Country: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: Torpedo 61/8″ x 52 ring
The Verocu extension of the Tatuaje Havana VI line was first introduced as a two vitola regional release. There was the West Coast version, the No. 1 Lado Occidental, and the East Coast’s No. 2 Zona del Este. Each was sold in cabinets of 50 cigars. They were a huge hit and remain a favorite of many Tatuaje fans. They were a limited release however, and much to the dismay of those fans, they are no longer made and extremely hard to find and generally unavailable. If you don’t already have some you aren’t likely to get any. But despair not, there have been subsequent releases of the Verocu blend like the No.9 which is a Holts exclusive. The most recent addition to the line is the Verocu Tubos, a tubed Torpedo measuring an ample six and one eighth inches in length and sporting a beefy 52 ring gauge. It comes armored in a very nice, bright red aluminum tube and is available in boxes of 10.
This torpedo is not a particularly pretty cigar but nor ugly or rustic either. The wrapper is dark, mottled, and slightly veiny. It is well filled with no soft spots and smells of cedar and leather. The draw is a little on the loose side but not too much so. The first draw has a predictable peppery bite to it before settling in to a spicy, earthy core with complimentary notes of cedar, leather, and tobacco which seem to come and go as I made my way through the smoke. The last third brought lots of earth and black pepper that over powered everything else and was a bit over the top even for me but didn’t really detract much from the rest of the experience. The Verocu Tubos is a fairly well-balanced, robust, and complex smoke with a sneaky bit of power to it.
There has been lots of talk about cracked and split wrappers with this cigar. I didn’t have any of those problems but I did have several burn issues. The cigar tunneled a bit at one point, then it started to canoe. It also went out on me three or four times. These burn issues are very uncommon in my experiences with Tatuaje cigars. Right now I am just going to chalk it all up to being a result of shipping conditions and I am hoping all that will work itself out with a few more months of rest in my humidor to acclimate and re-hydrate because the cigar did seem a touch dry to me. Time will tell and I will probably wait another 6 months before I try another one to see where they are at.
Overall I’d say this was an excellent smoke with great body and good flavors. If the burn issues do manage to work themselves out then I would rate this as an excellent cigar.
Matt's Cigar Journal 