Tatuaje The Jason Redux 6 — Review

Tatuaje The Jason Redux 6 Review: I Actually Smoked It

I'm Gerard from Mardo Cigars. There's been plenty written about The Jason Redux 6 already: the 2013 JV13 coming back, the Monster Series history, the coffin box, the hockey mask. All true, all fun. None of it tells you what happens when you light one. So I did. This Jason Redux 6 review is what I actually tasted, including the part I liked less.

The First Puff: Salted Caramel

I wasn't expecting this. The very first puff gave me an ample amount of salted caramel. Not a hint of sweetness in the background, but a real, generous salted caramel note right out of the gate.

That's a strong opening for any cigar. It's the kind of first impression that makes you sit up and pay attention, and it immediately told me this wasn't going to be a straight-ahead Connecticut Broadleaf bomb.

Then It Turns: Anisette and Black Licorice

That caramel didn't stay long. Fairly quickly it handed off to something more distinctive: anisette, or black licorice if that's a more familiar reference for you. And once it arrived, it stayed.

That licorice character became the dominant flavor of the cigar and carried it from there to the end. It's an unusual note, and whether you love it will depend on whether you like anise at all. I did. It's distinctive enough that you'll remember which cigar it came from, and that counts for something.

The Pepper Surprised Me

Here's what I liked most about the construction of the flavor. There is pepper in this cigar, but it is smooth. Controlled. It supports the licorice rather than fighting it.

And I checked it on the retrohale, which is where pepper usually tells on itself. Nothing sharp. No sting through the nose, no eye-watering moment. For a Nicaraguan-filled cigar under a Broadleaf wrapper, that restraint is a genuine achievement in blending.

The Jason Redux 6 at a glance

Being Honest: It's One-Dimensional

Now the part I'd want a retailer to tell me, and the reason any honest Jason Redux 6 review has to include it. After that early handoff from caramel to licorice, this cigar does not go on much of a journey. There aren't dramatic thirds. There isn't a second act where something new shows up. What you get in the first inch is largely what you get at the band.

If you're someone who chases complexity and lives for transitions, know that going in. But I want to keep it in perspective, because one-dimensional isn't automatically a criticism. A cigar that does one thing and does it well is still a good cigar. The licorice core here is enjoyable and unusual, and I was happy smoking it from start to finish. I just wasn't surprised after the first ten minutes.

One Fair Caveat: These Are Very Fresh

Important context. The cigars I smoked were extremely fresh, right off the truck. That almost certainly affected the draw and the burn, and I don't want anyone reading this as a permanent construction issue, because it isn't.

My advice is simple: dry-box one for a day or two before you light it, or just let the rest sit in your humidor for a few weeks. Fresh cigars often need a moment to settle, and this one will likely reward the patience. For more on that, see our guide on how to age your cigars.

Watch: The Jason Redux 6 Review on Video

Want to see it rather than read about it? Here's the cigar on video:

The Value Is the Real Headline

If you came to this Jason Redux 6 review for the short answer, here it is. This is where the cigar wins outright. Thirteen dollars. For a 7½ × 52 Connecticut Broadleaf, rolled at My Father Cigars S.A., from a limited annual Monster Series release capped at 5,000 boxes.

Look at what else carries that kind of pedigree and check the price tag. Limited releases from well-known factories regularly ask $18, $20, more. Getting one at $13, in a size that gives you a long smoke, with a collectible coffin box attached, is a lot of cigar for the money. The value alone makes this one worth trying even if licorice isn't normally your thing.

Get It Before It's Gone

And I mean that literally. Monster Series releases have a long history of selling through their annual allocation fast, and this one is already moving. Our own stock has gone quickly, so check the product page for current availability rather than assuming.

TatuajeTatuaje The Jason Redux 6Check availability

My Verdict

So where does this Jason Redux 6 review land? I recommend it. Not with reservations I'm hiding from you, but with the ones I've just told you: it won't take you on a complex ride, and the fresh ones need a little rest first. What it will give you is a genuinely distinctive salted-caramel-into-licorice profile, pepper that behaves itself, a long 7½-inch smoke, and all of that for thirteen dollars.

That's the whole Jason Redux 6 review in one line. Pete Johnson keeps delivering good cigars, and this is another one. Find a few, smoke one now, put the rest away. When the annual Monster allocation dries up, you'll be glad you did. You'll find it alongside our other limited-edition cigars and the rest of our Tatuaje cigars at Mardo.

Mardo Cigars sells premium tobacco products intended for adults 21 and older. Please enjoy responsibly.