Vitola: Cazadores- 6.375” x 43 ring gauge
- MSRP $90, set of 10 cigars
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
In 2016, Tatuaje released the first Skinny Monsters collection, 10 Petite Lanceros in the blends released in the full-size Monsters that had come out to that point, plus the two that had debuted in the Pudgy Monster collection. The set included Frank, Drac, Face, Wolf, Mummy, Jason, Jekyll, Hyde, Chuck and Tiff. 2017 saw the release of two new sets of the same blends, a Lancero Edition that featured full-size Lanceros, and a Cazadores edition, featuring the Lonsdale vitola made popular in the original Brown Label release.
While the original Little Monsters and Pudgy Monsters collections had a set number made and were discontinued after those numbers were sold, Skinny Monsters seem to be a limited production, regular release in all three versions.
I picked up a box of the Skinny Monsters Cazadores Edition and decided to evaluate it a couple cigars at a time here on these pages—backwards, because…why not? And also, I believe the Frank will probably be the best stick in the bunch, so I want to save it for last.
Both Small Batch Cigars and Cigar and Pipes have the collection listed on their pages, though they are both out of stock as of this writing.
Jekyll
Jekyll and Hyde are the two Monster releases that most naturally go together as the names represent two halves of the same being from The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson…and, of course, the countless screen appearances of those characters. Dr Jekyll is the human mad scientist character who unleashes his animalistic side—Mr Hyde—through chemical experimentations.
As far as Tatuajes go, this is the first time that a Monster release—or any Tatuaje-branded cigar, as far as I can recall—used Sancti Spiritus leaf in any capacity (for the wrapper here). This is a leaf that is most associated with Tatuaje’s “brother brand,” Latelier Imports, where it is used in every blend as part of what sets the brand apart.
I found it medium-bodied with hay and citrus notes, but a moderate amount of earth and spice from the Nicaraguan leaf. Toned down overall from what you would expect from a Tatuaje—and especially a “Monster”—but still very flavorful.
Hyde
The more monstrous side of this duo of cigars is the Hyde, which features an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over Nicaraguan filler and binder leaves. As I recall, I did not much enjoy the full size version of the Hyde, but I this Cazadores Skinny Monsters iteration was better…whether that be due to differences in smoking experience or evolution of my own palate.
I got what I typically get from Sumatra wrapper here…a faint metallic note…along with some cinnamon heat, earth and cedar. It was medium-plus in body and good, but I still struggled to call it “great,” at least not for me. In the end, I would smoke it again, but I can’t say I would seek it out to do so.
