Tatuaje Havana VI Exclusivo Zona Del Este
Wrapper: Café Rosado Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Made In: Nicaragua – Tabaclera Cubana
Size: Verocu No. 2 – 5.5×54
Price: About $11 per single cigar
Background: In 2007 Pete Johnson took a page from Habanos (distributor of most Cuban Cigars) and came out with two different blends, one to be sold on the west coast and the other to be sold on the East Coast. Today I am smoking the east coast version which was gifted to me by a friend of mine. These cigars were limited in release and are now extremely hard to come by these days and for that I thank you Lee.
Appearance & Construction: The Tatuaje Exclusivo Zona Del Este is a beastly looking cigar with its fat 54 ring gauge. A nice dark brown wrapper graces the binder and filler from Nicaragua. The wrapper only has two small veins running through it and the wrapper is silky smooth to the touch. Construction looks fantastic on this cigar
Smoking Characteristics: The draw on the Tatuaje was fantastic and produces large amounts of smoke. There was a little trouble in paradise when a crack developed in the wrapper and blistered open. The burn line was very even before the crack and went a little haywire while smoking through the crack however once the crack was smoked through the burn became even once again. The body of the cigar is medium to full while the strength is in the full category.
Flavors: The first third of the Tatuaje East is a pleasant combination of earth, cedar, espresso, and brown sugar. The finish is primarily earthy with a little zing of pepper. In the second third the cigar kind of lost it nice complexities and was primarily a sweet earthy, woody flavor. I’m not sure if it was due to the wrapper crack or if that’s just the way this cigar is. However, the final third returned back to the complex flavor combination and brought some more spice to the table.
Final Thoughts: Overall I enjoyed this cigar however I am not heartbroken over the fact that you can’t get these cigars anymore. While it was a good cigar and had a lot of nice complex flavors over the regular Havana VI line, I am just as happy smoking the regular Havana Vi line, especially when you take price into consideration. However, if I was to run into a box of these in a nondescript B&M that had no idea what they had on hand, I would not hesitate to gobble up a few of these bad boys.
Worth a Shot: If you can get them yes
Buy Again: If I can find them I’d pick up a few to have
Enjoyablity: Medium to High
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This is my favorite Tatuaje bar none! I do know where to get them-last time I was there they had three unopened boxes left, with 40-50 per box. Contact me if you need me to get you some, or get the shop name. I just wonder how the west edition differs?
I’ve got one of these sitting in my humidor that I really need to get around to.