So I kinda posted this just a min ago, but this thread is more for comment purposes. Perhaps others have had this experience and can enlighten me.

My wife and I each had a tat black tubo last night. Mine was really enjoyable and hers was pretty damn bad. It was almost as if I had gotten two completely different smokes. And I mean that literally. Mine was a nice medium colored wrapper and hers was about as dark as any maduro I've gotten my hands on. Her label was a bit jacked up as well, which makes me wonder if there is a "fake" Tat market out there. I find it hard to believe that is the case, but these cigars were SOOOOOOOOO different in every aspect. Even the flavor was off, hers was way more harsh than mine.

Anyone have this type of experience before?
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Why would you find it hard to believe there are fake Tats?
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I think they did 2 runs this time. Or they should say that. The first ones looked like the other Tat Blacks. The 2nd batch I got were a good amount darker. I tried to take a pic of the two different ones I have but it's not as noticeable as it really is.

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I've not had any of the Tat lines except the Havana VI's, and those were great, but from what I gather from everybody's posts about the red and black tubo's are that they can be completely inconsistent (I've read more complaints about the black than the red). Anyway, that's just what I've read, like I said, I have no experience with those cigars personally.
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Wow, that does seem strange. If it helps I had one with a buddy of mine a week or so ago and they both seemed a tad darker than both the ones you pictured. Then again it could be the lighting. We both loved ours. Interesting post, though, so thanks. I'm curious to see where it goes.
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yeah you can tell from the pic that they are two totally different shades, i have a couple that i am waiting to smoke, i will try to get a pic of them both to see if they are off...
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I suppose its not that hard to believe...just doesn't seem likely to me. The value of the cigar doesn't seem worth it. Obviously, I could be wrong but I guess I would be surprised.
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We've been seeing this alot around here in RI. I'm pretty good friends with the guys at the local B&M, and this has become a regular topic of discussion regarding the Reserva lines. Different wrapper shades, different flavor and different construction. I'm a devout Tat Whore...and I'm sorry to say that I just won't spend my money on any of the recent released Reserva lines. The sticks are hit or miss from one to another even from the same boxes. I never know what I'm going to be smoking when I lite up a Tat these days. Thank God I've got Noella Reservas from a year ago last April to smoke. For this reason alone...I have no interest what so ever in trying the Le Verite at $15 a stick for a robusto. I know for a fact that this has been brought to Tatuaje's attention (I can't say Pete, because maybe Andy hasn't told Pete???).
Just my two cents...and I'm very sorry that I even have to point this out.
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One of the reasons that you might be seeing such differences in the wrappers is that Pete uses Binder Grade leaf for the Tat Black wrappers. He wanted to capture the rustic quality of the cigars that the Torcedors roll for themselves at the end of the day.
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Think about the value, most CCs that are faked are worth far less than these with an MSRP of $14.
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What about the J21's, and Cojonu 2006 & 2009?
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I haven't bought any Pepin stuff other than Tats in the last year so I can't answer this question but is anyone seeing these problems with the Pepin lines? I know a year ago or so IMHO the quality of the blue and the flavor profile of the Blue changed a bit so I am wondering if it is an issue at the factory or in the fields. One of the noticeable differences for me withe the Blues seemed to be an inferior looking wrapper that was also darker than some of my older stock. Just sayin', since Pete's stuff is getting manufactured in the same factory as Pepins..
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I am pretty sure that Wrapper Grade tobacco is used for those lines. I can't speak to the inconsistency of flavor though.
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I actually noticed a change in the Blue myself around the same timeline you're talking about...interesting. No one commented on it, that I saw, so I figured it was just me.
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These photos are almost identical to what I saw last night when we lit them up.
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I know of a handful of people who felt the same way so we are not alone. I have also brought it up to some others and they just looked at me like I was nuts but they are super die hard Pepin Hoes so they may just been in denial and biased. :-)
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I had a black tubo on Tuesday night and it was very hard to smoke. Didn't want to stay lit and then tunnelled very badly. Ended up cutting it and relighting it. The flavor was not bad and it smoked better after the relight, but I was expecting more out of this stick.
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I think was in large part due to Pepin having his own fields and splitting off with Tabacalera Tropical. He did this a couple years ago. If you want the old Blue Label taste, I would recommend going with Casa Fernandez.
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I was aware of this but just left it out as I brought it up some time ago in another Pepin thread and it didn't go over to well.:-)
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My wife's cigar was challenging to keep lit as well...hmmmmm.
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