The Good Stuff:

It’s everyone’s favorite Halloween cigar time! Every year Pete Johnson of Tatuaje releases a new Monster cigar which celebrates… well… monsters. Monsters from the past, and from iconic movies:

• 2008 – The Frank
• 2009 – The Drac
• 2010 – The Face
• 2011 – The Wolfman
• 2012 – The Mummy
• 2013 – The JV13
• 2014 – The Jekyll
• 2015 – The Hyde
• 2016 – Krueger
• 2017 – The Michael
• 2018 – The Bride
• 2019 – Chuck and Tiff

Last week I took a look at the Tiff, while this week I take a run at Tiff’s love, the Chuck. Just like the Tiff, the Chuck is rolled at the My Father Cigars S.A. factory in Nicaragua. The blend differs from the Tiff by featuring an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, but features a Nicaraguan binder and fillers. As with most of the Tatuaje Monster Series cigars there are two packaging options, a 13 count dress box which was limited to only 700 boxes, or a 10 count standard box which was limited to 2,190 boxes. Each option goes for $13 a stick. I purchased mine over from our friends at Neptune Cigars.

• Size: 5 7/8 x 52
• Wrapper: Ecuadoria Habano
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Medium/Full
• Strength: Medium/Full
• Price: $13
• Pairing: Founders KBS Espresso (Imperial Stout 12% ABV)

Prelight:

The Tatuaje Chuck starts out with a beautifully consistent, dark brown wrapper that resembles a Hershey’s bar. The wrapper features a copious amount of oils and some very minor veining and webbing leading up to the cigar’s round, double-wrapped cap. The wrapper itself feels very dense and hard while the cigar as a whole is very heavy and tightly packed with no soft spots whatsoever. The cigar is polished off with the standard, beautiful Tatuaje band in blue and white with the words “Halloween” and “Monster” printed in red on the sides.

The wrapper on the Tatuaje Chuck gives off soft oak and chocolate aromas while the foot of the cigar carries a bit of pepper, spice, and dirt. The cap cup clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw on the Tatuaje Chuck produces bold oak and spice flavors with underlying earthy notes.

First Third:

The Tatauje Chuck starts out with a tiny little bit of black pepper which only last the first puff or two before releasing a ton of bold oak, dark chocolate, coffee, spice, and musk. The draw is perfect as each little puff kicks out massive clouds of thick, gray smoke which hangs out for a very long amount of time before dissipating while the cigar gives off only very minor stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving what I thought was a trail of tightly compacted white ash until it fell in my lap about a quart of an inch in, so excuse the following picture.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Tatuaje Chuck and the dark chocolate flavor is now dominating the flavor field backed by notes of coffee, musk, and oak. The retrohale really helps bring the oak out making the chocolate/oak combination incredible.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Tatuaje Chuck and the flavors mimic what I picked up in the second. The cigar still leans heavily on dark chocolate with backing notes of coffee, spice, musk and oak. It took me almost two hours to smoke this cigar down to the nub and I experienced no harshness nor extended heat. The cigar did tend to produce some sap which just reminded me to pace myself and not to smoke too quickly. Slowing down minimized the impact. I close out the cigar with only a very light nicotine kick.

Overview:

The Tatuaje Chuck isn’t the most complex cigar, nor did it need to be for me to enjoy it. The chocolate-led flavor profile was great and really hit the spot for me. The construction was flawless, and the price is average to what I’d expect to pay for this experience. While I did enjoy this stick, its not something that would find its way into my regular rotation but something I do see myself coming back to from time to time.

Pairing:

By now, everyone should be well aquatinted with Fonder’s Pride and Joy, KBS. KBS is a 12% imperial stout brewed with chocolate and coffee and aged in bourbon barrels. New to the line, the espresso version is the same beer which then ages on espresso beans after its pulled from the barrels. The Espresso KBS leads with what tastes more like a mild, smooth, roast cold brewed coffee flavors than espresso, chocolate, and malt with a heavy mouthfeel before finishing with more light coffee and chocolate. Like the cigar, its not the most complex beer, and you can’t even taste the bourbon barrel anymore, but it makes for a hell of a pairing with cigars like the Chuck that have chocolate and coffee notes in their experience.

