Cigar Info
L'Atelier released a new size in their core line this year to honor K.C. Johnson of Tatuaje's dog, Roxy, who passed away earlier this year. The new size “for the “Roxy” is available in both the original L'Atelier and L'Atelier Maduro lines, and is a 3 1/2 x 50 petit robusto. L'Atelier Roxy comes in boxes of 20 with each box containing 10 cigars of each the original and maduro blend. Each box has an MSRP of $160 or $8.00 per cigar.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
“Some would say that the idea of having two blends in a box was because she was phantom, it also could be because she had two different personalities,” K.C. Johnson wrote in an Instagram post back when he announced the cigar.
The original L'Atelier blend uses an Ecuadorian Sancti Spiritus wrapper with Nicaraguan binders and fillers, while the L'Atelier Maduro uses a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper over Nicaraguan binders and fillers.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Rothschild
Length: 3 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 50
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: USA Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
Blender: Pete Johnson
Number of reviewers: 5 – Mickey T. (irratebass) Jason H. (Jokey Smurf) John A. (Bostoneo) Quinn (quinnpins269) Alan (Eulogy)
Price: $8.00
Age: 3 Months
Release Date: August 2023
Contributed by: Tatuaje Cigars
Initial Impressions – L'Atelier Roxy Maduro
Appearance: 90
“Three and a half inches in size, this firecracker adorns a deep reddish brown toothy wrapper textured with some thicker flattened veins and topped with a large triple cap.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Aroma: 88
“A nice mix of earthiness and pepper had me excited to smoke this cigar.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)
First Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Well, this ought to be a quickie! Upon igniting the cigar, flavors of hot roasted nuts, full-bodied leather, and a white pepper finish as large clouds of smoke are produced. After a few minutes of burn time, this cigars flavors smooth out into an extremely enjoyable, slow-burning, experience.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“From the first puff, I was set aback by strong black pepper and heavily charred wood. I was really caught off guard by this considering the lack of aroma before lighting. Through the nose the smoke was painfully sharp and right in line with the initial flavors.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Second Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The boldness of the profile has picked up a lot from the first third. The notes are the same with a strong mineral start and dark chocolate and cedar finish.” –Alan (Eulogy)
“As I quickly pushed through the beginning portion of this cigar I was pleased to find the strong pepper and charred wood leaving and the cigar began to settle into a much more enjoyable profile. Now instead of stinging black pepper, I was greeted with light cayenne spice and leathery earth… a profile I enjoy very much. Through the nose, the smoke settled as well and now I can retrohale without bringing tears to my eyes. Such a welcome change!” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Final Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“I have not ashed yet. The cigar has mellowed with more floral and clove notes than the previous third and is leaving my palate refreshed. The strength is now at mild-medium.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“The draw opened up a bit and the smoke output. There is a very dry mineral and cedar flavor at the start of the draw with a bitter chocolate finish.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Overall Impressions – L'Atelier Roxy Maduro
Draw: 91
“It opened up a little bit around the halfway point but with a three inch cigar it made a very big difference. I always found the draw to be a little too tight and it made the smoke lack a creamy mouthfeel.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Burn: 93
“This little cigar burned like a champ for the most part but did tend to wander off I spent too much time chatting and not enough time puffing… that said, I never needed to get out the lighter and the cigar self-corrected with regular puffing.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Construction: 90
“I was impressed with the precision this cigar was constructed with, however, one side may have been punched not as well as another.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 91
“Overall this was a great little cigar. It started with more of an earthy tone with spice and some potpourri moments in the first third then the cigar settled down and gave me plenty of clove and floral notes mixed in with spice and cream that brought the medium plus strength to a mild-medium. This little cigar was full of surprises and would definitely like to keep some on hand for the upcoming winter.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“This one started out really quite unenjoyable but fortunately didn't end that way. The closing flavors of light cayenne and earthy leather were really quite good and for the most part the burn performance was similarly good. I'd say this would be an easy pick when I don't have much time. I would smoke this again, but only if I didn't have time for something else.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“Short and sweet is the name of the game here. This stubby firecracker of a cigar provided ample amounts of medium bodied goodness in the form of leather, white pepper, and wood notes here and there in a smooth and sometimes sweet finish. While the burn was a little off at times, this cigar was quite hearty and constructed very well. I'd throw down on a box of these simply because the flavors were excellent and did not yield much of a time commitment if you need a quick smoking break!” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“For being a 30-45 minute smoke this thing was a rollercoaster. The profile at the start was great. But the construction problem that I encountered really killed the whole smoking experience on this cigar for me.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)
“I really liked this tiny cigar but the draw could have been way better. The flavors were simple but worked well together. The small size is perfect for cold weather and has enough strength to feel satisfying. I would love to try this again to see if the draw is better.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 39
| Reviewer | Appear. | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall Experience |
| Mickey T. | 88 | 85 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 95 | 95 | 92 |
| Jason H. | 90 | 87 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 95 | 92 | 92 | 90 |
| John A. | 92 | 90 | 92 | 90 | 90 | 95 | 88 | 90 | 90 |
| Quinn | 88 | 87 | 90 | 83 | 88 | 88 | 85 | 85 | 85 |
| Alan | 92 | 87 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 95 | 88 | 90 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.