Pete Johnson of Tatuaje prereleased the Fausto T114 at Federal Cigar 91st Anniversary Cigar Event in Plaistow this past weekend.  The T114 will be officially released later this year probably around April.  The Fausto blend originated from the T110, which was a limited production release for a store in Hawai a few years back. The T in T110 stands for “Thermonuclear” and the 110 stands for the length in millimeters.  So, since the T110 was last produced in 2009, the T114 is the closest size made.

 The Regular Production Fausto blend comes in 4 regular production sizes:

T127 Robusto 5 x 54

T140 Robusto Extra 5.5 x 52

T153 Toro 6 x 50

T166 Short Churchill 6.5 x 48

 

 

3/20/2012

Tatuaje Fausto T114 Review (First Impression)

Wrapper:  Ecuadorian Habano

Binder/Filler:  Nicaraguan

Size:  4.5 x 52

Vitola:  Petite Robusto

MSRP:  $8.00 ($80 for box of 10)

Location:  Backyard

Smoke Time:  1hr 35min

Drink:  Coffee/Water

Construction/Appearance:

• The wrapper is very toothy with some prominent veins and a rugged cap on the head
• Both cigars had some water spots but is attractive and appealing
• The T114 has some good weight, feels well rolled and easily passes the squeeze test
• Cigar doesn’t feel or appear wet and the wrapper has a medium dark richness to it
• The band is red and green on a white background with “Tatuaje” written in black (band came off very easily which is very good in my book)

Burn/Draw:

• The cut across the head was clean and the cold draw feels good
• I lit the cigar with matches and the T114 readily accepted the flame
• Burn was occasionally wavy though tolerable without needing corrections
• Smoke was above average and was wisked away with the breeze
• Ash has a medium grey tone lasting about one inch or so
• The draw was full, firm and probably ideal for a cigar of this size

Flavor/Aroma:

• Wrapper was of cedar and spice and foot reminded me of espresso, and jalapeno mixed in with dark chocolate
• The initial draw brought an immediate tingling sensation on the lips and tongue dominated by pepper
• Strength of the pepper in the first third is evident masking some of the more subtle flavor notes like nuts and leather
• Tremendous amount of pepper on the retrohale
• The second third is much more balanced tasting chocolate on the inhale and nuts, oak and pepper on the finish
• Pepper in the final third is dominating again and spacing out the draws helps bring out the jalapeno dark chocolate notes

Final Thoughts:

• I feel the T114 is second to the T110 in terms of strength most likely due to the size
• This is probably an ideal vitola considering the amount of pepper that is present
• The price point of $8.00 is fair since the smoke also lasted over 1.5 hours for me
• I believe the T114 will smoke much better with 1 year of rest
• If you enjoy the Fausto line and love pepper, the T114 falls under “highly recommended”