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The Good Stuff:

Umbagog is the first release we’ve seen from Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust this year. Named after a like on the New Hampshire-Maine border where brand owner Steve Saka enjoys fishing this “bundle” cigar is the first “value” priced cigar released by Dunbarton. While I don’t necessarily consider this a bundle cigar, Saka states that the cigar is just “too ugly” to join the ranks of his superior blends. This goes to show just how meticulous Saka is, something that surprises no one. Steve has always been known for perfection. In the case of the Umbagog Steve wanted to create a hefty, hard-working cigar that would be able to tolerate being thrown around a bit. Something that you could take on a fishing trip, camping expedition, or mountain hike without being worried about damage. Umbagog features a dense, Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, which Saka considered “too ugly” for the Mi Quireda line. The cigar comes in 10 count bundles featured in four different sizes: Corona Gorda (6 x 48), Robusto Plus (5 x 52), Toro Toro (6 x 52), and Gordo Gordo (6 x 56) modestly ranging between $6.45 and $7.45 a stick. I purchased these over from our good friends Ford on Fifth which is only a handful of retailers who currently have them in stock. They recently updated the site and you can now order directly from it, so get on it before these are gone.

Size: 6 x 48
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $6.45
Pairing: Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout 2017 (Imperial Stout 11.8% ABV)

Prelight:

The Dunbarton Umbagog starts out with a very meaty, rustic wrapper which is very dark brown with lots of splotches of lighter brown, and orange scattered throughout the leaf. The leaf also features a good amount of dark, natural webbing. The texture on the cigar is very rough and toothy with a decent amount of oil The wrapper is dense and hard as a rock while the cigar is general really does feels as if it can take a beating. The wrapper leaf is seamlessly laid over itself while the cigar showcases a few mild veins running the course of the cigar’s body leading up to it’s round, double cap. The cigar is polished off with a simple green and white band sporting the word “UMBAGOG” across the front.

The Umbagog wrapper gives off a good amount of tartness, natural tobacco, and musk while the foot of the cigar is much more spicy with some pepper and coffee aromas piled over some natural earthiness. The cap cut clean and easily using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw features an overall sweet mixture of honey, cedar, musk, and natural tobacco.

First Third:

The Umbagog starts out with a nice bold cayenne pepper bang which hangs out for a decent amount of time before fading leaving behind some bold musk, molasses, cedar, tartness, and sweetness with a really natural/earthy overtone. Once the pepper subsides the Umbagog really creams out and is incredibly balanced. The draw is perfect. each tiny puff kicks out a massive cloud of thick, white smoke that hangs out for a while even on a windy day such as this one. The cigar pours out stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a brilliant trail of tightly compacted light, and dark gray ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Dunbarton Umbagog and the flavors are incredible. Again, they are really smooth and balanced making for a very creamy mixture of cocoa, musk, sweetness, coffee, and cedar with  subtle notes of tartness and even some soft clove. The retrohale is as smooth as it comes coating my nasal passage with a nice mixture of cedar, spice, and natural tobacco. This cigar reminds me of when I was young, and my uncle would light up his pipe. It smelled amazing and that smell, or what I understood it was at the time, translates almost identically until the flavor profile found in the Umbagog. The cigar is burning like a dream with no issues as I close out the second third with absolutely zilch in the nicotine department.

Finish:

The Dunbarton Umbagog was already shaping up to be a fantastic cigar, but it really takes off in the final third. The cedar has really stepped it’s game up along with the musk and some interesting floral flavors which really ramp up the body of the cigar. the backing flavors are cocoa, coffee, vanilla, clove, and spice with a good amount of sweetness thrown on top. The floral flavor doesn’t last long, but it was a nice little added touch to the experience. All in all it took me an hour and a half to smoke the Umbagog down to the nub and I enjoyed every second of it. I close out with no harshness, no extra heat, and only a very mild nicotine hit.

Overview:

The Umbagog isn’t a cigar you really need to worry about. This is a cigar you just kind of hang out with. You don’t have to pick apart flavors, or nuances, just enjoy it. Sure, I did in this case for the review, but I find the Umbagog such a solid, consistent offering that I could just smoke these all day. And that’s exactly what Saka was trying to achieve in my opinion. Add the modest price point and I can honestly say that the Umbagog will be finding it’s way not only in mine, but just about everyone else’s regular rotation here real quick.

