Vegueros Tapados

Having been discontinued in 2012, the Vegueros brand reemerged two years later with a complete refresh from top to bottom. A facelift to the logo, completely new sizes and a new blend now make up the Vegueros brand, and despite the youth of it, seemingly one that was needed.

The new look is much more modern and the new sizes are much more geared towards a wider audience. Coming in 16-count tins or four-by-four boxes, the sizes are:

• Vegueros Entretiempos (4 1/3 x 52)
• Vegueros Mañanitas (3 15/16 x 46)[ref]100mm[/ref]
• Vegueros Tapados (4 7/10 x 46)[ref]120mm[/ref]

• Cigar Reviewed: Vegueros Tapados
• Country of Origin: Cuba
• Factory: Francisco Donatién
• Wrapper: Cuba
• Binder: Cuba
• Filler: Cuba
• Size: 4 7/10 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 46
• Vitola: Corona Extra
• MSRP: $5.88 (Tins of 16, $94)
• Date Released: 2014
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Release
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

It’s quite apparent at first glance that the new Vegueros are quite different from the old ones. I do like the new band’s look quite a bit, which pops nicely against the medium tan colored wrapper. The wrapper is quite rustic looking, with veins and wrinkles all over the place, though running my fingers across it the feel is soft and oily. Grass, grains and a touch of fresh barnyard make up the aroma coming off the wrapper, while the cold draw is a bit more flavorful with freshly cut grass, vanilla, grains and the slightest bit of spice.

Once lit, the first third starts out with spice, a touch of white pepper, some grassiness and light hints of vanilla. The draw is right in the middle of ideal, producing plenty of smoke with each draw, while it dies off to a trickle between. The burn isn’t perfect, but it’s even enough and shows signs of correcting itself. While the ash isn’t very dense, it holds on to around three quarters of an inch before dropping off. The spice, light pepper, grassiness and vanilla continue to mix together nicely, without any specific flavor really jutting towards the front.

As I move into the second third, the spice and grassiness continues, with a light wood note joining the pepper somewhat in the background. The burn has evened itself up some, though it still remains slightly ragged. While the ash still holds on solidly, the ash has started to flake a little, though it’s not overly annoying. A little of the cigar’s youth starts to poke its head out, with a touch of ammonia harshness adding itself into the mix, though it’s not overwhelmingly unpleasant.

The final third sees the ammonia disappear and the spice increase, though the cigar seems to start burning a little hotter, despite taking it at a slow pace. Pepper, wood and light grass are still present, though definitely more towards the background. The burn line has evened up to the point though where I would call it even, though it’s still slightly short of razor sharp. Despite some slight harshness from the heat, I smoke the Tapados down until it burns my fingers, still getting nice spice, grass and pepper notes until the very end.

Final Notes

• The new Vegueros were released sometime in the middle of 2014. The box code for these however were from August of 2014.
• As I noted in my review of the old Vegueros Seoane, despite being formally discontinued in 2012, you would be hard pressed to find any box codes past 2001.
• While the old Vegueros came in cardboard boxes or wooden boxes, the new ones only come in metal tins or cardboard sleeves.
• We’ve seen a number of releases recently that are using metal tins – another sign that the new Vegueros are pushing for a much more modern look.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by the reviewer.
• Final smoking time averaged around an hour and fifteen minutes.