Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Churchill
Size : 7.0″ x 49
Wrapper : Sumatra Ecuador Rosado
Filler : Nicaraguan
Binder : Nicaraguan
Hand-Made
Price : $12 each
By now most every avid cigar smoker knows about Tatuaje Cigars and the Monster Series of cigar release by Tatuaje every October around Halloween. The Monster Series Started in 2008 with the release of #1 The Frank, a box pressed Double Corona in a blood spattered coffin. In 2009 #2 The Drac, a dark torpedo in a shiny black coffin was released to an absolute frenzy of fans trying to get ahold of the very limited cigar. 2009 also marked the first edition of the Monster “Out-of-Costume” Series of cigars. This first edition is a Churchill called Boris, named after the actor Boris Karloff who made Frankenstein’s Monster famous in his portrayal of the role in the classic 1931 film Frankenstein. It is a very clever marketing scheme that I think is a lot of fun.
Pete Johnson may not be finding it as fun as he had envisioned. The limited nature of the cigars and the resulting difficulty in obtaining these cigars have caused Pete to be bombarded by complaints by frustrated and angry customers and tobacconists. It is a shame I think. People seem to lose perspective and they get angry over something that they should not be angry about. They are limited cigars and not everyone will be able to get them every time. I really wanted a box of the Dracs. I was lucky enough to get a box of the Franks in 2008 and hoped to add the Dracs to my collection. I wasn’t so lucky this time and I did not get a box. In fact I didn’t get any initially. The only reason I have two of the Dracs in my humidor now was that I had a friend who was lucky enough to get some and was willing to trade for a couple with me. I didn’t write an angry letter to Tatuaje cigars. That’s just the way it goes, the nature of a highly sought after limited edition cigar. I hope peoples’ unreasonable anger doesn’t discourage Pete from continuing with this fun and unique series of cigars.
While I had to go the trade route for my Dracs, I did manage to purchase a couple of the Boris from my local cigar retailer, Empire Cigars. The Boris was cleverly thought out keeping with the motif of the series. It is slightly shorter than the Frank and it is not box pressed, the idea being this cigar represents the actor Boris when he was out of his monster costume. Like I said, very clever and well thought out.
This is probably the most unique Tatuaje I have smoked. It is completely unlike any other Tatuaje I’ve tried and unlike any Pepin Garcia smoke I can think of as well. Completely absent of any black pepper notes, this cigar has a very unique and very distinctive sweetness to it that is present from the first puff to the last. It is a full flavored though not very strong cigar. Complimenting the remarkable sweetness of the cigar are creamy notes of almond and espresso. There were occasional flashes of leather on the finish.
Overall it was a smooth, creamy, and flavorful smoke. Excellent from start to finish. The natural question is how does it rate compared to its costumed counterpart The Frank? I have to say my personal preference is for the Frank. But to use an analogy to clarify, that is like me saying I prefer a 16oz aged black angus filet over an 10oz cut.
This post was written by Matt, one of the first cigar bloggers ever. Click here for more articles by Matt and more information.
