r3db4r0n
BoM Jan '11
Rarely is there ever a day here in late September with a calm breeze, blue skies and few clouds to get in the way of a brilliant sunny fall day, but it just so happens that this is one of those stand out moments. With the daylight falling shorter and the weather becoming slightly cooler and less favourable as the season passes, I thought to my self, its time to get out and enjoy the font deck whilst I still can, and so, here I am writing yet another review.
Today, I picked a cigar that was rather unique compared to the rest of the cigars in my repertoire, a Tatuaje Verocu Tubos. To me, it stands out not because of the tobacco used, rarity or manufacturer, but because this is a tubed cigar, something I've never really been partial too. However, after having thoroughly enjoyed the Tatuaje Verocu No. 2 I smoked last week, I figured there couldn't be any harm trying something else in the same family.
At first appearances, the the cigar comes rather interestingly packaged in its uniquely shaped, bright red aluminium anodized tube, bearing the word “Tatuaje” adorned with the fleur de lis on either side. After removing the 6 1/8 52 torpedo from its protective casing, I was met with the sight of its richly coloured and deeply oiled Cafe Rosado Oscuro wrapper. Immediately have high hopes for this cigar, the veins are extremely minimal, there are no blemishes or patches to speak of and the construction is excellent appears excellent as well. The filler is packed rather firmly, though it offers some give and the seams are rolled so tightly that they aren't even tangible beneath my fingers.
Pre-Light: The wrapper exudes rich notes of cedar and mild barnyard nuances while the foot retains strong notes of tobacco and spice. Several cuts and roughly a half inch later I'm finally satisfied with the a draw I feel is suitable, though it is exceptionally mild, displaying only barely perceptible notes cedar along with background hints of tobacco and spice.
Light: The foot takes longer to toast than I had expected and the light was also somewhat slower than I had anticipated, yet it delivers a plethora of flavors nonetheless. Initially a cocoa-cedar nuance comes to rest on the palate, but is quickly over powered by a strong spice – though I find this is not unusual for most Nicaraguan tobacco. The ambient burn is brilliantly floral meld of cocoa, cedar, vanilla and mild spice which almost entices me enough almost to forgo the pictures to continue drawing.
The first third: At roughly 10 minutes in, I am not overly impressed with the draw. After lighting I left this Verocu unattended for perhaps 3 minutes to grab a glass of water and in that short span of time it has already almost managed to burn out, virtually forcing me to relight, essentially wasting the first half inch. Just 15 minutes in, the flavors and intensity are quite strong, which is actually surprising to me being that the last Verocu I had was rather mild. Spice, espresso and cocoa undertones seem to be the dominant notes delivered by the draw, while the expelled smoke appears to carry leathery-almond nuances with a touch of cocoa as well. I feel I should point out that even though the wrapper has cracked about half way up, burn issues are still present and the draw isn't producing the smoke output I would care for, although, what smoke I do draw out is rather creamy and the ash appears to be holding firmly for an inch and half at the end of the first third.
Second Third: Having knocked off the haggard ash and corrected the burn, the draw seems to have mellowed out quite a bit. Though still lingering, the spice and espresso have died down considerably leaving cocoa as the most prominent note. The expelled smoke still retains much of its previously mentioned cocoa-leather almond nuances and while the draw has improved, the burn issues remain and the ash only holds to a half inch before dropping.
Final Third: Approaching the finale, the cigar has begun to strengthen considerably. Cocoa is still present, however, I find my palate being washed over with both notes of spice and leather – a rather enjoyable nuance for the fans of a full bodied cigar. Additionally, the retro-hale – while largely unchanged since the light – couples well with the notes on the draw. The burn issues again remain, although the draw has improved somewhat and with an inch to an inch and a half to the nub, the cigar continues to hold on to a solid two inches of ash.
Final Thoughts: While this cigar shared many of the notes present with the Eastie I smoked last week – due to the fact is shares the same blend – I found that the Ligero present in this Verocu Tubos to have made a much more powerful impact than I would of liked, largely because of its age. Despite the draw/burn issues that hampered the smoking experience, I found the notes presented throughout to be thoroughly enjoyable, and as I have said before and will say again, the characteristics the draw or burn a cigar displays should not, at least to me, be the definite measure that defines a cigar. While I felt that this particular stick probably could of stood to rest another 6 months to a year to fit my personal preferences, in time I feel that this will not just be another enjoyable smoke, but something great to be cherished by seasonal smokers and newcomers alike.
