The Tatuaje Skinny Jason is one of ten cigars that make up the Tatuaje Skinny Monsters collection. Skinny Monsters is a sampler of ten 6 x 38 petite lanceros based on the Tatuaje Monster Series blends. Since 2008, the Tatuaje Monsters Series has been an annual release right before Halloween. For each installment of the series, a different blend with a different large-size pays homage to a monster / horror movie character. There have been several offshoots consisting of different size variations, by which the Skinny Monsters collection is one of them. It was in 2013 when the sixth installment of the Monsters Series known “JV13” was released. The name JV13 represents the character of Jason Voorhees from Friday 13th. The Skinny Jason is actually the third cigar to use the JV13 blend. Today we take a closer look at the Tatuaje Skinny Jason.

While the Monsters Series remains an annual release, there have been several off-shoot sampler releases, one of which is the Tatuaje Skinny Monsters series.  With the exception of the original Monsters Series, all have been made available in sampler packs. Each of the collections are (or have been) limited in production. Here is some further details:

• Monster Series:  Released annually (usually around Halloween) since 2008. These have been Double Corona or Churchill sizes
• Little Monsters: Released in 2012, these are shorter, thinner versions of the first five Monster releases from 2008 to 2012. The sampler includes two cigars per blend. The Mini Mum was the little version of the Tatuaje Mummy and is the only case in any Monster Series collection where one of the offshoot sizes was released before the full monster sized vitola.
• Pudgy Monsters: Released in 2014, these cigars are the same length of the Little Monsters and same ring gauge of the original Monsters. This collection introduced two new monsters not previously released before, Chuck and Tiff. Each sampler contains two Chuck and two Tiff cigars as well as one Pudgy size for each of the Monster Blends released from 2008 to 2013.
• Skinny Monsters: Released this year, this includes one 6 x 38 petite lancero of each of the first eight full monster releases as well as 6 x 38 versions of the Chuck and Tiff. At this year’s IPCPR each of the Skinny Monsters were made available in 25 count boxes consisting of a single blend.
• Skinny Monsters Cazadores Edition: This includes a 6 3/4 x 43 vitola of each of the first eight full monster releases as well as 6 3/4 x 43 versions of the Chuck and Tiff. This format was introduced at the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show.
• Skinny Monsters Lancero Edition: This includes a 7 1/2 x 38 lancero of each of the first eight full monster releases as well as 7 1/2 x 38 versions of the Chuck and Tiff. This format was introduced at the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show.

The grid below maps each monster / horror film character blend to the cigar that was released in each of the Monster Series collections. A blank indicates the blend was not released in that collection.

Character/Collection	Full Monsters (The +) -Annual	Little Monsters – 2012	Pudgy Monsters	Skinny Monsters	Skinny Monsters Cazadores	Skinny Monsters Lancero
Frankenstein (2008)	Frank	Frank Jr.	Frank	Frank	Frank	Frank
Dracula (2009)	Drac	Lil’ Drac	Drac	Drac	Drac	Drac
Leather Face (2010)	Face	Baby Face	Face	Face	Face	Face
The Wolfman (2011)	Wolfman	Wolfie	Wolf	Wolf	Wolf	Wolf
The Mummy (2012)	Mummy	Mini Mum	Mummy	Mummy	Mummy	Mummy
Jason Voorhees (2013)	JV13		Jason	Jason	Jason	Jason
Dr. Jekyll (2014)	Jekyll			Jekyll	Jekyll	Jekyll
Mr. Hyde (2015)	Hyde			Hyde	Hyde	Hyde
Chuck (Child’s Play)			Chuck	Chuck	Chuck	Chuck
Tiff (Child’s Play)			Tiff	Tiff	Tiff	Tiff
Freddy Krueger (2016)	Krueger

 

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

Blend Profile

The original JV13 blend was the second in the Monsters Series to utilize a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. The other was the original Tatuaje Monster – The Frank.

