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.

verocu with tubo 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.