Leasons learned from the Month of Monsters

October has recently passed us by. While October is known for many things, like Halloween and my Cincinnati Bengals being undefeated, it is also known for the annual release of Tatuaje's Monster series. I read a thread elsewhere called Month of the Monsters to celebrate this release and the poster got the thread started by a very simple but thought provocing line - "Bust out them Monsters, boys!".

A year ago I had never even heard of Tatuaje (before my life on cigar forums) let alone the Monster series. I bought 3 full size earlier this year from @jp1979 to try them out (Jekyll, Jason, Mummy) and I was instantly hooked. I loved those 3 smokes. I went on an all-out search for Monsters. Any and all Monsters. Full-size, Pudgy, or Little. I was able to pick up some of everything with the exception of any full-size Frank. But due to the limited nature of these cigars, how much effort I spent finding them, and frankly how much these things costs, I was finding myself to be timid about actually smoking them. Then that thread kicks me in the butt and says to bust them out.

So I set out on a journey to actually smoke the cigars I had been buying. In my humble opinion (learned through this process), cigars are meant to be smoked, not collected or hoarding. I won't say I was exactly collecting or hoarding my Monsters, but I certainly wasn't smoking very many of them. Many thanks to 3/5King for impacting me in a huge way without even knowing it. Thank you sir!

I decided I wanted to smoke 31 Monsters during the month of October, the #MonthofMonsters. I ended up smoking 32 during October. Some full-size, some Pudgy, some Little. It was interesting to be smoking different versions of the same cigars that had been aged different lengths of time. I think I'll do a series of posts inside this thread with some lessons learned and thoughts on the Monsters as I compared and contrasted them.

To start with, I'll discuss my experience with the Full-Size Monsters. During October I smoked at least one full size Drac, Face, Wolf, Mummy, Jason and Jekyll. I didn't have any full-size Frank so I didn't smoke one and while I meant to smoke a Hyde on Halloween evening my plans fell through. Here is my first observation about the full-size Monsters - not sure if this will be controversial or not. For me it was ground breaking and somewhat freeing as it relates to future purchases of them.

Observation: The full-size Drac, Face and Wolf (for me) aren't worth smoking. Flat out, I didn't enjoy them. They weren't very good. Now, I'm not saying they weren't good at one point in time. Matter of fact, Face is my favorite Pudgy and Drac is my favorite Little. But time has not treated these full-size versions well. The flavors were muted. It was disappointing to say the least. Now, if you happen to like these full-size smokes now, I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just saying they didn't do it for me. Especially when to obtain a full size Drac it's about $30, Face $25, and Wolf $20. Matter of fact, I ended up selling my left over full-size Drac, Face and Wolf after October was over.

If I had to rank the full size Monsters as of today I'd say:

1. Jason (far and away my favorite full size)
2. Mummy
3. Jekyll
4. Face
5. Drac
6. Wolf

Note: I haven't smoked the Frank and don't know where it'd fit. Also, I haven't gotten around to smoking a Hyde yet but I'm hearing/reading good things about it so far. Most people seem to think it's better than the Jekyll.

To me the full-size monsters are interesting. They are very long, so you need at least 1 hour 45 minutes to smoke, so for me it doesn't make a lot of sense to keep a huge amount on hand anyway of the older ones (Jason, Mummy). However based on my existing inventory, I believe the only full-size I'd personally consider buying in the future is the Jason. I've got enough of the Jekyll and Hyde to last for a while. I enjoy the Mummy a lot but this makes me wonder if I should smoke all of my full-size Mummy now while I know I like them. Smoke them before they turn boring like Drac, Face and Wolf.

Anyway, I'll post some other thoughts in this thread over this month. The #MonthofMonsters was a lot of fun and heck even earned me a badge here! And I'm glad my cigars got enjoyed for their ultimate purpose - to be smoked!

Awesome post and an impressive accomplishment!

Awesome thread and post. I'm gonna keep following this. For me personally, the full size are just to large and take more time than I want to dedicate at one sitting. I'm more of a pudgy and little monster fan. I do look forward to reading your findings though. I watched through Oct as you and a couple others were burn'n them up...

Reno

So were you smoking 1 every day during October, or were there days that you smoked several?

Cause if you were able to smoke a cigar every day for a month, I'd be impressed. I'm lucky if I can smoke 1 or 2 a week.

This thread is very interesting. One thing you do have to take into account is the face and wolf are 1 and 2 years older in fullsize than they are in the little box. and even older in the pudgy obviously. Everything ages differently. I will be interested to see how much more you like the wolf and face in little and pudgy size( very different from one marca to the other)

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Originally Posted by Rocket Scientologist

So were you smoking 1 every day during October, or were there days that you smoked several?

