Tatuaje Boris Karloff is named after the actor who played the monster in the 1931 film Frankenstein.
What do you do when you run of of monsters from the critically acclaimed Monster series? You start releasing cigars with the names of the actor that played them. This is something that has been a discussion for a long time with Pete mentioning in the late 2000s that he would like to create a line called the Actors Series after the actors who played the Monsters in perhaps the most popular limited edition series in the history of cigars. The first Monster released was The Frank, so it is only fitting that Boris Karloff gets the nod as the first Actor Series. Whether or not this turns into a ongoing series is unknown but highly unlikely due to licensing.
The company had released a cigar in 2020 called the Karloff and they released a cigar called Boris for Corona Cigar in 2010. This blend is said to be based on those two cigars.
On a side note with my last name being Stein, I always wanted a son to name Frank Nathaniel so he would be Frank N. Stein, but sadly that never happened.
Cigar Review: Tatuaje Boris Karloff
Size: 5 5/8 x 49
Wrapper: Ecuador Sumatra
Binder: Nicaragua (Dual Binder)
Fillers: Nicaragua
Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
Release Date: January 2025
Production: Limited (1,000 Boxes)
Box Count: 20
The Cigar: Personally I think it would of been cool if the band was the reverse colors of The Frank but Tatuaje opted for silver and white. The Ecuador Sumatra wrapper is dark and oily with a fair amount of veins present and a closed foot. Under the fingers the wrapper feels silky and there are no voids of tobacco in the roll though the cigar does feel a bit light.
The Taste: As expected the cold draw is tight with the closed foot but there is a definitive fudge and fig present with some subtle white pepper. The aroma from the wrapper is almost non existent but there was enough on the draw of have me intrigued. Instead of toasting the foot we keep the flame from the foot and gently pull on the cigar so the initial taste is that of the wrapper. The draw quickly opens up with notes of cedar and fudge before giving way to a blast of pepper.
As we smoke the first third the cigar the black pepper slowly pulls back revealing notes of mocha, rye and cedar making for a delicious combination. It’s not often I comment about smoke production, but the Boris Karloff has the perfect amount of smoke. It’s enough to blow rings, but not so much as to overpower a room. The retrohale serves up peanuts to start, finishing up with black peppercorns. As the first third comes to a close mocha becomes the focal point.
In the second third some of the sweetness begins to fade as notes of leather begin to emerge with hints of hay and the occasional cinnamon component. As we cross over the halfway point the leather notes pull back some on the palate as espresso notes are introduced with some subtle nutmeg. The retrohale serves up nutmeg with continued black peppercorns and leather on the finish.
The final third sees notes of espresso become dominant with leather in the background and some peanuts. Every few puffs some cinnamon appears but more as an afterthought than being in your face. After we remove the band and smoke past it the cigar becomes heavy on leather notes with an abundance of black pepper both of which are enhanced on the retrohale.
Conclusion: I feel like the Tatuaje Monster Series when released in 2008 changed the cigar industry forever. The release of the Boris Karloff keeps that release fresh, but at the same time I feel like I smoke more Tatuaje Limited Edition smokes then the regular production line. This could be detrimental to a company long term. My local cigar shop sold the Boris Karloff in a 3 pack with two Tatuaje TAA releases but I think the power move would have been to package the cigars with some regular releases as well.
The Boris Karloff is a tasty cigar that has solid construction and a complex flavor profile that makes it a solid edition to the humidor and something definitely worth chasing.
Score: 93
Price: $15.00 (Before any local or state taxes)
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