The Havana VI Lancero is only available in the limited production lancero sampler featured in the picture above. The sampler features 10 highly acclaimed cigars from Tatuaje all in a 7 ½ by 38 Lancero vitola including Tatuaje (Brown Label), Tatuaje Havana VI, Tatuaje Black Label, Cabaiguan, Cabaiguan Guapo, La Riqueza, El Triunfador Original, El Triunfador, La Casita Criolla, and Fausto. At the start of August, I reviewed the Cabaiguan Guapo lancero, which can be found HERE.

Tatuaje’s Havana VI is produced under the direction of Jamie Garcia at My Father Cigar S.A. in Esteli, Nicaragua. Here is a list of other avalable vitolas in the line: Verocu No.5 (4 by 40), Angeles – Petite Corona (4 5/8 by 42), Victorias – Corona Especial (6 by 38), Hermosos – Corona Gorda (5 5/8 by 26), Nobles – Robusto (5 by 50), Gorditos – Toro Grande (5 1/2 by 56), Artistas – Torpedo (6 1/8 by 52), and Almirantes – Churchhill (7 by 47).

The Facts

Gift from my bride
Price:$9.50 ($95 for the sampler)
Vitola: Lancero
Size: 7 1/2 by 38
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 20 Minutes
Drink: Water

Pre-light

The Tatuaje Havana VI Lancero is dressed in oily Ecuadorian Habano wrapper that is milk chocolate in color. It has been a while since I smoked a cigar from this line but I do not recall the wrapper being so dark. The simple red band jumps out against the dark leaf that is scarred with small, black veins that crisscross down the stick. The Havana VI gives slightly when pinched but feels evenly filled.

The wrapper aroma is big and bold with notes barnyard and  manure. I am met with some spice as I smell the foot of the cigar with additional notes of earth and cedar. A triple cap comes to an end with a small pig-tail that gets the job done but nothing to write home about. Clipping through the 38 ring gauge stick is quick and painless, giving way to a somewhat firm cold draw that brings forth rich cedar and clove.

First Third

The cigar opens up with full flavors of cedar and pepper awakening my palate. The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper is really shining through with a significant amount of spice heat. There is a unique finish to the smoke that makes me think of bubble gum once it loses its flavor.  The smallest of draws delivers a mouthful of smoke that is thick and chewy in the mouth. A light colored ash is dropping every half inch. At the close of the first third the perfromance has been spot on with a thin eye-liner burn.

Middle Third

At the thirty minute mark, I have run into what may be a major issue going forward. A tunnel is forming that has cut down the smoke production and put a damper on the flavors.  The profile has taken a shift to much more earthy notes and has also increased in richness. The burn-line has gotten a bit out of whack and I can’t seem to keep the cigar burning. The tunnel is now having an adverse effect on the flavors resulting in some charredness.

Final Third

Finally, with three inches remaining, the tunnel has come to an end but the flavors have not fully recovered. What I assume to be a result of the multiple relights, charred notes are dominating the profile. The earth has developed to diesel-like flavor and the finish of the smoke is of chocolate. The charred notes are masking the potential of the final third, which is very dissapointing. The spice is still prevalent and has turned from a pepper spice to more of a jalapeno spice. As I begin to put a close to the cigar, I notice a very appealing aroma from the smoke of tart cherries.

Wrap-up

2014 has been a year of tunneling cigars for me. It seems that every couple of cigars I smoke have had a tunneling issue. Having on the opportunity to only smoke one of these, I cannot give it a fair assessment due to the major tunnel that was encountered. I have smoked several other cigars from Tatuaje and I rarely find any issues with quality/performance. The Tatuaje Havana VI Lancero began with a bang, opening up with full flavors that were balanced and spicy, but that is where the fairy tale ends. The final two thirds became a story of bad performance and poor flavors. Knowing the high quality of Tatuaje and My Father cigars, this cigar has not deterred me from hunting down one more Havana VI Lancero and giving it another shot.

The post Tatuaje Havana VI Lancero appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Cabiguan Guapos is made in Esteli, Nicaragua at My Father Cigars S.A., the factory responsible for most of Tatuaje products. Available sizes include 5 5/8 by 54, 5 by 50, 5 5/8 by 46, 4 5/8 by 42, and 7 1/2 by 38. Tony reviewed the 5 ⅝ by 54 Gaupo here.

The lancero vitola of the Guapo is only available in the sampler. While the sampler will be in regular production, it will be made in limited quantities during each run.

The Facts

A gift from my bride
Price: $9.50 ($95 for the sampler)
Vitola: Lancero
Size: 7 ½ by 38
Wrapper:Ecuadorian Sun Grown
Binder:Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 and 35 Minutes

Pre-light

The Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapper is consistent in its medium brown color. I am met with a pungent aroma once the cellophane is removed, along with cedar and wet earth notes. The foot gives off more of the cedar and earth with an added sweet vanilla smell. The wrapper leaf is marked with bumps and veins giving it a slightly rugged look.

The Guapos Lancer0 is filled evenly all the way down to its neat, pointy cap. The cold draw is on the dry side with the same cedar and earth notes from the wrapper and foot aroma, along with a faint clove flavor. I am also feeling a spice tingle on my lips the lingers for a good amount of time.

First Third

One thing I have come to expect from cigars produced at My Fathers is spice. And the Guapos does not disappoint in that area. I am met with a considerable amount of spice in the first couple of puffs that warms my mouth and lip, and leaves quite the burn through the sinuses during the retrohale. The other flavors are deep and in-line with the cold draw being of cedar and earth. As I take a smaller, shallower draw, I notice the pepper lessens and some sweetness comes through. I can’t put my finger on it yet, but it may be a vanilla-like sweetness. The finish is a bit dry with a dark fruit flavor. The burn-line is crazy thin and first ash made it past an inch.