Cause if you were able to smoke a cigar every day for a month, I'd be impressed. I'm lucky if I can smoke 1 or 2 a week.

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Not 1 a day for me. If I remember correctly, I didn't start until October 2nd or 3rd. Some days would have 1, some none. A few days I was able to have 2 or 3 in a day.

DogRockets inspired....lol. Burnin a pudgy wolf.

Reno

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...psgx2bjlxg.jpg

For those who didn't notice, @Nature made an award for this feat and Jeremy is the first recipient. Anyone else who can pull it off, go for it there's an award for it now. ;)

Very cool thread!

Interesting. Face was my favorite by far (considering I smoked about six boxes worth) but I ran out and haven't had one in probably 18 months.

All I know is that I thought they were phenomenal, and it was taking me over 3 hours to smoke them so it was always a committment.

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Originally Posted by AndyCAYP

Interesting. Face was my favorite by far (considering I smoked about six boxes worth) but I ran out and haven't had one in probably 18 months.

All I know is that I thought they were phenomenal, and it was taking me over 3 hours to smoke them so it was always a committment.

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I would have loved to had one 2 years ago. Face is my favorite Pudgy and I was super pumped to smoke the full size. Was totally and completely crushed!

Bravo for your October experiment. Brilliant! Like you, I have fallen in love with Tats. Definitely my favorite NC overall. I have very limited experience with the Monsters though. I bought a Pudgy box last year along with a box Of Jekylls. Bought a box of Hydes this year. Other than that I have never had any of the others. And with the insane cost of old ones I most likely never will. My main concern with purchasing old Monsters is that they will be well past their prime. Which you just basically confirmed for me. Doesn't seem like they age well. I still have half the box of Jekylls and havn't had one in awhile. I wonder if they have gone flat as well. This brings up the issue I also have of holding on to stuff instead of smoking it when it is fresh.

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Originally Posted by projectsunfire

Bravo for your October experiment. Brilliant! Like you, I have fallen in love with Tats. Definitely my favorite NC overall. I have very limited experience with the Monsters though. I bought a Pudgy box last year along with a box Of Jekylls. Bought a box of Hydes this year. Other than that I have never had any of the others. And with the insane cost of old ones I most likely never will. My main concern with purchasing old Monsters is that they will be well past their prime. Which you just basically confirmed for me. Doesn't seem like they age well. I still have half the box of Jekylls and havn't had one in awhile. I wonder if they have gone flat as well. This brings up the issue I also have of holding on to stuff instead of smoking it when it is fresh.

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As Jeremy/DogRockets said, it's quite possible that these were just flat to him. It's also possible that smoking a cigar a day attributed to him missing some of the nuance - maybe his tastebuds just needed a bit of extra time to rebound.

Personally, I feel that most of Pete's cigars need extra rest. I've got the brown labels in a rotation where I'm just getting to cigars that have been sitting for three or four years, and that's only because I absolutely love what happens to them with that little bit of extra waiting. They become sweet, way more sweet than when fresh, and that adds an extra layer of intrigue to me.

The thing about this is that to your tastes you may prefer the cigars fresh, but there's definitely someone out there who doesn't. If you come across something that you feel has lost its edge and you don't like where it's headed, it's just started to get tasty for someone else. And if it happens to be a small batch cigar, you won't lose any money if you decide to pass it on to someone who appreciates it for where it is now.

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Originally Posted by AndyCAYP

As Jeremy/DogRockets said, it's quite possible that these were just flat to him. It's also possible that smoking a cigar a day attributed to him missing some of the nuance - maybe his tastebuds just needed a bit of extra time to rebound.

Personally, I feel that most of Pete's cigars need extra rest. I've got the brown labels in a rotation where I'm just getting to cigars that have been sitting for three or four years, and that's only because I absolutely love what happens to them with that little bit of extra waiting. They become sweet, way more sweet than when fresh, and that adds an extra layer of intrigue to me.

The thing about this is that to your tastes you may prefer the cigars fresh, but there's definitely someone out there who doesn't. If you come across something that you feel has lost its edge and you don't like where it's headed, it's just started to get tasty for someone else. And if it happens to be a small batch cigar, you won't lose any money if you decide to pass it on to someone who appreciates it for where it is now.

