6.375" x 56 ring gauge / $14.95, Burns
After contemplating giving up on the Monster Series, Pete Johnson came back at it this year with chainsaw roaring. The third installment of this series is "The Face," named after Leatherface, the butchering villain in Texas Chainsaw Massacre. To invoke that monster, Pete chose an ugly Mexican San Andres wrapper to adorn his latest creation along with an uneven, ripped-up-looking piece of tobacco to act as the band. Pete reportedly chose Mexican tobacco for the wrapper in large part because Mexico is near Texas. The top is finished in an unusual point that makes me think of the Sleestaks in Land of the Lost, while the foot has a rustic fold-over of the wrapper tobacco. The filler and binder are Nicaraguan and the new Tatuaje website lists this as a 4.5 out of 5 on the strength scale. This review stick will be my third.
I just have to say right up front: this was an ugly cigar. The leaf was veiny, mottled and uneven in color; the foot was rough and rustic; and the "band" was ragged and sloppy (and prone to flake off in your hands if you handle it too much while smoking...best bet is to hold the cigar just above or just below the band if you want to eventually smoke the band). Realizing, though, that the ugly appearance is exactly what Pete and Pepin were trying to achieve with this cigar, the result is just about perfect. The cigar was solid-feeling from head to foot and had more oil to the touch than to the eye. The wrapper had an earthy aroma with just a little woodiness as well; with the wrapper folded over the foot, the aroma there was almost the same, with maybe a little cocoa mixed in. I used my Xikar V-cutter on the first two of these that I smoked and it worked brilliantly; for this review stick, I wanted to try a different approach and used my Palio cutter. The draw was very good; I got flavors of cocoa powder, earth and coffee, along with a lingering spicy tingle on the lips.
After lighting, I got a bit of maple sweetness and a heavy dose of black coffee on the palate and a retrohale that was heavy on black pepper. Smoke issued freely and abundantly from the lit end and the draw was flawless. Very soon the spiciness of the Mexican leaf started to show. I have been upfront in my general dislike of most Mexican wrapper tobacco--it tends to be very bitter in most cases--but the leaf used on The Face is better than most Mexican leaf--a cut above, you might say! While it has some of the other common characteristics of Mexican wrapper--spiciness and some sweetness--it never gets into the heavily bitter tastes that I have experienced on others--the La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor, for example. The first third shaped up to be an earthy, spicy affair--the black pepper became more of a chili pepper on palate and nose--and there were hints of unsweetened cocoa powder on the finish.
The ash held on for almost the entire first third and the burn line remained very even, showing that despite its outward ugliness, this was a very well-made cigar. The second third had more of the dark roast coffee I got right at the start, along with a strong earthiness still. The spice had almost disappeared, both on the nose and on the palate. The Face was fairly full-bodied so far but had a relatively short, clean finish.
The final third had more earth and coffee notes as well as a bit of cayenne pepper that crept in as the tobacco "band" started to burn. Was that pepper from that extra piece of leaf? Hard to say, but it did add another layer of interest to what was already an excellent smoke. Overall, The Face was a great cigar that should not be missed by veteran cigar enthusiasts. If more Mexican leaf showed this level of elegance and flavor, I would definitely have a more positive mind-set about it. I would even argue that this blend is unique enough and flavorful enough that Pete Johnson ought to find a home for it in his lineup as a regular offering.
Body: 8/10
Strength: 7/10
Complexity: 8/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
Agree, disagree or have your own thoughts you would like to share on this cigar? Please leave a comment and speak your mind!
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