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.
I picked up the black label tubo from my local shop Cigar Pointe a few weeks ago and I was so excited to smoke it, but…
The draw was loose, and the flavor was lacking from the beginning to the end. The flavor never developed and tasted dry. I was extremely disappointed because all of the Tatuajes I’ve had have been outstanding, especially the band-less Gran Cojuno which was impeccable.
Now please correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the “black” label supposed to be better then the “red”? I know the “brown” labels are of higher quality then the “red”.
Also, what’s your opinion regarding the difference between the 03′, 06, and 09′ cojuna’s? I think the 09′ is just slightly better than the 03′, with the 06′ in the back.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t have a good experience with the Black Tubo. I have heard lots of stories of problems with both of the tubos and I have also heard lots of stories from people saying how much they enjoyed them. I personally enjoyed the Black Tubos I smoked better than the red but I also feel that both really need a long rest in a good humidor to reach their potential. I think they suffered greatly in all the shipping from Nicaragua to LA and then out across the country. I personally, ( and this is just my personal preference) take any Tatuaje box purchase I make and I don’t open it and smoke them until they hit the 1 year anniversary of their box date. Not necessarily because they need it, but I just like to give them time to settle in to my humidor and the conditions I like to have my cigars stored at. In the case of the Tubos cigar I think they will benefit the most from this.
As for which is better, I’d say the better one is the one that suits your tastes best. The Verocu blend is supposedly a “premium” blend in the red label line and the Black is another “premium blend” as well. They are very different cigars so I don’t think it is as simple as one supposedly being better than the other. I think they are both great in their own way, but the Blacks tend to suit my tastes more.
On the cojonu’s I have found I like the ’09 best. I personally felt there was little to no difference between the ’03 and the ’06. All three cigars use the same blend and wrapper. The years on them simply denote the new vitola. I did a review of the Cojonu 2009 here. All 3 are excellent cigars though.