Pairing:

It’s that time of the year again! Founders is set to release the 2017 version of its famous Kentucky Breakfast Stout. Coming in at 11.8% ABV this Bourbon Barrel Aged imperial Stout is one of America’s most sought after beers year after year. It seems this year’s KBS seems much more creamy and muted than past releases. Usually the beer leads with booze, bourbon, cocoa, and vanilla and this year I don’t really get any booze or bourbon. It tastes more like a creamy vanilla/chocolate milkshake. As the beer warms the bourbon finally starts to peek it’s head through while the vanilla, cocoa, espresso, oak really lead the charge. I’m not complaining though, this is a damn good beer and made for an absolutely incredible pairing with the Umbagog, this year’s KBS just seems a bit off.

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The Good Stuff:

It’s better late than never I guess. I know this cigar created a ton of buzz and was one of the most highly acclaimed releases last year. While I did smoke it, I didn’t get around to reviewing it until now. The Tatuaje TAA 2015 is the fifth release in an exclusive annual release that Tatuaje has done each year since 2011 for the Tobacconist’s Association of America. These releases are only sold at TAA retailers across the US. While we have only reviewed the 2011 release in the past, Jeremy and I have had the pleasure of smoking all of the other releases between us. The Tatuaje TAA 2015 is actually based off of two other highly acclaimed releases Pete Johnson of Tatuaje had released in the past, the Pork Tenderloin and the Barclay Rex. The Tatuaje TAA 2015 is manufactured at the My Father Cigars S.A. factory in Nicaragua. The blend features a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper with Nicaraguan Binder and Filler. The blend comes in a single 5 3/8 x 54 with only 3,800 boxes of 20 released with run $11 per cigar.

Size: 5 3/8 x 43
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $11
Pairing: Founders KBS 2016 (Imperial Stout 12.4% ABV)

Prelight:

The Tatuaje TAA 2015 starts out with a beautiful soft-box press and a covered foot. The wrapper is folder just as carefully over the foot, as it is laid seamlessly over the body of the cigar. The wrapper is a very, very dark, brown which is very consistent in color. The wrapper’s texture is toothy and grainy with only a few medium sized veins running through the body of the cigar. The veins look a bit large in the photo, but they are so smooth you can’t even feel them when examining the cigar. The cigar is polished off with the standard gold, white, and black TAA crest we’ve seen on most of the previous Tatuaje TAA releases backed by the red white and blue color bands behind the crest. The cigar isn’t too stiff, but the wrapper is extremely dense and very hard to the touch.

The wrapper on the Tatuaje TAA 2015 gives off some great cocoa and sweetness aromas while the foot of the cigar is very similar only with a bit more spice seeping through the wrapper which covers the foot. The cap cut very clean and easily using my Xikar double bladed cutter. Even the cold draw is remarkable in this cigar leading with some great cocoa and espresso with some berry and natural tobacco backing.

First Third:

The Tatuaje TAA 2015 starts out with a good amount of cayenne pepper on the lips and tongue which lasted for the first few puffs before diminishing. What I was left with was an awesome mixture of espresso, cocoa, cedar, black cherry, and musk. The cigar starts out very full in the body arena right off the bat. The draw is perfect. Each puff kicks out a great amount of very thick, white smoke. The soft-box press also fists very comfortably in both my hand and mouth. The burn line started out a bit whacky but completely corrected itself before the first ash and is now burning dead even and razor thin while leaving behind a trail of medium to light gray ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Tatuaje TAA 2015 and this cigar is still pouring on the flavors. The cigar now leads with the musk and black cherry backed by some potent cedar and espresso over soft cocoa and sweetness. I am really enjoying this flavor mixup. The retrohale adds a really interesting floral flavor to the mix as well which just makes a great cigar even better. The burn line is still dead even and razor sharp. I am not really feeling too much in the nicotine department as I close out the third.

