **** IMO so its whatever. Whether pete has 5 or 30 cigars, i think they are all quality and worth trying at least once.

The new company will also have a few bundle blends, $3.50--$4.50/stick.

As to the "so many Tats" thing, I think you all know my opinion. Pete's doing 8-9 LEs this year, but a few of those are much larger runs (10,000 boxes, 500 boxes, etc.) instead of the typical 200-or-less runs. These LEs tend to be priced VERY fairly ($7.50 for a robusto Monster? Seriously?). But overall he's put a lot more effort into his full-production cigars.

Pete and Pepin love to blend. They love to explore and try out new things. That's what the LEs are for ... a chance for fans to try variations of blends, new projects, and market-tests of sticks that might go into full production. Obviously, no one is forcing these down anyone's throats.

The MARKET dictates the actions of any smart company in any business. Right now, the cigar market is all about "What's New?" It's true in the Cuban and non-Cuban sectors. That's just the way buyers are right now ... we're in a 2nd "boom." That's why things like IPCPR are more popular than ever before, people are excited to try new things! As long as the quality remains excellent, the market will continue to bear this process for a while longer, I think.

While the comparison to Rocky or Gurkha in terms of # of blends is definitely valid, I think that's where the comparison ends. In terms of quality and value, Ill take a Tat any day of the week over the other 2.

I do not feel the quality has gone down at all, either in the regular lines or the LEs. I don't chase every LE like I once did, but they are still fun to me.

To each his (or her) own! Smoke what you like!

Not exactly sure how anyone would "completely copy" the Cohiba Behike.....or any other Cuban for that matter. Ya the sizes are the same but who gives a shiit. Most all of us (you included) are going to buy the blends and sizes you like regardless of whether somebody says it's a copy of something else or not.

As a side note, you wanna see superhero Tat whores, jump on botl a little more often. That would really make me vomit.

I hadn't seen the cigars but had read a few articles about them. Meh....ya they look a little like a cuban but the real trick would be if they TASTED like a cuban. I'm still only buyin what I like in the size I like.

I guess I am pretty simplistic when spending my money. If I want a cuban, I ain't gonna go buy something that just looks like a cuban. If I want to shoot a $16K competition Kreighoff, I ain't gonna go buy a Browning cause they look alike. Well, you get the idea....

I kinda thought you and Nate had been across that ground before.....

But, with that said, give me a Havana VI angeles or nobles or a Black pl any day. The others? For the most part, meh. Cabs are good. Original El T's are good. Fuasto every now and then.

and before I piss off anyone who might have sent me one of these, i've smoked A LOT of most of these. I wouldn't kick any of them out of my humidor. Like Viaje, I'm just tired of the hype.

Kyle -- My cape is backordered, grrr! But at least it was only $499.99, plus tax and shipping. But they do come with a lock of Pete's hair, so that's something I'll treasure forever :) Seriously, though, I'm not trying to be a Tatuaje Apologist, just like to discuss is all.

But guys, Gurkha? Really, though? List all the Gurkha brands ... that pales the list of Tatuajes. Then compare quality ... Now, if you listed ALL the sticks that the Garcias do, they'd be about the same length, I expect. Though again, give me nearly anything from the Garcias over nearly anything from Gurkha. I'm not a hater, I still smoke some Gurkhas, just saying I don't think it's a fair comparison. Ultimately, you should smoke what you like!

And I know you guys are getting more into CCs now -- as am I, had a great one this morning -- but with Garcia Family cigars I have peace of mind that they will mostly likely draw and burn really well. With CCs, I still feel like I'm rolling the dice every time I cut one. This is nothing new, obviously, but it does matter to me. DIdn't stop me from acquiring a cab of RASS or anything, but the Tats do keep me coming back (and Padrons, LPs, Illusione, EPC, Fuente, and LFD).

Pete Townshend's coming out with a new album. Great!!

i thought he died

or was that keith moon?