A few years ago Pete Johnson decided to release some smaller quantities of 'RE' Verocu cigars, the No. 1 (or 'West Side') available only on the west coast, and the No. 2 (or 'East Side') available only to the eastern US. I was lucky enough to get a hold of the West Side from a great BOTL, and was in the mood for a good Tat today- hopefully this will fit the bill!
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Lighting up at the B&M today, cut with my Palio and lit with matches. Cold water to drink.
Pre-Light - There is a slightly stiff draw, and some mild sweetness on the pre-light draw. Not much otherwise.
First Third - My first puffs of the 'West Side' yielded rich, smooth flavors right off the bat. There is a definite sweetness (molasses?), with some wood, mild coffee, and possibly some leather flavors. The draw is perfect, with a nice darker gray ash forming already. I'm still not sure exactly what the sweetness is here, but it sure is interesting- reminds me of the HDM EL 07 I had recently.The beautiful ash I was working on decided to drop right as I was going to snap a pic, a true shame.
Second Third - Flavors entering the second third continue to be the same as the first for the most part, mainly sweet with some rich wood/coffee/leather faintly rounding it out. I'm surprised that there hasn't been any spice yet, but from what I have heard both this stick and the 'East Side' pick up in strength and spice towards the end. So far, it is medium bodied with flavor more towards full. Ending the second third darker flavors start to gain on the sweetness, mostly earthiness and strong coffee.
Third Third - Burn has needed a touch up or two, and the ash is very nice but isn't sticking around too long. The strength has definitely picked up from the first third, while spice is starting to appear and a bitter coffee/woody flavor is taking the reins from the molasses sweetness. The flavors are getting a bit muddled, but what can you ask for at the nub.
Conclusion and Score - I've got to admit that this stick was very different from most other Tataujes I have had. This is not to say it wasn't good, as I thoroughly enjoyed it until I burned my fingers. The 'West Side' wasn't necessarily a complex cigar, but did have some nice changes throughout- moving from medium bodied molasses sweetness at the start, to a stronger, dark earth flavor in the last third. I have only had one or two other cigars with sweetness like this, and this was by far the best. If you're looking for a change of pace and enjoy sweet flavors, try and find one of these. I'd gladly score this a 90, with the possibility of another point or two if aging could eliminate the occasional bitterness and average burn. Will be looking for more!
PS the rest of the pics on are on my blog
[Reply]
Originally Posted by boom:
Great review... This is by far my fav of the tats.... I really like its flavor profile cause its different....
You like these??? Really?
:-):-)
And yes, they're totally different! Love the normal Tat profile but this was a nice change.
aj
[Reply]
The West Side is absolutely Tatuaje's worst cigar, HOWEVER...the OR west side, the Lado Occidental is 100x better. Strangely 3 of us tried the west side numerous times from different sources and each time it has been terrible. Like I said HOWEVER the Lado Occidental which is supposedly the same exact blend as the west side according to Pete Johnson himself, just the second release tastes infinitely better, well a 5 star versus a 0 star cigar.
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