Total smoking time was roughly an hour and a half.
Cheers,
Shawn
Today, I picked a cigar that was rather unique compared to the rest of the cigars in my repertoire, a Tatuaje Verocu Tubos. To me, it stands out not because of the tobacco used, rarity or manufacturer, but because this is a tubed cigar, something I've never really been partial too. However, after having thoroughly enjoyed the Tatuaje Verocu No. 2 I smoked last week, I figured there couldn't be any harm trying something else in the same family.
At first appearances, the the cigar comes rather interestingly packaged in its uniquely shaped, bright red aluminium anodized tube, bearing the word “Tatuaje” adorned with the fleur de lis on either side. After removing the 6 1/8 52 torpedo from its protective casing, I was met with the sight of its richly coloured and deeply oiled Cafe Rosado Oscuro wrapper. Immediately have high hopes for this cigar, the veins are extremely minimal, there are no blemishes or patches to speak of and the construction is excellent appears excellent as well. The filler is packed rather firmly, though it offers some give and the seams are rolled so tightly that they aren't even tangible beneath my fingers.
Pre-Light: The wrapper exudes rich notes of cedar and mild barnyard nuances while the foot retains strong notes of tobacco and spice. Several cuts and roughly a half inch later I'm finally satisfied with the a draw I feel is suitable, though it is exceptionally mild, displaying only barely perceptible notes cedar along with background hints of tobacco and spice.
Light: The foot takes longer to toast than I had expected and the light was also somewhat slower than I had anticipated, yet it delivers a plethora of flavors nonetheless. Initially a cocoa-cedar nuance comes to rest on the palate, but is quickly over powered by a strong spice – though I find this is not unusual for most Nicaraguan tobacco. The ambient burn is brilliantly floral meld of cocoa, cedar, vanilla and mild spice which almost entices me enough almost to forgo the pictures to continue drawing.
The first third: At roughly 10 minutes in, I am not overly impressed with the draw. After lighting I left this Verocu unattended for perhaps 3 minutes to grab a glass of water and in that short span of time it has already almost managed to burn out, virtually forcing me to relight, essentially wasting the first half inch. Just 15 minutes in, the flavors and intensity are quite strong, which is actually surprising to me being that the last Verocu I had was rather mild. Spice, espresso and cocoa undertones seem to be the dominant notes delivered by the draw, while the expelled smoke appears to carry leathery-almond nuances with a touch of cocoa as well. I feel I should point out that even though the wrapper has cracked about half way up, burn issues are still present and the draw isn't producing the smoke output I would care for, although, what smoke I do draw out is rather creamy and the ash appears to be holding firmly for an inch and half at the end of the first third.
Second Third: Having knocked off the haggard ash and corrected the burn, the draw seems to have mellowed out quite a bit. Though still lingering, the spice and espresso have died down considerably leaving cocoa as the most prominent note. The expelled smoke still retains much of its previously mentioned cocoa-leather almond nuances and while the draw has improved, the burn issues remain and the ash only holds to a half inch before dropping.
Final Third: Approaching the finale, the cigar has begun to strengthen considerably. Cocoa is still present, however, I find my palate being washed over with both notes of spice and leather – a rather enjoyable nuance for the fans of a full bodied cigar. Additionally, the retro-hale – while largely unchanged since the light – couples well with the notes on the draw. The burn issues again remain, although the draw has improved somewhat and with an inch to an inch and a half to the nub, the cigar continues to hold on to a solid two inches of ash.
Final Thoughts: While this cigar shared many of the notes present with the Eastie I smoked last week – due to the fact is shares the same blend – I found that the Ligero present in this Verocu Tubos to have made a much more powerful impact than I would of liked, largely because of its age. Despite the draw/burn issues that hampered the smoking experience, I found the notes presented throughout to be thoroughly enjoyable, and as I have said before and will say again, the characteristics the draw or burn a cigar displays should not, at least to me, be the definite measure that defines a cigar. While I felt that this particular stick probably could of stood to rest another 6 months to a year to fit my personal preferences, in time I feel that this will not just be another enjoyable smoke, but something great to be cherished by seasonal smokers and newcomers alike.
Total smoking time was roughly an hour and a half.
Cheers,
Shawn
