Stogie Reviews: Tatuaje Verocu Tubo
6 Apr 2010
Late in 2009, Pete Johnson released Verocu Tubo under his Tatuaje brand. The Tubo marks the fourth vitola released in the Verocu extension of the Havana VI line. It retails for $11 per stick.
My colleagues have reviewed the other three vitolas: Verocu No. 1, Verocu No. 2, and Verocu No. 9. The No. 1 and No. 2 earned the coveted five-stogie rating while the No. 9 wasn’t nearly as successful.
The Verocu Tubo is a torpedo (6.1 x 52) that comes in an aluminum tube modeled after the Cuban Partagas Serie P No. 2 Tubo.
Immediately out of the tube this Nicaraguan puro smells of cedar, leather, and spice. The oily, dark brown wrapper is mottled with black spots and rough to the touch. The cigar is firm with no soft spots.
The draw is easy but not overly loose. The burn is mostly straight but the outside layer of the bright white ash, probably the wrapper leaf, is very flaky.
Those that have smoked either the Verocu No. 1 or the Verocu No. 2 will find the same core of leather, cedar, and spice that they are familiar with. The cigar starts out with a lot of spice up front, fading quickly to the background only to reemerge in the final third. The smoke is creamy and leaves a wonderful cinnamon aftertaste on the palate.
I really enjoyed this cigar and continue to believe that the Verocu blend is Pete Johnson’s finest. The Verocu Tubo displays amazing complexity. Its singular drawback is a slight metallic taste, akin to licking a 9-volt battery, that comes and goes throughout the cigar.
If that taste fades with age maybe the Verocu Tubo will be worthy of five stogies. For now, though, it doesn’t quite live up to its older brothers’ reputation, earning four and a half stogies out of five.
[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]
photo credit: Stogie Guys
First it's pencil shavings, now we have 9-volt batteries. Can't wait to read what's next. Maybe whale oil or ambrosia??
Furious, I smoked 4-5 samples for this review and that taste was present in every one. I wish that I could have come up with a better way to describe the taste I was experiencing but I couldn't. I felt like leaving the description of that taste out would have been a disservice to the reader.
Well I certainly know what you mean when you reference the metallic taste and am glad you mentioned it in the review. I don't want to pay $11 for a cigar that's going to taste like a battery.
This taste must have been fairly infrequent if the cigar still earned 4.5/5. Is that true, Mize?
The taste was minimal. Very much in the background and drifted in and out. It was never the predominate taste. It was just a brief hint of it hear and there but it was definitely there. I would certainly smoke more of these even if the taste remains and would encourage you to try one if you can find them.
I also smoked a Verocu No. 2 from 2007 to see if that taste was there in that cigar but it wasn't. Which leads me to believe that it may go away as the tobacco ages some. The tubos are still fairly fresh.
I have smoked two of these. The first one was unfortunately a dud. Right from the start I knew something was wrong with the cigar. It just didn't have a good flavor. So after almost an inch into it, I ashed it and sure enough there was a hole in the middle of the cigar as big as an unsharpened pencil tunneling through it.
I set it down to rest for a few minutes. It never recovered. Eventually I had literally a 2 inch section of the cigar with one side being burned, and the other side not, even with numerous touch ups to get that side of the cigar burning. Quite frustrating for a $12 stogie.
My second one burned much better, and maybe Im still bitter about my first experience, but I just feel that $12 is just too much for this cigar. I really want to try the black tubo, but it is even more money.
Ty for the review. I agree that you can describe a cigar with a metallic taste, as many of us as kids did put a 9v into our mouths to get shocked.
I wasn't impressed by either of the tubos Tatuaje put out recently. Both were good, not great, and definitely not worth the price of admission. It's too bad the other Verocu vitolas are so difficult to get your hands on at this point. I might actually try a different size if I could.
Patrick, I am poking fun at myself along with everybody else who uses unusual references for smell and/or taste in describing cigars. I can appreciate the 9-volt battery taste as well– I remember licking one on a dare when I was about nine years old. Certainly would not desire to taste that in a cigar.
@ furious, it is good to hear that you are just poking fun. We should all remember that with the internet we can't see facial expressions, or the tone of what someone is saying so it makes it extremely difficult to decipher sometimes.
Just my 2 cents
Furious, I wasn't worried about the comment one way or the other. Just giving a little background on why that taste description is in there.
I know Pete said that there were definite issues with the tubos. I personally had the wrapper on one of the Black Tubos crack right down the side when I smoked it, which was obviously very disappointing for a $13 smoke.
Tubos bring extra challenges, because heat in a sealed tubo can mess with humidity. Not to mention the fact that cigars can "rattle" around inside.
I've yet to try the Red Tubo, but if the experience of the black is any indication, I think if given the choice I'd prefer the same blend in its non-tubed version.
Also, I wonder if the "battery" taste is a function of the fact that unlike boxed or cellophaned cigars, the cigar is in prolonged contact with an aluminum surface?
pepin cigars are to inconsistent for my money. the good ones are still good but to many duds lately for me. padron still gets most of my money.
I would not pay the money for the tubo, since I know a place that has several cabs left, unopened, of the No. 2. If dmjones, or anyone, would like one or two, I would be glad to handle the stess. It literally blew me away the first time, and by far to me is the best PJ offering. I do like the cabaiguan as well.
I take the tubes' caps off before putting them into my humidor. I also try to remember to open cellophane on cigars, and I plan to go a step further and cutting caps on some cigars before storing. I get more flavor from cigars that had lots of room and air in storage.
cj, if you meant one or two cigars (not whole cabs), yes, I would like one or two cigars. ethanmk@hot…
first time i see the pencil cigar.really guys that cigar is good