Finish:

The Tatuaje TAA 2015 finishes off with a bang as both the body and strength have really ramped up. The body is now deep into the “full” area while the strength is at the crest of “medium/full”. The flavors haven’t changed much from the second third, and I’m ok with that. Leading with the black cherry and musk backed by cedar, espresso, cocoa, sweetness, and a good amount of spice that I didn’t pick up until now. It took me an hour and a half to smoke this cigar down to the nub and I loved every second of it. I close out the cigar with absolutely no signs of harshness or extra heat, and a decent little nicotine kick.

Overview:

This cigar gathered a ton of buzz last year, with good reason. The Tatuaje TAA 2015 is a solid cigar every way you look at it. The price, the flavor profile, the experience, the fact that it supports the TAA retailers, just everything. The only bad thing that comes to mind is how limited this run is. I’ll be on the hunt for more, thats for sure and if you happen to stumble across them, snatch them up!

Pairing:

Ah yes, the famous KBS. I look forward to this release every year, and never does it disappoint. This particular bottle is from this year’s release so it’s pretty damn fresh. Founder’s Kentucky Breakfast stout is an imperial stout brewed at the Founder’s brewery in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The beer is brewed with massive amounts of chocolate and coffee then aged in bourbon barrels stored in caves. Not even joking. This year’s release comes in at a whopping 12.4% ABV and leads with tons of roasted malt, espresso, cocoa, and sweetness with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing with even more sweetness, brown sugar, espresso, and cocoa. This beer is to die for. It’s easy to see why I paired it with the Tatuaje TAA 2015 since it shares so many similar flavors. I think this cigar would also pair good with a Belgian quad with a ton of spice or some strong, sweet, black tea.

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The Good Stuff: The Dogma is one of the biggest blends to hit the cigar community this year. Dogma is an extension of the Undercrown series created to commemorate the Cigar Dojo app. For those who are not familiar with Cigar Dojo, its basically the first Social Media application for cigar enthusiasts who “Never Want to Smoke Alone”. You can find more about the app and directions for download here. This is a must try cigar for anyone who’s used the app, and enjoys smoking the Undercrown line. Here is an excerpt from Drew Estate’s press release which pretty much sums up the project:

Miami, FL – Drew Estate announced today their plans to release a new size within their Undercrown cigar line. The size will be called Undercrown “Dogma”, and has been created to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the online community Cigar Dojo. The blend of “Dogma” is based on the Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! and is comprised of Mexican San Andreas wrapper, Connecticut Stalk-Cut Habano binder, and Nicaraguan & Brazilian Mata Fina fillers. The “Dogma” will come in a 6 x 56 box-pressed vitola.

When asked about the “Dogma” project, Jonathan Drew said, “we have been major supporters of Cigar Dojo from the beginning. A handful of Drew Estate employees, myself included, are Dojo members, and we have always been floored by the support Drew Estate has received on the app and website. When Eric (owner of Cigar Dojo) approached us about coming up with this special commemorative cigar, it was a no-brainer. My dad, “Baitfish” Gary, came up with the name ‘Dogma’.”

The “Dogma” will be a limited run of 10-count bundles, and will be sold exclusively through Smoke Inn, a South Florida cigar retail chain, owned by Abe Debabneh. For those based outside of Florida, the cigars will be available through Smoke Inn’s web store. The “Dogma” will be priced at $9.95 MSRP per single and $99.50 MSRP per 10-count bundle.

The flavor profile of the “Dogma” aligns with that of the Corona ¡Viva!, featuring notes of cocoa, earth, and a rich spicy character. If you enjoy the Corona ¡Viva! but would like a longer, 56 ring gauge smoke, the “Dogma” will be a new favorite.

While the initial batch of Dogma has been sold out, I am told more are on their way. You can find this here and sign up for restock notifications. Big thanks goes out to our friend at Drew Estate for shooting a few of these over. Now, let’s dive in shall we.