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I smoke a cigar a day on the average so maybe my palette is not as sharp as others. But I am all about aging my stash. I smoke mostly CC's and buy far more of those than I can smoke so I always have the majority in the aging process. I have found that most Tats, LP's, Padrons, etc are better with less rest on them. And I mean less than a year. Most NC's I have found smoke better fresh. Some are better young when they still have the zing to them. Others are better with a few months on them. Of course their are always exceptions & the kicker here is that this is merely my opinion only which is why this hobby is so great. Your mileage may vary. I sure know mine does

So are you saying that I caused your downward spiral?

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Originally Posted by jp1979

So are you saying that I caused your downward spiral?

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Justin, EVERYTHING is Horseshoe's fault. Every body knows?

Awesome stuff :) I've yet to try a Monster, full or pudgy or little :( I almost got a box of Little Monsters, but just didn't get around to it. And the same happened this year. Ugh.

Our experiences have definitely been a bit different. The oldest monster I smoked this past month was a full size Mummy but I thought it had aged wonderfully. IMO I think the majority of Tatuaje lines actually smoke better with a few years on them. @AndyCAYP makes a good point, I think the profiles just went in a direction over time that wasn't in line with your tastes.

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Originally Posted by HIM

Our experiences have definitely been a bit different. The oldest monster I smoked this past month was a full size Mummy but I thought it had aged wonderfully. IMO I think the majority of Tatuaje lines actually smoke better with a few years on them. @AndyCAYP makes a good point, I think the profiles just went in a direction over time that wasn't in line with your tastes.

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Or he's just ruined his palate on Gurkhas...

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Originally Posted by Billb1960

Or he's just ruined his palate on Gurkhas...

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It may have something to do with the packing materials in his ashtray. Poor boys sense of smell got all distorted!

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Originally Posted by Billb1960

Or he's just ruined his palate on Gurkhas...

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Wow, plural, I figured 1 was enough to ruin a palate.

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Originally Posted by Elco69

Wow, plural, I figured 1 was enough to ruin a palate.

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Oh no, Jeremy is a career Gurkha smoker

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Originally Posted by Billb1960

Oh no, Jeremy is a career Gurkha smoker

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Perhaps I'll light one up tonight! Haven't had one since September!

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Originally Posted by Billb1960

Oh no, Jeremy is a career Gurkha smoker

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:loco:

- - - Updated - - -

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Originally Posted by DogRockets

Perhaps I'll light one up tonight! Haven't had one since September!

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That's a good thing sir! I challenge you to hold off at least another 10 months, see if you can make until September 2016 w/o a Ghurka.

We know why they call him the Gurkha Monster, and Im pretty sure I know what he's up to tonight!
http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/...pscr2gum1b.jpg

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Originally Posted by AlanS

We know why they call him the Gurkha Monster, and Im pretty sure I know what he's up to tonight!
http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/...pscr2gum1b.jpg

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Didn't know they did Gurkha events. I though B&M's do events to make money and draw in crowds to promote a brand and not scare them away. Let's see, I can go to Universal Holloween Horror Nights or to a Gurkha Cigar Event, not sure which is scarier.....lol

I am just joking, to all one of you who enjoy Gurkhas "Like what you smoke and smoke what you like."

My opening post discussed the lessons learned regarding the full-size version of the Monsters. Today I wanted to turn my attention to the Pudgy Monster versions. I smoked a full box of the Pudgy during the #MonthofMonsters and multiples of most of them as well.

For those of you not aware, the Pudgy Monsters were released in 2014 and 8 different cigars were included in the sampler box, 10 cigars in total. Frank, Drac, Face, Wolf, Mummy and Jason were included along with 2 new Monsters Chuck and Tiff. There were 2 each of the Chuck and Tiff. For the 6 returning Monsters, the cigars were the same ring gauge of the full-size Monster and the same length of the Little Monsters that came out in 2012.

I believe there were 20,000 boxes of these produced. MSRP was/is $95 but you can still find them on the market for lower amounts now. Matter of fact, I picked up a Pudgy box just this last week on cbid for $70 (and there are more Pudgy boxes on cbid now too, current bid was $67 when I looked this morning - here is the link Tatuaje Pudgy Monster Sampler Box - 10 Cigars (#2155624) - CigarBid.com). There are a few retailers who I have seen will sell singles of Pudgy monsters and I have been a great customer of theirs this summer/fall. To my knowledge, only New Havana Cigars still has singles available (New Havana Cigars - the Online Humidor) and only of Tiff, Chuck and Mummy. If anyone knows of a vendor still selling singlesof the others please let me know!

As of this writing, there are 2 Pudgy that I think need more age before they will really hit their prime. The Drac and Mummy are the 2 that I am going to sit on for about 1 or 2 more years before smoking again. The Little Drac is smoking as good as any cigar I've ever had and that is 2 years older than the Pudgy. The Mummy full-size are smoking great as well, and that is 1 year older than the Pudgy. The other 6 are good to smoke now.

