The Fausto is one of the latest releases from Pete Johnson’s Tatuaje Brand. Based on the exclusive T110 (Thermonuclear) Blend, which was created for a brick and mortar shop in Hawaii a few years back. This cigar has been greatly anticipated by all the Tatuaje fans out there and likely fans of ultra spicy full-bodied smokes will find themselves really enjoying this cigar. The Fausto contains all strong Nicaraguan fillers (mostly ligero) from the Jalapa Valley and Esteli areas and is wrapped in a very dark Ecuadorian Habano Maduro wrapper. I’m smoking the Robusto Extra Size – (5 1/2 x 52) named the FT140.  As much as I want to hoard it away, a review is in order, so here goes…

The cigar is very dark in appearance, the Ecuadorian wrapper is very toothy and seems very tough and rugged.  The cigar is very well packed, no soft or hard spots and very well constructed, as most cigars that leave the My Father Factory. The dark spicy smoke gives me a little apprehension as I chose this for the first smoke of the day, but what the heck I’m a full body fan and hopefully this cigar is more then just power. The cold draw has a nice earthy taste with a bit of spice already tingling the back of my throat.

After lighting up I am greeting with copious amounts of spice. The initial retro hale puts almost too much spice through my nose, which I usually like but I may have to scale back a bit to start here. The draw in the sample I’ve received is very good, not too loose, not to tight. The burn is also very straight without much wavering at all. Luckily the cigar is not all spice, I’m starting to pick up some nice flavors that accompany the spicy finish.  The most prominent flavor next to the peppery spice would be a cocoa sweetness. This is one of my favorite combinations if it is done in a complimentary way, which the Fausto so far seems to be doing. The chewy smoke is very enjoyable as its spicy sweet qualities tingle my mouth slightly. My worry about the power of this cigar has been quickly squashed by the smoothness of the body. While packed with ligero, the cigar has a very elegant way of delivering the spice and power without being overpowering or overwhelming.  This cigar is approachable by anyone that enjoys Medium to Full or Full body cigars. 

As the cigar moves into the second third, the spice still tingles on my tongue on the finish, but overall the cigar has been tamed a bit. This sets the stage for a more balanced earthy taste; with the cocoa and coffee finish still hanging around. I’m actually getting a nutty flavor barely coming through that is interesting. The cigar remains very enjoyable throughout the second third, with the body slowly building.

In the last third the cigar is building back up in strength and spicy mouth feel.  The finish is very spicy, almost reminds me of the aftertaste of eating a spicy meal.  It ended very much the same way it started, similar flavors with more body, but never got bitter or harsh. Smoke time ended up being somewhere around an hour and a half. While the body and finish of the cigar was full and spicy, the cigar itself was not a huge Nicotine bomb. I definitely felt it a bit after the Fausto was finished. Overall this is a great, full-bodied treat. For you guys out there that love a true full body, spicy smoke with depth of flavor this is going to be right up your alley. Tatuaje’s loyal fans are going to love this one, not only the fact that it’s a limited release turned full-production, but it’s a great go-to smoke when your reaching into your humidor for a nice strong smoke.

Keep on smokin!

-GC

UPDATE: These are now in stock and can be purchased here: Tatuaje Fausto Cigars