Size: 6 x 56 Box Press
Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas
Binder: Connecticut Stalk-Cut Habano
Filler: Brazilian Mata Fina & Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $9.50
Pairing: Founders KBS Kentucky Breakfast Stout (11.2% Bourbon Imperial Stout)

Prelight: The Drew Estate Undercrown Dogma carries a familiar wrapper, the same one we see used on all the blends in the line. It’s a very heavy, very thick, very dark leaf covered in oils and thick tooth. The wrapper isn’t the only thing that’s dense, the whole cigar feels incredible thick and heavy. I’m not too worried about over-handling this one. There are a few medium sized veins running through the body of the cigar up to its round, double cap. The soft box press format on the Dogma make in not only very comfortable in hand, but it also has a great mouthfeel. The Undercrown Dogma is polished off with the standard blue and gold Undercrown band with the addition of the secondary band with the words “Dogma” and Cigar Dojo’s “Never Smoke Alone” tagline and logo.

The wrapper on the Undercrown Dogma gives off a coffee, chocolate, and tart aroma while the foot of the cigar lets loose a ton of spice and cedar. The cap cup clean and easily using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw was a bit tight, but produces some really strong spice and cedar flavors with some natural tobacco mixed in.

First Smoke: The Undercrown Dogma starts out with a nice black pepper boom. I was surprised at just how quickly the pepper dropped out of the smoke. The rest of the flavor profile lead off with some real bold cedar, sweetness, cherry, tobacco, and spice. After about an inch the black pepper re-appeared, and would continue to poke its head in then dissipate. The draw is incredible. Every tiny puff kicks out massive clouds of thick shite smoke. The amount of smoke pouring out of this cigar as it rests in my ashtray is incredible. The burnline is a bit thick, but dead even leaving behind a very thick, tightly compacted white ash. The ash held on for an inch and a half before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: The pepper has completely faded from the experience in the second third of the Undercrown Dogma. What I have left is still a very bold cedar, some great sweetness, spice, black cherry, chocolate, and tobacco. The cherry and spice make for a really interesting combo and I tend to pick these two flavors quite often with the Undercrown and the Liga Privada No.9 blends. The retrohale is real spicy with sharp cedar notes and a ton of sweetness. I am not feeling any nicotine what so ever as I close out the second third with a flawless burnline.

Finish: It took me almost 2 hours to take down the Undercrown Dogma. The Undercrown series aren’t the quickest burning cigars, but this one took considerably longer to smoke down than the other formats I smoked. Some awesome floral flavors have started to creep their way into the flavor profile during the final third. Along with the floral was a ramp up in spice while the cedar and chocolate remained in the mix and the cherry and sweetness have dropped out. It’s been an interesting experience. The final inch finished clean and smooth with no harshness or heat built up. I am only feeling a very slight nicotine kick as I put the Dogma to rest.

Overview: I’ve always been a fan of the Undercrown Series. Being a Liga Privada fan, it’s a great little departure from the line that is easier on the budget and far more easy to find in shops around the world at any given time. When they added the Undercrown Viva to the line I was enthralled. A stronger Undercrown? Sold! And now, they offer it in a larger, longer boxpress form. I think it’s a wonderful cigar, with a great format. I do however think the Viva had more of this crazy sweetness that I don’t tend to get in any of the other Undercrowns. This sweetness is also picked up in the Dirty Rat. I had a conversation with Steve Saka about this in Nicaragua and he alluded to the Nicaraguan Viso that they use in those blends. Either way, it’s one of the main reason why I love those blends so much and for whatever reason I didn’t pick up nearly as much of it in the Dogma. It’s probably due to the wider format. Outside of that, this cigar still rocks. I’d probably choose it over the other Undercrown series with the exception of the Viva. The price is more than reasonable and the fact that they are offered in 10 count bundles make it an easy decision. I can see why these sold out so quickly, and highly encourage you to get your hands on them during their next batch.

Pairing: Want to see a perfect pairing? This is it. Founders KBS, or Kentucky Bourbon Stout is a Bourbon and Coffee flavored stout that is widely sought after by every beer enthusiast across the united states. It’s basically beer happiness in a bottle and by far one of the best stouts I have ever had in my life. Coming in at 11.2% ABV this heavy stout leads off with tons of bourbon, coffee, and chocolate with a ton of spice and cinnamon finishing off with a heavy cream and caramel. It basically tastes like Irish Cream in beer format. The spice, coffee, and chocolate paired up amazingly with the flavors in the Dogma, leaving a nice, creamy, bourbon overtone. I could drink and smoke this pairing all day.

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