Great smoke to start of my birthday mofos!
Tatuaje Boris (Frank out of Costume)
Released 2009
7 1/8 x 49 Churchill
Wrapper - Ecuadorian Sumatra Rosado
Cold draw was really unique, but I could not put my finger on the flavor I was experiencing. Beautiful, Smooth wrapper with a nice oil sheen. The band slides right off.
First light I get strong flavors of aged tobacco.. A few puffs in and I can tell Boris is going to be a good ol' friend to me. A nutty retro gives way to a sharp lemon zing on the finish. I give this cigar another inch or so before it begins settling into it's body and starts to really paint me a picture. The burn line is gorgeous George and smoke production like cumulus clouds blowing by. Very sweet...but not like natural sugar...sweet like a sour patch. This thing smokes like a dream. I'd like to see this stick build a creamy backbone. Right now it's walking the middle of the medium/medium road. We are just getting started though...earth, wood, aged tobacco, lemon, there's a hint of creaminess in the background...on and off peppery retro. This cigar reminds me very much of the '14 Illusione MC SLAM Cigars Prive....except for the lemony twang on the finish.
I'm ending the first round and as I was hoping, a creaminess is building like a storm front in the far distance moving into the valley. I'm enjoying everything about this blend but the tangy finish is yet to fully gain my affection. When you put lil' Boris side by side with this full size blend, you get two very different cigars IMO. Both delighting in their own ways. The second act is bringing a good dose of spice through the nostrils. I like my spice like I like my woman...bold and heavy on the top end. The strength is starting to catch up, drifting in the coat tales of a high powered pepper exhaust. I'd put it at the higher end of medium. I am so thankful to get the once in a lifetime opportunity to smoke this rarity and it isn't disappointing. The burn got a little wonky while typing but she'll clean herself up nice here in a minute. The smoke is getting dry and spicy, like a shot of liquor that makes ya show your teeth. The pepper on the retro makes my eyes water like when Rudy gets to play in the last seconds of the game....."Go RUDY!" And out of nowhere the smoke calms down to a smooth retro but it must have been the dragon drawing its breath because after the next retro, I'm wondering if I still have eyebrows..
Biting away at the end of the second the milky draw weaves its way through the dragons breath and settles somewhere in the middle of heaven and hell.. Ha ha! There's a club soda appeal to the smoke. Fizzy and dry. I can feel the N kicking in like the warm that gives way to expose a tingling buzz after a nice shooter (or three..) of whiskey. The smoke tastes like one of those square chocolate after dinner mints (that I have no idea as to what they're called) and is carried along by the strong peppery finish. The blend is very familiar yet unique all in it's own. The strength is satisfyingly filling if you've got an appetite for N. The final third brings a spice and pepper assault on the senses no matter how little the pull. I could be eating wasabi peas for all I know..
The end is near.... I hope this review gives you a memorable view into Pete Johnson's artistic creation that is Boris, in honor of The original Frankenstein, Boris Karloff. Both distant classics and both enjoyed in fond memory of Mary Shelly...who without, we would have neither. Here's to you Mary and my hat is off to as well Pete!
Final thoughts: Boris tells a wonderful story. The flavors, body and strength flood down the cigar to its nub, making for a delicious stick that was a lot of fun to smoke and review. Oh and the spice and pepper in the final third was enough to makes your brain sizzle...zing! Tasty and cool, all the way down to the fingertips.
Smoke time: 2hr
Score:
Overall Appearance and Presentation: 20/20
Lighting and Burning Properties: 13/15
Construction Properties: 30/30
Taste Properties: 30/35
Total: 93/100
