Tatuaje Havana VI Verocu

Over the years, Tatuaje Cigars have earned themselves an overwhelming reputation from cigar lovers around the world. It’s no surprise, considering the masterminds behind their blends are none other than Pete Johnson and Don Pepin—a well-beloved duo throughout the industry.

One particular release, the Verocu, has made a big impression on ‘Tat’ fanatics. It was in 2007 that the original release debuted, with the Verocu No.1 ‘West Side’ and the No.2 ‘East Side’. The cigars featured a blend based on Tatuaje’s Havana VI (Red Label), only with a stronger kick. The cigar was a hit, but limited in nature, leaving fans thirsty for more.

In 2015, Pete announced the cigars would become a regular production release. This includes all sizes made throughout the years, with an additional two vitolas as well (No.3 (6 x 46) and No.4 (5¼ x 50)), totaling at 6 cigars.

Tatuaje Verocu No.1 Breakdown

I’m not a big fan of the overall appearance of the Verocu. The red and white band looks a bit too ‘Christmas-y’, and the silver lining feels excessive and out of place against the simplistic main band. The cigar itself has a nice feel, with an even, tight pack and small amount of tooth. A nice aroma of hay, cedar trees in the fall, and milk chocolate emit from the foot.

Smoking Experience

The cigar’s thick wrapper lights effortlessly, and a good amount of smoke is easily drawn with a decent resistance. The first few draws release a very nice, sweet milk chocolate, with a slight pepper and cedar note on the finish. After a few minutes, the milk chocolate dies away, and I’m left with a decent amount of cedar, black pepper, and some herbal notes in the back of the throat. The retro-hale is smooth and sweet, providing a decent mixture to the more earthy notes.

As I burn through the first third, the flavor simmers down a bit to a low medium, even a little mild at times. The milk chocolate is completely gone at this point, along with any sweetness on the retro hale. The cedar notes are a bit sweet, however, still holding a balance of maduro flavors. The Verocu’s smoke output is lacking at this point, being light from the draw and feeling thin and wispy in my mouth. Draw remains decent, just a tad too tight.

Reaching the halfway point, the body starts to go back up a bit. At a solid medium now, the cedar notes are completely dominating the palate, with a general, earthy core on the finish. The retro-hale remains soft and smooth, which is nice, but doesn’t add very much flavor to the cigar.

Since about the first third, little-to-no changes have taken place. The cigar started off rather sweet, and then slowly lost its touch towards the end (I prefer it the other way around). Other than that, cedar wood, earth, tobacco, and a little pepper have remained the core flavors throughout the stick. The burn of the cigar also got increasingly worse, as it needed multiple touchups and even started to tunnel towards the middle.

Would I smoke this again?

If I was handed one. The cigar wasn’t bad, save for the burn problems, it merely lacked any character of flavor. A general earthy core of cedar, pepper, and a little sweetness in the first light doesn’t do enough to keep me interested.

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