Originally released as a 4 x 50 Petit Robusto in June 2014 as part of the Pudgy Monsters box, the full size Chuck wasn’t released until October 2019 as a 5 ⅞ x 52. In this Monster Mash series it follows Frank, Wolf, Drac, Face, Mummy, Jason, Jekyll, Hyde, Kreuger, and Michael as the 11th Monster. The Chuck is an interesting Monster for the series as it’s introduction to line first came in 2014 as part of the Pudgy Monsters set. It wasn’t until 2019 that the world would see a full sized Chuck. Released alongside Chuck in both 2014 and 2019, fittingly, was the Tiff. In fact, the full size releases of 2019 came in interlocking boxes, one blue and one white, both with unfinished puzzle portraits of their namesakes. This was an interesting and unique method of release for the Monster series, and I think it may contribute to the seemingly lackluster fanfare I personally see regarding these two Monsters.
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Vitola: 4 ⅜ x 52 Petit Robusto
Release Date: September 2021
Company Website: https://www.tatuajecigars.com/
Expectations
For this cigar I am anticipating a lot of wood, pepper, earth, and leather. I am hoping some dark fruit sweetness and maybe coffee notes will make an appearance. I had poor experiences with the couple full size Chucks I smoked. They were harsh and acrid with an annoyingly drying effect on my palate. I don’t really expect that from this Monster Mash Chuck, but it’s got me a bit less excited for this cigar than I’ve been for most of these.
Prelight Characteristics
This short Robusto is very firm and dense. The wrapper is quite textured like a slightly rough leather. I’m not crazy about the band color combinations. It’s too blue and red but I get the reference. The cigar smells like tobacco, cedar, and earth. The cold draw is faint, but I get some dark chocolate and raisins.
First Third
First light is medium bodied,full flavored smoke that has a very distinct Ritz Cracker note for a moment. It quickly becomes a general breadiness with sweet earth, pepper, and a touch of leather. The body is quickly up to full with the flavor. The retrohale is reminiscent of Red Hots Candy with a woody finish. About a half inch in and the flavor has dropped down to medium full and is almost like a musty herb, wood, faint sweetness, and earth. The draw and performance have been great. The first third comes to a close with an increase in sweetness and earth.
Flavor -2.75/4
Performance - 3/3
Experience - 2.25/3
Overall - 8/10
Second Third
Some wood and pepper are becoming more prominent as I get into the second third. The sweet earth is still present on the finish. The retrohale still has that Red Hots note, but there’s more wood. Hitting halfway there’s a little bit of cocoa joining the wood. The pepper has eased up a touch. Reaching the end of this third the performance has remained flawless. The pepper is coming back up and the wood has a drying quality to it. The sweet earth has also maintained its level.
Flavor - 2.25/4
Performance - 3/3
Experience - 2/3
Overall - 7.25/10
Final Third
Quickly into the final third it is struggling to burn and almost goes out. The more frequent puffs bring in a tannic note and add a little harshness to the pepper. The harshness, fortunately, dissipated fairly quickly. It is still woody, peppery, and earthy with some sweetness. The retrohale has a strong pepper sting and an earthy finish. The pepper is burning out the tongue a touch. There is a dark fruit sweetness becoming noticeable on the finish. Coming to an end, the cigar has remained unchanged from the last flavor notes. The performance has been good besides that moment of burn trouble. The strength is up to around medium to medium-full.
Flavor - 2/4
Performance - 1.5/3
Experience - /1.5/3
Overall - 5/10
Overall Experience
The final smoking time on this Short Robusto was a surprising hour and 40 minutes. It was a solid cigar and a much better experience than the full sized Chuck. I was sweating it a bit when I ran into the issues at the beginning of the final third. I was worried that the final third would wreck the whole experience. However, the cigar saved itself for the most part. Overall the profile was a bit one dimensional, but it was a solid dimension with a general profile I do enjoy and expect from a cigar with this blend information, and particularly from Tatuaje. Looking back at the scoring for each third and the overall score, I think they sum up the experience quite well. The first third showed the most character for me in terms of flavor, the second third had a lot to enjoy but with fewer interesting flavor notes, and the final third was an average experience.
Final Score - 6.75/10
This Monster Mash box was purchased by me through UpDown Cigar in Chicago. Feel free to reach out to me with questions, concerns, criticisms, or just to talk at @guitarsandcigarsfarm on Instagram, or via email at trevor@whiskeyandwhitetails.com.