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 Krueger. This is a cigar blend previously assessed in several sizes most recently back in October 2020 in the MBS format.
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: My Father Cigars SA
Monster Mash Krueger: 5 3/4 x 48
The Tatuaje Monster Mash Krueger is a cigar that is found in Tatuaje’s Monster Mash Sampler. The foundation of the Monsters Series is that each year from 2008 to 2018 (around Halloween), Tatuaje would release a cigar blend that paid homage to a classic or contemporary horror film character. In addition to the annual Halloween releases, there have been various samplers released containing different sizes of the various Monsters blends. In the case of the Monster Mash, this would be the ninth blend released. For the Monster Mash, each cigar would be the same ring gauge as the Halloween-released “monster,” but each Monster Mash cigar was 1 1/2 inches shorter than the Halloween release. Today we look at the Tatuaje Monster Mash Krueger.
Some of the Monster characters have been based on classic horror film characters and others are based on more contemporary characters. In the case of the Tatuaje Krueger, it is based on the character of Freddy Krueger from the Friday the 13th series of films. The Monster Mash Krueger is based on the original Halloween Tatuaje the Krueger released.
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 Tatuaje Monster Mash Krueger features a San Andres Mexican wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers. The Monster Mash Krueger measures 5 3/4 x 48. Like the original Tatuaje the Krueger, the Monster Mash Krueger also is a box-pressed belicoso. The Krueger, Drac, and Wolfman blends are the blends that are belicosos.
Flavor-wise, the Tatuaje Monster Mash Krueger opened with notes of mocha, mineral, red pepper, cedar, and wood. The mocha was a classic fusion of coffee and chocolate and became the primary flavor early on. Early on there was a good balance between the coffee and chocolate. There were notes of red pepper and wood on the retro-hale. As the cigar progressed, the coffee component of the mocha became more prominent. The second third saw the cedar notes join the mocha in the forefront. Just past the midway point, the mocha morphed into a combination of coffee and earth. The second half of the cigar experience saw the coffee, earth, and cedar combination primary with the pepper the most prominent of the second notes. Notes of mineral and wood rounded out the flavors in the second third.
The flavors delivered were medium to full-bodied countered by medium to full strength. There wasn’t too much variance in the intensity of the strength and body. The body did maintain a slight edge throughout the smoking experience. The burn maintained a straight burn path and straight burn line without excessive touch-ups. The draw had a touch of resistance – which was a positive.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Tatuaje Monster Mash Krueger delivered a solid offering. In terms of the different incarnations of the Krueger blend, because they were released at different times, it is difficult to compare them in a simultaneous taste test. Based on the assessments done at the time each was released, I would put this offering ahead of the original Krueger offering, but second to the MBS FK offering. The Monster Mash Krueger was a fun cigar to smoke and should appeal to fans who enjoy the San Andres wrapper.
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.
Summary
Key Flavors: Mocha (Coffee, Chocolate), Cedar, Wood, Earth, Mineral, Red Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Very Good
Rating
Value: Try a Sample
Score: 89
References
Previous Review: Tatuaje MBS FK
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 Krueger)
Source: Purchased
Brand Reference: Tatuaje
