I am one of the many unlucky sonsofbitches who never got an opportunity to smoke the original Pork Tenderloin release back in 2010. I was just beginning what would quickly evolve into a very deep immersion into the world of premium cigars and Tatuaje wasn’t a company yet on my rapidly expanding radar. But I couldn’t avoid hearing about the Pork Tenderloin in various online cigar groups, seemingly everyone who smoked it walked away with a giant smile on their face. The limited line was brought back for another round back in 2016 (I missed out on that one as well), then a variation called the Lomo de Cerdo featuring a Mexican San Andrés wrapper was released two years ago (I was experiencing San Andrés burnout at the time so I passed), but that original Pork Tenderloin blend remained as elusive and unattainable as ever. Until earlier this year when Pete Johnson (watch our interview HERE) dropped a brand new shipment of the fabled Pork Tenderloins on us and, this time, I was ready.
THE CIGAR – PORK TENDERLOIN (2025) by TATUAJE CIGARS
Size: 5 1/8 x 56
Wrapper: Connecticut broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $13.00 (Head on over to Famous Smoke Shop and pick up a handful of your favorite Tatuajes right now and save $20 off $100 with promo code TNCC20)
The Pork Tenderloin’s dark brown broadleaf wrapper features slight surface oils and there’s no discernible aromas present due to the closed-foot feature of the cigar. Sometimes unlit cigars don’t smell like much, it happens.
I notice a portion of the wrapper appears to be coming slightly loose about an inch above the foot. Rather than toss this long-awaited stogie in the garbage due to this – hopefully – purely aesthetic flaw, I decide to smoke it anyway…
I twist the decorative cap off the Pork Tenderloin but there’s still limited airflow so I give it a solid punch which seems to do the trick. After experiencing a cold draw comprised of strong must and lumber, it’s time to light this sucker on fire. Upon ignition, there’s a nice flow of medium pepper spice backed by pencil lead through the nose while the draw’s early profile can best be described as oak-forward with a touch of mineral.
I’ve got zero complaints from a construction standpoint, the Pork Tenderloin is drawing like a dream and the resulting burn line is straight across. The strength of the retrohale’s peppery spice begins to decline around the 1” mark. This downshift allows a muted walnut note to slowly arise alongside the pencil lead. A short time later, a faint chocolate milk flavor begins to creep in via the draw. To be honest, and that’s not to imply that I’m not always honest here, I’m having a difficult time wrapping my head around this cigar as I can’t figure out what exactly it’s trying to do here in the first half…
As we approach the fifty yard line, smoke production increases as the Pork Tenderloin begins to pick up some steam. The retro’s pencil lead note becomes far more pronounced while a yellow cake flavor shows the fuck up out of nowhere on the draw. Oak, pencil lead, walnuts, yellow cake, a diminishing chocolate milk flavor, etc… there’s a lot suddenly going on here all at once but it’s still not making much sense to me as a cohesive whole.
Remember that somewhat loose wrapper leaf? Well, thankfully, it turned out to be a total nonissue as the Pork Tenderloin burned right through it. I can’t say enough about this cigar’s overall construction.
That semisweet yellow cake note has begun to appear through the nose as well. That identical flavor, now found both upstairs and downstairs, brings some much needed cohesion to the Pork Tenderloin’s profile. Even the draw’s highly consistent oak is suddenly stepping aside to allow the yellow cake its moment in the spotlight. And then, just as the cigar enters its final third, POOF the cake has vanished. What the hell? So now we’re right back where we started with the pencil lead note and woodsy oak returning to the forefront. The only slight change to the cigar’s profile comes towards the nub when a hint of mint shows up on the draw. Again, it makes no sense (to me) but at least things are staying interesting?
THE NUB
TNCC Final Score = 91
The Pork Tenderloin 2025’s smoking experience can be summed up as a commendable amount of flavors that just didn’t gel all that great together as a whole. The middle section was by far the highlight as the introduction of yellow cake and its temporary dominance brought a moment of clarity to an otherwise confusing profile. With consumer demand so high for the return of this blend, I commend Tatuaje on keeping this cigar priced under $15 when they could have easily charged $20+ based on the Pork Tenderloin’s near-legendary reputation amongst cigar nerds alone.
* Total Smoking Duration = 66 minutes
