Tatuaje Boris

Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Churchill
Size : 7 x 49
Wrapper : Ecuadorian Sumatra Rosada
Filler : Nicaragua
Binder : Nicaragua
Hand-Made
Price : ~$12 each
More info about purchasing Tatuaje cigars...

Many thanks to Austin from the 7th Street Reserve for taking these excellent pictures for my series of reviews.

The man behind the Tatuaje brand, Pete Johnson, has established a yearly tradition with his cigars: on each Halloween, a new blend is released, named after a classic monster from the film industry. In 2008, the Frank was released. Last year, it was time for the Drac and the Boris to burn their way into the cigar lovers’ hearts.
Since all of these Halloween blends are limited editions and very hard to find, I managed to get my hands on a Boris only, missing the Drac. Only 1000 boxes of 10 Boris each were produced.

For this review, I smoked an aged Boris – and I have to say, it was worth the wait: aging conferred a unique flavor to the cigar, ramping up the Boris from “good”, as other have rated it, to a rather great level – in my books. Let’s get started and see in detail how this Halloween monster fares.

Appearance :
The dark brown wrapper of the Boris has a rustic feel to it that looks great. However, the surface of this 7 X 49 cigar is rather bumpy and has some prominent veins (not downright “ugly”, but with a stronger visual presence than in other cigars).
The band of the cigar has a simple design, consisting of the brand’s name, Tatuaje, inscribed in black on a white background.

Construction :
The construction department is in much better standing: the Boris is well rolled, has no soft spots and feels good in the hand. The draw is slightly loose, while the burn of the cigar is great – even though I had minor issues and had to slightly correct it, the ash left behind had a fantastic light color to it and at some point, measured an amazing 3.5”.

Flavor :
At first, I was unsure what to expect from this cigar, seeing as how the previous Halloween release, the Frank, wasn’t quite up my alley. However, once I passed the Boris by my nose, a familiar Tatuaje spice, combined with a note of sweet tobacco, hit my senses and highly pleased me. The pre-light draw has smitten me with a wonderful peppermint scent.
Once lit, the aroma I have previously described still lingered for a while, but the front scene was taken by spice and pepper, accompanied by a surfacing cedar note. The first third prolongs its footprint into the second part of the cigar, but this time, a subtle nutty scent mingles with the rather strong pepper and the pure tobacco flavor.
As I’m smoking through the final third, a full blown spice aroma assaulted my senses, in the traditional Tatuaje style. This powerful finish is slightly toned down by flavors of almond and a touch of leather.

Value :
At $12.5, the Tatuaje Boris is on the upper end of the price echelon, but I’d say it is worth the money – it has great potential to enchant you and become one of your favorites.

Overall Rating : (4.25)
The Boris is without any doubt, a high quality cigar with a great flavor profile, but it does not fully match my personal preferences. However, if you manage to get your hands on one of these, take your time to fully appreciate it – it is a great “Halloween monster” from Tatuaje.