Video review HERE.
(Description taken from Halfwheel.com website)
Tatuaje digs into it's archives to bring it's next release; The Frank Redux 1.And yes, 1 is part of the name, a nod to its history as the first cigar in the company’s Monster Series.
The Frank 1 uses the same 7 5/8 x 49 box-pressed double corona vitola as original, as well as a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, dual Nicaraguan binders and Nicaraguan fillers. Johnson said that the redux version has a blend that is similar to the original, but did not go into what kind of differences may exist between the two, for instance due to different crops of tobacco being used. The foot is closed and the cigars are individually wrapped.
Beyond the bullet points of the The Frank 1, it marks the return of The Frank, the 2008 release that kicked off the Monster Series, one of the most well-known and most coveted annual limited editions in the cigar industry over the last decade.
The Monster Series became known for its pre-Halloween release date, with cigars packaged in 13-count boxes designed to look like coffins, limited to just 666 boxes or cigars, and limited to just 13 retailers around the country that were known as the Unlucky 13. The series would go to become an annual release, with each subsequent cigar named for either a classic or modern movie monster. While subsequent releases would retain the 666 coffin-style boxes, Johnson would begin releasing cigars in more traditional-style boxes to meet consumer demand. He has also created a number of extensions to the line, such as the recently released Monster Mash, a sampler of all the previous Monster releases in a slightly shorter vitola than the original, which also included a new release known as the Tatuaje Creature. There has also been the Pudgy Monsters, Little Monsters, and a trio of versions under the name Skinny Monsters, including the Skinny Monsters Lanceros and Skinny Monsters Cazadores.
For this release, Johnson is creating 5,000 coffin dress boxes, each containing 13 cigars, making for a total run of 65,000 total cigars. The MSRP is set at $13 per cigar and $169 per box.
The cigar looks nice and has a nice feel in the hand. The foot is closed.
The test draw after cutting the cap was decent but the closed foot probably keeps the draw from being good. The initial flavors at light up were cedar, brown sugar, tangy apricot, a little dry cocoa, and black coffee. There was black pepper rated at 7 1/2. There are not a lot of maduro characteristics at this point.
At the first third (40 minutes) I had sweet apricot, citrus peel, decreased brown sugar, leather, nutmeg, and a light black coffee. The cigar is medium bodied at this point. The finish is apricot and citrus peel with good lingering black pepper. The cigar is not very dark noted for a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper. The cocoa notes are no longer there. But, the cigar is quite tasty. I rated the first third 94.
As I moved through the second third (1 hour 19 minutes) not much changed. The black coffee has increased, the leather is light, and the sweet notes came out a little. The cigar is now medium to full bodied. The finish is apricot, nutmeg, and black coffee. With only minor changes I held the score of 94.
The cigar lasted 1 hour 46 minutes. The black coffee continued to rise. The leather is there but at a lower level than the black coffee. The sweet notes are a little subdued from the elevated black coffee. The nutmeg is also prominent. The cigar is medium to full bodied. The finish is unchanged. I rated the final third 93. This is a good cigar and well worth trying.
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