Tatuaje East Coast

Known to most cigar smokers as the Tatuaje “East Coast” the full name of this cigar is a long one, the Tatuaje Havana VI Verocu No. 2 Exclusivo Zona del Este – that sounds very impressive but I think I’ll refer to it as the East Coast.

The blend in this cigar is a supercharged version of the Havana VI line, adding in ligero to kick the flavor and the strength up to the next level.  The East Coast and it’s sibling, the Verocu #1 Westside, are limited release cigars made to honor the regional cigars that Cuba produces.  Presented in an ample 5 1/2″ x 54RG robusto, it’s draped in a gorgeous Nicaraguan Cafe Rosado Oscuro wrapper, the filler and binder tobacco are also from Nicaragua.

The cigar is a pleasure to look at.  The Rosado wrapper is chocolaty brown with a slight burgundy hue, very smooth and slick with only a slight presence of veins.  The feel of the cigar is firm with some give, perfect in my opinion, and is very consistent throughout the length of the cigar.  Pre-light aroma on the East Coast is very earthy along the wrapper and migrates to sweet at the foot.  The cigar cut and lit quite easily.

1st Third - No time was wasted in getting the flavors going here.  Right out of the gate there is a blast of spiciness and black pepper, this continues for about 1/2″ and then mellows slightly to an earthy sweetness.  Even after the initial pepper kick this was still a very full-flavored cigar.  The mouth feel is quite heavy and the pepper lingers on the tongue after each puff.  Unfortunately I had burn issues almost immediately with the ash dropping after only about 1/2 inch and a consistently ragged and crooked burn.

2nd Third – Moving into the 2nd third of this enjoyable cigar the flavors began to tone down.  The pepper and spice politely stepped aside to make way for a mingling of sweet woodsiness and slight cream – fantastic.  The burn improved some through the 2nd third but still required a few touch-ups to even it out.

Final Third – The final third of the cigar had the pepper and spice returning to center stage for an encore.  The complexities here were amazing, with the profile changing a few times throughout the near 2 hour performance.  Until I neared the end I would have said this cigar was more on the medium side of medium-full in terms of body, however by the time I nubbed it I would say definitely more on the full side.  The major issue I had with the Tatuaje Zona del Este was the constant issue with keeping a good burn – it required maintenance throughout to keep it burning properly and even.  However that did not detract from this being a fabulous cigar.

The good news for those that have not been able to secure any East Coast or West Coast is that Pete Johnson debuted his Tatuaje Verocu Tubos at the IPCPR show recently.  He has stated that the blend in the tubos is the same as these cigars.  The new Verocu will be available in boxes of 10 cigars in bright red tubos.

Cigar Details
Cigar:   Tatuaje Havana VI Verocu #2 Exclusivo Zona del Este (East Coast)
Length:   5 1/2″
Ring:   54
Wrapper:   Nicaraguan Cafe Rosado Oscuro
Filler:   Nicaragua
Binder:   Nicaragua
Price:  ~$10.00/ea