Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments where we use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or giving a score for the first time. It might be a blend we are looking at in a different size. Today we look at the Tatuaje Monster Mash Wolf. This is a cigar blend previously assessed in several sizes most recently back in October 2016 in the Skinny Monsters format.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
Monster Mash Wolf: 6 x 52
Today we take another look at an offering in the Tatuaje Monster Mash sampler, the Tatuaje Monster Mash Wolf. From 2008 to 2018, Tatuaje would pay homage to a classic or contemporary horror film character with a unique blend that would be released for Halloween. Over the years, Tatuaje has also released many offshoot samplers of the series, each containing a different theme. The Monster Mash is actually the seventh sampler that was introduced into the series. It contains one of the 13 blends in the Tatuaje Monsters Series (plus an additional unreleased blend known as The Creature). The Monster Mash cigars would be the same ring gauge as the Halloween released “monster”, but the difference is each Monster Mash cigar was 1 1/2 inches shorter than the Halloween release. The Monster Mash Wolf is based on the 2011 release of Tatuaje The Wolfman.
The chart below shows the complete history of the Tatuaje Monsters series and what is offered in one sampler. Note the Tatuaje Monster Mash includes a new “monster” known as “The Creature.” It does not have a corresponding Halloween character and at press time is exclusive to the Monster Mash series.
| Character/Collection | Full Monsters (The +) -Annual |
Little Monsters |
Pudgy Monsters | Skinny Monsters | Skinny Monsters Cazadores |
Skinny Monsters Lancero |
MBS | Monster Mash |
| Frankenstein (2008) | Frank (*) | Frank Jr. | Frank | Frank | Frank | Frank | Frank | |
| Dracula (2009) | Drac | Lil’ Drac | Drac | Drac | Drac | Drac | Drac | |
| Leather Face (2010) | Face | Baby Face | Face | Face | Face | Face | Face | |
| The Wolfman (2011) | Wolfman | Wolfie | Wolf | Wolf | Wolf | Wolf | Wolf | |
| The Mummy (2012) | Mummy | Mini Mum | Mummy | Mummy | Mummy | Mummy | Mummy | |
| Jason Voorhees (2013) | JV13 | Jason | Jason | Jason | Jason | Jason | ||
| Dr. Jekyll (2014) | Jekyll | Jekyll | Jekyll | Jekyll | Jekyll | |||
| Mr. Hyde (2015) | Hyde | Hyde | Hyde | Hyde | Hyde | |||
| Freddy Krueger (2016) | Krueger | FK | Krueger | |||||
| Chuck (2019) | Chuck | Chuck | Chuck | Chuck | Chuck | Chuck | ||
| Tiff (2019) | Tiff | Tiff | Tiff | Tiff | Tiff | Tiff | ||
| Michael Myers (2017) | Michael | Michael | ||||||
| “The Bride” (2018) | Bride | Bride | ||||||
| “The Creature (from the Black Lagoon)” (2021) | Creature |
- Re-released as Redux in 2021
The Monster Mash Wolf uses the same tobacco components as the original Tatuaje The Wolfman blend. This consists of an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over all-Nicaraguan fillers. Like the original Wolfman, the Monster Mash Wolf is a box-pressed torpedo, but it is shorter at 6 x 52. It also contains the exposed footer like the original Wolfman – representing the “shag” found on the Wolfman.
The Monster Mash Wolf delivered notes of natural tobacco, orange rind, earth, baker’s spice, and black pepper. The natural tobacco and orange rind notes became primary early on. The black pepper, along with some additional orange rind notes were prominent on the retro-hale. As the cigar moved into the second third, a fusion developed with natural tobacco and orange rind. Toward the second half, there was a slight bitterness with these fused notes. Once the Monster Mash Wolf moved into the final third, there was an increase in the black pepper, but these notes never quite made it to the forefront.
Throughout the smoking experience of the Tatuaje Monster Mash Frank, the flavors were medium to full-bodied countered by medium to full strength. The burn was low maintenance requiring minimal touch-ups while the draw had a touch of resistance – which is something I enjoy.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
Not only is the Wolfman blend one of the more consistent ones in the various Monster and Monster offshoot releases, it actually is one of my favorite Tatuaje blends that utilize the Sumatra wrapper. This is a cigar that produces excellent flavor and the flavors that are produced were well-balanced. This is a cigar that I would steer toward a more seasoned cigar enthusiast, but I would not discourage a novice from trying. As for myself, this is a cigar I plan to smoke again. In the end, if this cigar was sold as a single, it would be a “buy one” recommendation, but because this comes only in a $150.00 sampler, it’s still a “Try a Sample” for me. Coming in at 90 points, this cigar has reached the Coop Standard of Excellence.
Summary
Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Orange Rind, Earth, Baker’s Spice, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Excellent
Rating
Value: Try a Sample
Score: 90
Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence
References
Previous Review: Tatuaje Skinny Wolf
News: Tatuaje Monster Mash Introduced at 2021 PCA
Price: $150.00 for a sampler that includes 14 different Monster Mash cigars (which includes one Monster Mash Frank)
Source: Purchased
Brand Reference: Tatuaje
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