If I had to rank them today in terms of favorite to least (based on how they are currently smoking) I would say:

1. Face
2. Frank (I always smoke this with a hot cup of Cafe Au Lait, complements it very well)
3. Jason
4. Wolf
5. Chuck
6. Drac
7. Mummy
8. Tiff

If I were to order them based on how I hope/anticipate the Drac and Mummy to come along in 1 or 2 years I'd say:

1. Drac
2. Face
3. Frank
4. Jason
5. Mummy
6. Wolf
7. Chuck
8. Tiff

I'm glad a few retailers began to break up the boxes and sell singles of the Pudgy series. I was able to purchase the ones I really like in quantities I've wanted. I haven't had to purchase full boxes to get access to my 2 or 3 favorites. Though it doesn't seem like there will be much future opportunity as I've got to believe the 20,000 boxes are about sold out by now.

If you haven't tried the Pudgy Monsters yet and you can find a box for $85 or under, try them out. I can't say that I'd personally pay full MSRP of $95 for them. If you like any of the singles and find a vendor who will break up boxes for you, order them fast and give them a kiss. The Frank and Jason sell out first from what I've seen. Since there are 2 Chuck and Tiff per box and they seem to be the least popular overall, those seem to hang around the longest.

Don't wait until next October to smoke your Pudgy. Smoke them now!

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Originally Posted by DogRockets

My opening post discussed the lessons learned regarding the full-size version of the Monsters. Today I wanted to turn my attention to the Pudgy Monster versions. I smoked a full box of the Pudgy during the #MonthofMonsters and multiples of most of them as well.

For those of you not aware, the Pudgy Monsters were released in 2014 and 8 different cigars were included in the sampler box, 10 cigars in total. Frank, Drac, Face, Wolf, Mummy and Jason were included along with 2 new Monsters Chuck and Tiff. There were 2 each of the Chuck and Tiff. For the 6 returning Monsters, the cigars were the same ring gauge of the full-size Monster and the same length of the Little Monsters that came out in 2012.

I believe there were 20,000 boxes of these produced. MSRP was/is $95 but you can still find them on the market for lower amounts now. Matter of fact, I picked up a Pudgy box just this last week on cbid for $70 (and there are more Pudgy boxes on cbid now too, current bid was $67 when I looked this morning - here is the link Tatuaje Pudgy Monster Sampler Box - 10 Cigars (#2155624) - CigarBid.com). There are a few retailers who I have seen will sell singles of Pudgy monsters and I have been a great customer of theirs this summer/fall. To my knowledge, only New Havana Cigars still has singles available (New Havana Cigars - the Online Humidor) and only of Tiff, Chuck and Mummy. If anyone knows of a vendor still selling singlesof the others please let me know!

As of this writing, there are 2 Pudgy that I think need more age before they will really hit their prime. The Drac and Mummy are the 2 that I am going to sit on for about 1 or 2 more years before smoking again. The Little Drac is smoking as good as any cigar I've ever had and that is 2 years older than the Pudgy. The Mummy full-size are smoking great as well, and that is 1 year older than the Pudgy. The other 6 are good to smoke now.

If I had to rank them today in terms of favorite to least (based on how they are currently smoking) I would say:

1. Face
2. Frank (I always smoke this with a hot cup of Cafe Au Lait, complements it very well)
3. Jason
4. Wolf
5. Chuck
6. Drac
7. Mummy
8. Tiff

If I were to order them based on how I hope/anticipate the Drac and Mummy to come along in 1 or 2 years I'd say:

1. Drac
2. Face
3. Frank
4. Jason
5. Mummy
6. Wolf
7. Chuck
8. Tiff

I'm glad a few retailers began to break up the boxes and sell singles of the Pudgy series. I was able to purchase the ones I really like in quantities I've wanted. I haven't had to purchase full boxes to get access to my 2 or 3 favorites. Though it doesn't seem like there will be much future opportunity as I've got to believe the 20,000 boxes are about sold out by now.

If you haven't tried the Pudgy Monsters yet and you can find a box for $85 or under, try them out. I can't say that I'd personally pay full MSRP of $95 for them. If you like any of the singles and find a vendor who will break up boxes for you, order them fast and give them a kiss. The Frank and Jason sell out first from what I've seen. Since there are 2 Chuck and Tiff per box and they seem to be the least popular overall, those seem to hang around the longest.

Don't wait until next October to smoke your Pudgy. Smoke them now!

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Thanks Sir Dog Rockets AKA Monster Bum for a enjoyable read, a gold star day for you.