TX Duo Review - Tatuaje La Riqueza No4 ~2010

[Çnote]

Immediate bang of brioche raisin bread with slivered almonds. Chinese 5 spice. Retro of Mexican hot chocolate. Smooth as silk from the 1st puff, so easy the retro is automatic. Puffed rice and cinnamon sugar. It's a struggle to puff slow.

Getting to halfway, the richness intensifies into black pudding with roti and runny egg yolk. The burn is running laps tho. I'm reminded of Chambertin and duck magret. Removing the band fixes the burn in seconds, I need to drop rh% in Duo.

Thick red stonefruit, glorious stuff. Anise and numb lips. 

Getting to the nub, sweet shrimp paste dumplings and plum sauce. Slowly fades into coffee and cocoa nibs.

Just amazing stuff here, 91-92 probably just humidity holding it back.

[Ruggerpgh99]

Is that Cello as dark as it looks? Wowsa!

[Capn_Jackson]

Not sure of the vitola name or whatever in the Riqueza line. @Çnote advised that I dry-box this one, and even after two days it’s a pretty firm draw, but it’ll smoke fine. Cold draw is damp earth, oak, and grassy flavors. Light-up is lots of pepper, and some extremely bright spices. Almost like ginger and wasabi. 

First third is very crisp, still with that raw ginger quality. Some honey as well. Maybe sesame cakes (“Stop eating my SESAME CAKE!!”) Bonus points if you can name that movie… 

Going on, things do mellow out some. Still a sharp pepper and spice zing, but there is a delicious dark herbal note in the draw. Almost reminding me of the Warped Upper Realm that we smoked awhile back, or maybe what I wanted the Upper Realm to be. Ricola herbal notes, but sweeter. Contrasts nicely with the spice, actually. 

In the second third, getting some citrus. Savory soy sauce, no…duck sauce, but smokier. Pepper has subsided, and I’m grateful. Very bold, but very smooth. Nothing in the way of strength, all the expression is in the flavor, and not in the power. But again…smooth. Almost like a Merlot. Some dark berries in the finish of each puff. This is actually reminding me a lot of Curivari Reserva Limitada at the moment, the Robusto one they call “Epicures.” Past the midpoint, things turn to creamy almond paste and deep cocoa vibes.

The last third is glowing with ripe fruit, rich cocoa powder, slightly burnt sugar, and vibrant spices. I’m getting a little Mexican hot chocolate here, which is very nice on a crisp, cool day. The nub is mostly dark roast coffee bean with some oak smoke, and a little nuttiness still. Excellent smoke!

94

[Capn_Jackson]

On 1/14/2026 at 7:05 AM, Ruggerpgh99 said:

Is that Cello as dark as it looks? Wowsa!

It really was!

[Çnote]

Lots of similarity

[Capn_Jackson]

I loved this one, really

[Çnote]

On 1/14/2026 at 7:05 AM, Ruggerpgh99 said:

Is that Cello as dark as it looks? Wowsa!

I have some thoughts on dark dark cello like this that Jackson and I will eventually discuss over a 2021 Tatuaje that already has cello this dark. (Spoiler: wildly unstable temperature conditions)