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Tatuaje Havana VI Lancero

Jeremy Hensley — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 15:28:40 +0000

After two and half months living under my father’s roof with nine other relatives, my wife and I closed on our new house in Gladstone, Michigan late last week. Through the help of family and friends made at the small church we have been attending, the furniture and boxes got moved in on Saturday. However, the process of unpacking each box has taken a considerable amount of time this week, and along with working on the yard that has been neglected for some time, it was hard to fit in a cigar review. But at the last minute, I squeezed in a review of the Tatuaje Havana VI Lancero for your reading pleasure.

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.

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Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapo Lancero

Jeremy Hensley — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 13:30:45 +0000

My bride surprised me with a Tatuaje Lancero Sampler a few days before Father’s Day. The sampler features 10 highly acclaimed cigars from Tatuaje all in a 7 ½ by 38 Lancero vitola. The sampler includes Tatuaje (Brown Label), Tatuaje Havana VI, Tatuaje Black Label, Cabaiguan, Cabaiguan Guapo, La Riqueza, El Triunfador Original, El Triunfador, La Casita Criolla, and Fausto. Today, I bring to you a review of the Tatuaje Cabaiguan Guapo Lancero.

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.

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Tabacos El Triunfador Original Blend Lancero – Blind Review

Daniel T. — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 20:10:04 +0000

Recently, I participated in a blind trade with some fellow BOTL’s. If you aren’t aware what a blind trade is, let me explain. What we did was package together a few cigars in a price range of up to $10 and remove the bands. The bands on the cigars I reviewed were all on blank paper with just a simple number on the label. I really enjoy participating in these types of trades since they remove and misconceptions, biases, cost considerations and other opinions which could sway the review of a known cigar.
The first cigar I lit up from this trade was Blind Cigar #1, which ended up being an Original Blend El Triunfador Lancero. The El Triunfador line is blended by Pete Johnson, more popularly known for the Tatuaje Cigar line. This particular blend was a limited production cigar released before the El Triunfador become a production line. He blend is quite different from what the current blend became. Tony did a review of the new blend not too long ago, you can read it here: Tatuaje Tabacos El Triunfador #1. Try to compare the notes between this Original Blend and the new blend that Tony reviewed.
I have to say I had no idea what this cigar was while I was smoking it. The funny thing is that just a week before I had smoked two cigars of the new blend from the El Triunfador line. Even with such a close time between tasting both of these cigars it didn’t even cross my mind that these were from the same line. I was pleasantly surprised to find out what this cigar was but was also disappointed since it is limited production. There are still a few boxes kicking around if you look hard enough for them.
I wrote all the below notes prior to knowing what cigar I was smoking. I got the reveal a day after. Take a read and I hope you enjoy this. There will be a few more blind reviews coming up soon!

Cigar: Blind Tasting Cigar #1
Drink: Mill Street Brewery Coffee Porter
Vitola: Lancero (7.5 x 38)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $8.50
Burn Time: 2 hours

Construction:
• Very attractive oily and dark chocolate wrapper, appears maduro but I don’t think it is
• Slightly bumpy appearance but no toothiness to it
• Clean triple cap with a small pigtail
• Appears evenly packed at the foot
• Slightly soft and springy throughout with one minor hard spot
• Draw is a bit tight, hopefully it loosens up
• Draw loosened up shortly before halfway and is now dead-on perfect

Burn:
• Toasting was amazingly even and easy
• Burning fairly evenly with a bit of wave at the start
• Approaching the halfway point the the burn is moving along excellently, no issues at all
• Cigar is staying lit effortlessly and letting me enjoy it slowly

Smoke & Ash:
• Medium mouthful of smoke, nothing overbearing but enough to keep me satisfied
• Lots of constant resting smoke that smells fantastic, lots of cedar in the aroma
• Ash is tight and even but not too strong
• First ash was only about ¼ of an inch
• Second ash was a bit longer but seems to be between ¼ and ½ inch each time
• Amount of smoke increased quite a bit in the last 3rd

Tasting Notes:
• Wrapper has a sweet tobacco aroma
• Foot has an earthy and cedar aroma with a touch of spice
• Pre-light draw definitely has an earthy spice type of flavor to it complimented by cedar touches
• Initial draws are of earth, cedar and coffee with a touch of spice on the aftertaste
• Retrohale is mild with a cedar and smooth espresso finish
• Body started off mild-medium
• Approaching the half-way mark, flavors haven’t changed much but the spice has pretty much disappeared and the the espresso flavors have got stronger. Earth and cedar flavors are still lingering
• As I approach the final 3 inches, the coffee flavor has slipped into the background and some of the spice is coming back, reminds me of baked cloves, very interesting
• Body has also started to ramp up a bit as I approach the end
• Retrohale has also picked up in body, getting a similar clove flavor complimented by some cedar
• A slight bitterness crept in near the end but nothing overpowering and it did not ruin this cigar, still enjoyed it quite a bit

Final Thoughts:
I was very impressed by this cigar. It had everything you could want. Great construction, lots of smoke, good flavors, and a couple dimensions to keep in interesting. The value on this cigar is also great considering the burn time of 2 hours. If you can find some of these still hanging around somewhere I would definitely recommend grabbing them. These are not the type of limited cigar you want to miss. The new El Triunfador line is good ad it’s hard to compare the two due to the fact that they are so different in body and flavor profile.

Pairings:
The dark Coffee Porter paired very nicely with this cigar and any similar stout or porter would go well. This beer has is full of flavor and coats your palate but has a smooth finish. It obviously has a strong coffee flavor and it complimented the coffee and espresso notes of this cigar nicely. A strong coffee, such as Cuban of Americano, would also be an excellent pairing here.

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Tatuaje Tabacos El Triunfador #1

Tony Casas — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:51:17 +0000

This weeks review is a cigar I have been dying to try, and lucky enough not to have to wait ages to get my hands on. Tatuaje’s new blend of the Tabacos El Triunfador.