Tatuaje Chuck

Today we look at another installment in Tatuaje’s Pudgy Monsters series – the Tatuaje Chuck. The Pudgy Monsters series made its debut mid 2014. This is the second sampler series released based on Tatuaje’s Monsters Series – a cigar released on an annual basis that pays homage to a different monster / horror movie character. In 2012, the Tatuaje Little Monsters series was released which provided smaller and thinner versions of the original Monster Series releases. The Pudgy Monsters series follows up with another set of smaller monsters, but these have larger ring gauges (in most cases the same ring gauge as the original and same length as the Little Monsters). Two of the installments, Tatuaje Chuck and Tatauje Tiff are based on the Chucky and Tiffany characters from the Child’s Play movies. They also are entirely new and unreleased blends that have not been a part of any Monsters series release.  With the Tatuaje Chuck, I found this to be an outstanding blend with his own unique characteristics and one that brought an excellent smoking experience.

The Pudgy Monsters series consists of 10 cigars.  There is one cigar per blend that has previously been released in the Monsters series.  The new blends, Chuck and Tiff contain two cigars.

(Pudgy) Frank (Based on the 2008’s Tatuaje Monster Series – The Frank)
(Pudgy) Drac (Based on 2009’s  Tatuaje Monster Series – The Drac)
(Pudgy) Face (Based on 2010’s Tatuaje Monster Series -The Face)
(Pudgy) Wolf  (Based on 2011’s Tatuaje Monster Series – The Wolfman)
(Pudgy) Mummy (Based on 2012’s Tatuaje Monster Series – The Mummy)
(Pudgy) Jason (Based on 2013’s Tatuaje Monster Series – JV13)
(Pudgy) Chuck – New Blend
(Pudgy) Tiff – New Blend

As for the Chuck, this is the second cigar in under the Monsters / Little Monsters / Pudgy Monsters releases to use an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper (the Drac used an Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper)

Without further ado, let’s break down the Tatuaje Chuck and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Vitolas Available

Tatuaje Tiff is available in one size – a 4 x 50 short robusto.  This is the only size for this blend.  The Tatuaje Chuck is also the same size making the Tiff and Chuck the two shortest vitolas in any of the Monsters / Little Monsters / Pudgy Monsters releases.

Appearance

The Tatuaje Chuck had a rosado / colorado color to it.  Upon closer examination, there were some visible spots.  I found the surface of the wrapper to be more silky, than oily. The surface of the wrapper was also somewhat bumpy.  There were some thin visible veins and thin visible wrapper seams.  The cap was a flat Cuban-style design.

The band is based on the standard “Tatuaje” scripted logo. The script font is black on an sky blue background. To the left of the “Tatuaje” scripting is the text “PUDGY” in the redfont. To the right of the scripting” it says “MONSTERS” – also in white font. To the far right is a black Tatuaje “Tattoo” stamp.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

Prior to lighting up the Tatuaje Chuck, I went with my usual choice of a straight cut.  After the cap was removed, I proceeded with the pre-light draw ritual.  The dry draw provided a simple cedar cream flavor.  While it wasn’t the most complex pre-light draw, I found it flavorful and enjoyable.  At this point I was ready to light up the Tatuaje Chuck and see what the smoking phase would deliver.

Flavor Profile

The start to the Tatuaje Chuck provided a classic Garcia family black pepper blast along with some notes of wood.  Once the pepper subsided, the flavor profile began to take shape.  A sweet cherry note soon emerged in the forefront along with some notes of cream.  The pepper notes were now in the background, but remained more prominent on the retro-hale.

Later in the first half, the cherry notes almost had a taste of a cherry cream soda.  Meanwhile the spice took on some sweet characteristics – becoming almost a baker’s spice.   While there was a healthy dose of sweetness, the flavors still had a “tobacco feel” to it. The pepper could still be detected on the retro-hale.

In the second half, the sweetness subsided and more nut flavors emerged in the forefront. The spice remained more distant.  In the last third, the nut flavors were the dominant flavor.  The cherry sweetness had subsided.  There was also a slight increase in the baker’s spice, but it never completely took control.  The resulting nub was outstanding – lots of flavor, firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The burn and draw for the Tatuaje Chuck scored very nicely.  The burn line remained relatively straight from start to finish requiring minimal touch-ups  The resulting ash was tight and firm – not prone to any flaking or flowering.  The ash itself had a nice salt and pepper color.  The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.

Tatuaje Chuck – Burn

The draw proved to be outstanding as well.  It was a low maintenance draw to derive flavors from – making this a very enjoyable cigar experience.

Strength and Body

I did not find the Tatuaje Chuck to be a cigar that is going to have a lot of firepower from a nicotine standpoint, but I did find it to have what I term “just enough strength”.  I assessed this cigar being medium in strength.  As for the flavors, they leaned a little fuller.  They had a nice amount of depth and weight on the pallet.  I assessed the Chuck to be medium to full in strength.  Overall I found the body to have the edge over the strength on this cigar.

Final Thoughts

While this is a very different cigar than the Tatuaje Tiff, the one thing they both have in common is that each of the two bring a very different flavor profile to both the Monsters / Little Monsters / Pudgy Monsters series and to Tatuaje as a whole.  I did like the Short Robusto format.  I do think this Chuck has some serious potential in some other sizes, but the Short Robusto lays a nice foundation.  Overall I found this a cigar I could recommend to either a novice or experienced cigar enthusiast.  As for myself, this cigar is definitely one I would smoke again.  It’s a little on the pricey side (averaging to $9.50- for a Short Robusto in the Pudgy Monsters sampler), but it is still one worthy of a box split.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellemt
Complexity: High
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: 3.5 – Box Split
Score: 92

References

News: Tatuaje Pudgy Monsters Released
Price: ~$9.50
Source: Purchased
Stogie Geeks Podcast: Stogie Geeks Episode 104
Stogie Feed: n/a