Middle Third

Making my way into the second third, the dry cedar has moved to the front of the profile with the unique, vanilla sweetness. The sweetness is refreshing and brings a nice balance to the smoke. The earthyness is gaining ground and an acidic citrus has joined in right around the halfway point. As I knock off the ash, I find a small tunnel in the center of the cigar. So far it is not having any kind of negative impact on the flavors or smoke production. Even the smallest of draws fills my mouth with a satisfying amount of smoke. The flavors are full, with the strength falling not too far behind.

Final Third

The Tatuaje Gabaiguan Guapo Lancero is still smoking cool with two and a half inches left. The pepper has calmed but in no way completely departed and the spice is still warming my mouth and lips. The vanilla I got early on is really only noticable on the finish, along with a dusty cocoa flavor. The deep cedar and wet earth notes are still holding strong as I begin to wrap up this 7 1/2 by 38 lancero.

Wrap-up

I have been a fan of Tatuaje for some time, but there were several cigars included in the sampler that I had yet to smoke and the Cabaiguan Guapo was one of those. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect first experience with a cigar. The cigar burned cool and even. There were no touch-ups or ashes dropped in my lap. Just a complex, flavorful cigar to sit back and relax with. One thing I noted on this lancero was how big, deep draws brought out an overwhelming pepper, while a small shallow draw highlighted  the nuances of this stick. As is the case with lanceros, you need to slow down your regular smoking pace to fully enjoy what this traditional vitola offers. I highly recommend you get your hands on these. You won’t be disappointed.

The post Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapo Lancero appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

I sound like a broken record but I strongly urge any of you readers who have not had the chance to check out Brooks’ site, to do so. He’s got some of the most honest reviews and best photography of some of the most ridiculously expensive, and hard to find cigars ever produced.

Without further adieu, let’s get to the review.

Prelight: Blind cigar #4 carries a very old, rustic looking maduro looking wrapper. The color is an off chocolate brown with shades of almost black, and even bright orange. The wrapper looks like it has seen better days, but some of the tastiest cigars look, and smell awful. The oily wrapper leads up to a very crooked, round, triple wrapped cap. The construction is a bit odd. The body is composed of tons of larger veins that I hope don’t offset the experience. The cap and nub leading up to it are slightly crooked. Almost as if someone grabbed the top of it and yanked on it. This definitely looks like something that’s been around a while. The body is firm for the most part, but gets very soft the closer you get to the foot. The wrapper gives off a very sweet and almost floral aroma. The foot only releases a very light floral scent that is quickly overpowered with a ton of spice.

Cigar #4 clipped very cleanly, although it was a little resilient to my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw produce this extremely pleasant, and smooth natural tobacco taste with just the slightest hint of spice on the aftertaste.

First Smoke: Right off the bat I am getting a really deep, meaty, woodsy taste off this cigar with hints of earthy undertones, espresso, and maybe even a bit of clove mixed in there. The draw is effortless, and average sized pumping out a thick cloud of white smoke. The burnline is pretty thick for the most part, but burning perfectly. There is very little stationary smoke coming off this cigar, but it smells like straight up cedar. I’m getting a slight saltiness from the wrapper, but nothing compared to the Cohiba Brooks surprised me with last review. The ash is well compacted, and light grey with very small darker grey stripes which only head onto the foot of the cigar for about an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway there: The more I smoke this cigar the more familiar it becomes. It really tastes like a blend I may have had before, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what on earth this cigar is.  I’m getting a slight mix of pepper and spice creeping into the flavor profile now. The dominant flavors are still heavy cedar/woodsy and espresso with a touch of bittersweet chocolate.  So far the larger veins haven’t hindered the experience in the least, but into the second third I am starting to get a lot of draw resistance. I am hoping this is only a phase.  The burnline and ash is still just absolutely perfect. Not only am I loving the flavor-packed consistency of this cigar, but the retrohale is to die for as well priming with a very sweet, dark chocolate and cedar. I am feeling very little nicotine, any lightheadedness was a product of the tight draw.

Finish: I am getting a ton of spice (not to be confused with pepper) from this cigar now that the draw has completely opened up. Mixed in with a splash of nutmeg, cocoa, and espresso, this cigar is finishing off much like an excellent cup of coffee. The entire experience has been smooth, and creamy, and the final third just brought that to a new level. The burnline and ash have been just perfect the whole way though. This little corona had a very slow burn, resulting in almost an hour and a half total smoke time. There was a slight bit of harshness into the very final inch of this cigar, but I think a lot of that had to do with me fighting the tighter draw early into the smoke. No nicotine at all.

Overview: This was yet another stellar cigar Brooks sent over. This has classic maduro written all over it. Very complex, very smooth, and extremely enjoyable. This is a stick I could see myself smoking anytime, any day. It would be an ideal cigar for those early mornings, but complex enough to hold your attention even as an evening smoke.

Final Guess: I have no idea what this cigar is, but yet, it seems so familiar. If I had to throw something out there I would say it was either a Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapos Maduro, or a Cuban Cohiba Maduro. Chances are, I am way off.

So what was it? A 2007 Henry Clay.

What a shocker! This is a cigar you can pick up just about anywhere for about $3 to $4. I’ve even seen them in random hole in the way liquor stores around town. Either way, it’s a great cigar to have around, especially at that price.

We all know I am a sucker for Connecticut Broadleaf, and that’s probably the main factor causing me to enjoy this cigar so much. If there was just a bit more pepper I would have been dead set on it being a Tatuaje. In talking with Brooks he brought to my attention that this cigar is actually one that Pete smoke quite a bit of, and has been for years. The inspiration shows through in my opinion.

The post Blind Cigar Review #4 (from Brooks at Smoking Stogie) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.