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua (My Father Cigars SA)

Vitolas Available

JV13: 7 1/2 x 52
Jason: 5 1/2 x 52
Skinny Jason 6 x 38
Skinny Jason Cazadores: 6 3/4 x 43 (*)
Skinny Jason Lancero: 7 1/2 x 38 (*)

* Showcased at the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show, wider distribution coming soon

As mentioned, in addition to being a part of the Skinny Monsters sampler, the Skinny Jason has also been made available in 25 count boxes:

Appearance

The Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper of the Tatuaje Skinny Jason has a chocolate brown color Upon closer examination, there is some darker marbling that can be seen on the surface. The wrapper itself has an oily complexion. This is a rugged looking Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and that gives the cigar some charm. I’d categorize this as a toothy surface with several visible veins as well as several visible wrapper seams.

The band is based on the standard “Tatuaje” scripted logo. The script font is black on an orange / red background. To the left of the “Tatuaje” scripting is the text “SKINNY” in the a gothic style black font. To the right of the scripting” it says “MONSTERS” – also in black font. To the far right is a black Tatuaje “Tattoo” stamp. The band is finished with a black pinstripe across the top and bottom.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

Prior to lighting up the Tatuaje Skinny Jason, I went with my usual choice of a straight cut to remove the cap. After successfully clipping the cap, I moved on to the pre-light draw phase. The dry draw provided notes of earth, wood, and cedar. Overall this was not the most exciting pre-light draw, but since the pre-light draw is not scored, there was no loss of points here. At this point, I was ready to light up the Tatuaje Skinny Jason and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Flavor Profile

The start of the Tatuaje Skinny Jason continued where the pre-light draw left off as I detected more notes of earth, generic wood, and cedar. The earth and cedar notes became primary during the initial stages. The wood became secondary and I also detected notes of white pepper and a touch of chocolate. Meanwhile the retro-hale produced a layer of black pepper through the nasal passages. This flavor profile continued throughout the first third.

During the second third, the earth and cedar remained in the forefront, but the difference was that both notes alternated in intensity. The generic wood notes pretty much dissipated. Meanwhile, the white pepper remained in the background, but increased in intensity.

By the last third, there was definitely more spice present as there was a fusion between the white pepper and cedar. The earth notes moved into the background and the chocolate notes were pretty much dissipated. The last stages did have a slight bit of harshness. This is the way the cigar experience came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The Tatuaje Skinny Jason scored nicely when it came to burn and draw. Overall the Skinny Jason maintained a straight line. The burn line itself was relatively on the straight side. The resulting ash had a silver gray color. In general, the ash was on the firm side and came off the cigar in clean chunks. Meanwhile both the burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.

As for the draw, I found it to have a touch of resistance – which is something I like. This made the Tatuaje Skinny Jason a low maintenance cigar to get flavor from.

Strength and Body

For whatever reason, the Tatuaje Skinny Jason seemed to have a little less strength and body than its JV13 and Pudgy Jason siblings. The Skinny Jason started out both medium in strength and body. By the last third, I found both attributes had progressed enough to cross the threshold into medium to full territory. In terms of strength versus body, I found both attributes to balance each other nicely with neither overshadowing the other.

Final Thoughts

The JV13 blend has been one that is really puzzling to me. The original JV13 was a rough and gritty cigar blend. The Pudgy Jason size (a shorter version of the JV13) offered more in the way of smoothness and sweetness. Now with the Skinny Jason, leans more toward the rough and gritty end – reminding me of the original JV13 cigar. The original JV13 was a cigar that just failed to wow me and now the Skinny Jason falls into the same category. I had been hoping my experience with the Skinny Jason would be more like the Pudgy Jason and less like the JV13. This was not the case.

If you like a rough and gritty type of Connecticut Broadleaf cigar, then I would suggest giving the Skinny Monster Jason a try and seeing what you think.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium-
Strength: Medium (1st 2/3), Medium to Full (Last Third)
Body: Medium (1st 2/3), Medium to Full (Last Third)
Finish: Good
Assessment: 2.5-Try One
Score: 87

References

News: Tatuaje Skinny Monsters Coming Soon
Price: $85.00 (Skinny Monsters Sampler)
Source: Purchased
Stogie Geeks Podcast: n/a
Stogie Feed: n/a
Brand Reference: Tatuaje