The Fausto is available in 4 sizes; FT127 – 5 x 54 (MSRP: $8.00), FT140 – 5.5 x 52 (MSRP: $8.25), FT153 – 6 x 50 (MSRP: $8.50), and the FT166 – 6.5 x 48 (MSRP: $8.75).

The advertising for Fausto says, “This one goes to 11″ with a dial that goes beyond the standard number ten. So with a big dinner in my belly, I reach for my Fausto and offer my thoughts…

Cigar: Fausto
Size: 5 x 54 (F124 )
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Full
Cigars Smoked For Review: 2

Fausto

Appearance and Construction: The Tatuaje Fausto has a nice dark Habano wrapper from Ecuador that has a few veins and subtle amounts of essential oils showing out of the humidor. In the hand there is a silk like feel to the cigar and a subtle amount of tooth as well. There are no soft spots, a firm foot and a nice weight to the cigar. The band is red and black with the words Fausto above a black dot that appears to have a slightly raised iron cross in it. Underneath it states Esteli. The band has a Cuban feel to it which isn’t a surprise as Pete Johnson is a collector of Cuban bands.

Fausto Foot

Flavor & Notes: I wanted to cut the cigar with a punch to limit the intake on this strong cigar but both times I lit one up I couldn’t find it. I opted for a straight cut of a narrow variety. I find if a cigar is strong, sometimes you can help offset it by limiting the smoke intake. The foot of the cigar serves up notes of spice that reminds me of wasabi. The cold draw has some sweetness to it, but when resting the cigar between the lips there is a slight tingling sensation. Once the cigar is lit the onslaught of spice begins, but it is not the most potent I’ve ever smoked. Beneath the peppery spice there is some subtle sweetness before being joined by some hearty wood notes at the end of the first third. In the second third the spice remains but it’s a little more subtle than in the first third. There is some wood and leather in the mix as well. The last third of the cigar the strength was there, and the spice kicked it up a notch but the primary note was a strong cuban style coffee with a touch of dark chocolate and an earthy finish.

Fausto 1st Third

Smoking Characteristics: The Fausto starts off in your face with a an amazing amount of spice and slows down only to slowly work its way back to an ass kicking finish. The burn of the cigar was pretty even throughout with a solid light ash that held for a third at a time. The draw was ideal and didn’t need to be re lit. The aroma of the spice has a spicy kick as well.

Fausto Second Third

Conclusion: Numerous times I heard the cigar referred to as the T110 blend. Then many times I heard it was based on the T110. My memory tells me the T110 was more of a spice bomb from start to finish then the Fausto. If you are expecting the T110 you could be disappointed until the last third when the similarities are uncanny. That being said the Fausto delivers if you are looking for a powerful cigar with spice and flavor.

The End!

Rating: 89
Price: $8.00 ($180 box/25 @ Atlantic Cigars)

Tatuaje T110

Today’s smoke is the first cigar I have taken a picture of with my new HTC Hero phone. The phone has a 5 mega pixel camera but it still came out a little grainy. I guess I have to play around with it, but it is better then the web-cam I was using in my friends store. I was gifted today’s smoke by two people. One was Tony from smokescore.com and the other was Joe aka jitzy8585 who is cigar aficionado that can be found on various cigar boards and on twitter.

The Tatuaje T110 is a rare cigar with only 200 boxes being made for 1 store in Hawaii. The Tatuaje T110 is a pure ligero smoke that is made in Nicaragua. Despite the fact that the majority of the readers will never smoke one I decided review it anyway and I hope no one minds my self indulgence in doing so.

Cigar: Tatuaje T110
Size: 4.5 x 52 (T110/Short Robusto)
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Full

Appearance and Construction (19/20): The T110 features a gorgeous looking oily wrapper that is totally flawless. The stems are virtually non existent making this a silkly looking wrapper. There is a slight tooth on the cigar and the cigar offers a classic looking triple cap. The band features the Fleur De Lys with T110 printed to the right of it and Tatuaje to the left of it. . The colors are white with some red, yellow and blue

Flavor & Notes (26/30): Prior to lighting up the smoke I took the time to smell the wrapper which is usually uneventful for me. However on this stick the sweet smell of chocolate was easily identifiable. The draw was pretty uneventful other then some sweet tobacco notes. Upon lighting up the cigar there is a nice spice present similar to a white pepper. As the first third progresses some leather and dark chocolate join the white pepper on this powerhouse. The second third has some peppery spice remaining and the primary notes are coffee beans and leather. The final third of the cigar offers notes of coffee beans and a subtle leather on the finish.

Burn/Ash/Draw (23/25): This big smoke producer burns with only the slightest bit of wave to the burn line. The light colored ash hold fairly well with only the slightest bit of flake. The draw was a little tight on the cigar I smoked for this review but it wasn’t overly annoying.

Overall (22/25): I am glad I had the opportunity to smoke one but to be honest with you while good I wouldn’t go out of my way to track these down. I would howeve but at the same time I wouldn’t rule out trading for them again. It is a nice spicy full bodied smoke, that has a strong nicotine kick to it so I would save these for after a hearty meal if you ever come across them.

Rating: 90
Price: $Unknown