At the 2022 Premium Cigar Association Trade Show, Tatuaje Cigars showcased a new regular production line, the Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú Blue. While Tatuaje Cigars is well-known for some very high-profile limited edition releases, the company has a strong portfolio of regular production core offerings. Personally, I became quite excited when the Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú Blue was announced as a regular production cigar. This release is built around a shade-grown Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper that comes from the Garcia family farms. Today, we’ll take a closer look at the Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú line in the No. 1 (Toro) size.

I suppose if we were doing a lineage trace, the Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú Blue can be traced back to the Tatuaje Havana VI line – sometimes referred to as Tatuaje Red Label. This line was intended to be a milder offering compared to the Tatuaje Selección de Cazador (Brown Label) offering. In 2007, the Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú was introduced. This was a variant of the original Tatuaje Havana VI. It was originally offered as a regional limited release in two sizes. By 2015, the Verocú became a regular production offering. As for the Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú Blue, this is a project that Pete Johnson said was four years in the making prior to its 2022 release.

Without further ado, let’s get into the Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú Blue No. 1 and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

According to Pete Johnson, the Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú Blue is highlighted by a Nicaraguan Shade Grown Corojo ’99 wrapper. Not only is the cigar a Nicaragua puro, but it’s a “Garcia” puro, with all of the tobaccos coming from the Garcia family farms. As for the underlying tobaccos, not much has been said about them nor what their connections are to either the original Havana VI Verocú or original Havana VI lines are.

Wrapper: Shade-Grown Nicaraguan Corojo ’99
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.

Vitolas Offered

The Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú Blue comes in two sizes. Each is presented in 20-count cabinet-style boxes. There was a limited number of 50-count boxes that were made available at the 2022 PCA Trade Show. These were also the first two sizes of the original Tatuaje Havana VI line.

No. 1: 6 1/4 x 52
No. 2: 5 1/2 x 54

Appearance

The Nicaraguan Corojo ’99 wrapper of the Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú Blue No. 1 had a medium brown color with a rosado tint to it. Upon closer examination, there was some mottling on the surface of the wrapper. There also was a light sheen of oil as well as a slight amount of toothiness on the surface of the wrapper. There were some prominent veins on the surface of the wrapper. At the same time, the wrapper seams were not overly noticeable.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

Prior to lighting the Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú Blue No. 1, a straight cut was used to remove the cap of the cigar. After the cap of the cigar was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered a mix of earth, cedar, natural tobacco, and a slight amount of fruit sweetness. This was an excellent pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to toast up the footer of the Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú Blue No. 1 and move on to the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú Blue No. 1 continued with more notes of earth, cedar, natural tobacco, and fruit. There was no dominant note early on, but eventually, the earth notes emerged as the primary note. The natural tobacco, cedar, and fruit settled in the background and were joined by white pepper. The natural tobacco and fruit increased quickly and displaced the earth notes as the primary notes. Meanwhile, there was an additional layer of white pepper on the retro-hale.

During the second third of the Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú Blue No. 1, the natural tobacco and fruit remained primary. The natural tobacco developed a slight bitter component, and it balanced with the fruit notes nicely. Meanwhile, the earth, cedar, and pepper notes remained in the background.

The final third saw the natural tobacco remain primary. The fruit sweetness diminished into the background joining the earth, cedar, and pepper. The bitterness in the forefront wasn’t quite as well balanced. This is the way the Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú Blue No. 1 came to a close. The resulting nub was lukewarm in temperature and slightly soft to the touch.

Burn

The Tatauje Havana VI Verocú Blue No.1 did maintain a straight burn path and a straight burn line, but it did require frequent touch-ups to do so. While the touch-ups kept things on track, there were more touch-ups needed than I prefer. The resulting ash was firm with a medium gray color. The burn rate was ideal. The burn temperature was also ideal until the final few puffs.

Draw

The draw of the Tatauje Havana VI Verocú Blue No.1 had a touch of resistance – which is something that I like. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

The Tatauje Havana VI Verocú Blue No.1 started out with medium strength and medium-bodied flavors. There was a slight increase in components along the way, but in the end, the cigar stayed in the medium range of the spectrum for strength and body. Both the strength and body balanced each other nicely, with neither attribute overpowering the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

The Tatauje Havana VI Verocú Blue line utilizes simple, classic-style packaging. The cigar features the red and white Tatuaje scripted brand common to the core line Havana VI and Verocú lines. The Verocú Blue is highlighted by a blue and white band with the text “Verocú.” The cigars are packaged in classic cabinet-style boxes. All in all, this classic look works really well for the Verocú Blue line.

Packaging of the Tatauje Havana VI Verocú Blue

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The Tatauje Havana VI Verocú Blue No. 1 was a nice addition to the Tatuaje portfolio. What made things even nicer was the fact that it’s a regular production cigar. Flavorwise, this is a cigar that will shine in the first two thirds – with a slight drop off in the final third. I think this line has a lot of potential to produce more sizes than just these two, and certainly look forward to that. In the end, the Tatauje Havana VI Verocú Blue No. 1 is a cigar that I would recommend to any cigar enthusiast. It’s one I would smoke again and keep multiples of in my humidor. Coming in at a solid 90 points, the Tatauje Havana VI Verocú Blue No. 1 earns a Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence designation.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Earth, Cedar, Fruit, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good