Tatuaje Wolfman - Monster Series LE #4

For Halloween 2011, Tatuaje again released another Monster Series smoke, this year being the 'Wolfman.'  As with the previous year there were only 666 dress boxes (coffins) of thirteen cigars, and 1300 (though Pete claims more like 1500 were made this year to compensate for demand) plain boxes of ten.  As usual the Monster cigars again created quite a stir for those searching out this year's offering- a box pressed torpedo sporting a Sumatra wrapper and an unwrapped foot.  Weighing in at 7.5 inches, this will be the second longest stick in the lineup.  Given the hype created every year with these LEs, the expectations are high, so lets see what the Wolfie has to offer...

Lit with matches on a brisk evening, accompanied by water.

Pre-Light - Smells of raw tobacco and hay, and sports a splotchy, smooth, leathery wrapper.  Pre-light draw is fairly loose.

First Third -  The first third, starting with the uncut foot, begins with some mild cedary spice, leather, wood and some hay.  The spice lingers in the back of my mouth.  Once the wrapper starts to burn, the flavors begin to round out and become heavier/more complex.  Draw is light but not too light, and the burn is fantastic.

Second Third - The strength has began top pick up a notch, and the spice has cooled down a bit, though it is still there.  Flavor-wise there is a bit of chocolate/molasses sweetness, leather, hay, and developing earth notes.  Not the most complex, but very enjoyable. The draw is still going well, and the burn is fantastic.

Third Third - Flavors continue to be similar to the second third, though both body and flavors have dipped in strength just a notch.  Though still not particularly complex, the flavors meld together in a tasteful manner. The finish is quite dry (as in wine) which adds a nice touch.  I can taste a tiny bit of bitterness which I will attribute to youth until further exploration down the road.

Conclusion and Score - As usual, I was not disappointed by Pete Johnson's spooky Halloween offering.  The dress box was well detailed, the cigars themselves quite a treat to the eye, and the smoke itself a memorable experience.  I am definitely partial to LE smokes, the Monsters specifically, but there is no denying the richness of the spice, wood, leather and subtle sweetness that the Wolfman delivers.  Pile on the solid construction, and you have a winner.  The mild bitterness toward the end of the cigar is my only fuss, though I think with time this will fade.   Overall this Monster gets a 91 in my book, though I have no doubt it will get better with even a few months of age.

Update on the prior year Monster cigars:
*I had a Face recently and it was fantastic, it's amazing what a year can do for these; the Drac wasn't quite what I remembered but still a very good stick; the Frank was a bit disappointing ( I remember thinking 88-ish) after all the hype and high prices, though I'm keeping a few around hoping it is just a sick period!*

Viaje Scull and Bones 'Daisy Cutter'

A while back when these were released (since, there have been 3 new vitolas in the S&B line) I picked up some of these limited release Viajes with the intention of doing a 'new stick' type of review.  I ended up forgetting about them for a while (always a good thing with cigars) and figured I would do a 'Where are they now?' review.  I'm looking forward to seeing what the stick, released as a powerhouse of nicotine in a small package, has turned into after almost a year of humidor time.

Pre-light - This small vitola has a rich chocolate wrapper with a very smooth feel.  The pre-light draw provides a bit of tug and some mild sweetness.

First Third -The cigar starts with some sweet wood, a bit of cedary spice, raw tobacco, and a dry, smokey (as in food) flavor.  Drawing is not an issue in tug or feel, despite it's girth, and the smoke is fairly dense.  As it progresses, some coffee like creaminess enters.  Despite the heavy nature of the flavors and the imminent strength of the stick, I wouldn't say it is the least bit overpowering, something one might expect.  Definitely not full full-bodied in the first third, more like medium+

Second Third - This third find the flavors mellowing into a complex, creamy fusion of leather, wood and cedar.  Construction is still great, as with most Viajes I have found, as the ash held over an inch before I clumsily dropped in on my white shirt.  It could just be the massive hunk of delicious cow I ate for dinner, or the humi time, but I'm honestly not feeling a huge nic-kick thus far...  Not that that has any bearing on the quality of the cigar.


Third Third -   I must say the progression in this cigar is awesome. It has finally hit full-bodied, and not just with a tap- the strength here is pretty apparent.  The flavors in the last third come out of their shell a bit from the last third, but remain fairly consistent, though there are a bit more spice and tobacco notes.  The last whole third is so rich and complex I wish it had been longer!

Conclusion and Score - Granted I haven't been smoking much lately because I've been crazy busy, so anything would be at least somewhat enjoyable, but this cigar was absolutely phenomenal.  The flavor profile was rich, complex, and full, while the construction was perfect.  While it was a strong little stick later on, it wasn't the beast I was expecting.  But nicotine bomb or not, no question this was a great cigar and worth 93 points in my book.

PS I remember Brooks from SmokingStogie.com saying that this stick and the similarly sized/strength Tatuaje T110 (which I reviewed a while back, one of the few sticks I hoard) were totally different, and he was spot on.