Cigar Review: Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú No. 1

With Tatuaje giving a boost this year to Verocú, introduced originally in 2007 as a stronger addition to the Havana VI line, it seemed like a good time to get reacquainted. After all, three of the earlier Verocú incarnations garnered top ratings in Stogie Guys reviews.

The “new” regular production Verocú comes in six sizes. The No. 1 is 6.25 inches long with a 52 ring gauge, the same size as the earlier limited West Coast edition. It carries a $10 MSRP.

The wrapper is an Ecuadorian Habano and the filler and binder are from Nicaragua. Typical of Tatuaje, these cigars are rolled at the My Father Cigars factory in Nicaragua.

Some cigars make a lasting impression, and I fondly remember the zoned edition (East and West) Verocú cigars I smoked in 2008. What stands out particularly in my memory is how smooth and balanced they were.

I was a little wary lighting up my first of these new ones. After all, a lot of great cigars have come along in the intervening years. It’s only natural to wonder whether these new sticks can still compete. And win.

The short answer is, yes, they can.

Of course, I can’t possibly remember those older smokes exactly and compare them to these. In my mind, the older ones had more initial pepper than the new sticks. But that could simply be the effect of years of smoking so many other cigars bursting with pepper since then.

What is unquestionably still a hallmark of Verocú is smoothness and balance, as the flavors move and shift throughout the smoke. A bit of sweetness to set off the pepper, floral notes overtaken by leather. The finish lingers nicely. Construction, burn, and draw are excellent, and the cigar produces lots of thick smoke.

Bringing Verocú fully back as a regular production line is, I think, the kind of customer-friendly move that has helped brand owner Pete Johnson achieve an extraordinary reputation and a tremendous following in the cigar world.

I recommend these highly and, once again, give the Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú five stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. A list of other five-stogie rated cigars can be found here.]

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys