Bought a 5'er of the Lil Monsters by Tatuaje, figured to earnestly join the conversation I better smoke them.

Tonight was the first, the Lil Frank.

Started off with a pepper blast. Might have been in my wheelhouse 8-9 years ago, but not a flavor I enjoy much anymore.

A little less than 1/3 of the way through, the profile changed, but unfortunately not for the better. The cigar took on a very sour profile for several draws, almost citrus-like but without any sweetness. It was not a flavor I enjoyed, and I thought about putting the cigar down.

1/2 way through, it changed to the flavor that it would retain the rest of the way through...sort of a smooth, leathery profile. Much more pleasant that the sour taste, but nothing groundbreaking nor earthmoving here.

Smoked it to the nub, needed a few touchups for uneven burn but the draw was good and the smoke was plentiful.

Would I seek out another Lil Frank? No.

Only full sized "Monster" cigar I ever smoked was The Face, so I have no way to compare this cigar to the full-size Frank.

I am sure there will be some feedback, and that is fine, but I will use this thread to review the other 4 Lil Monsters as I get to them.
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Tom smoking an NC.. one might think you're going through a midlife crisis! Thanks for the review, haven't tried any of the monsters yet. Sorry you had a bad experience.
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It wasn't terrible, DC, it just wasn't that good. Smoked an Illusione 88 last night, my crisis must be serious! :-)
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Thanks For The Review, Tom! I'm Letting My Little Monsters Rest Awhile.:-)
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When I saw you were going to review these it perked my interest. Subscribed:-)
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I may smoke another tonight, Jake, I am hoping to find at least 1 that I can give a positive review to .
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I have only smoked 2 a wofie and babyface, everyone has put babyface at the bottom but I enjoyed that one over the wofie
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Tom doing a Tatuaje Limited Release review??? You know I got the popcorn out and watching. :-)
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I've only smoked the baby face. It would have been better but like the big version it had a tight draw.
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Tom, with the exception of the sour part, that's pretty much what I got out of the Lil' Frank that I smoked a week ago at Ratter's house while herfing with Steve, Bob & Amos. I can't honestly say I remember a sour part to the cigar I smoked though, it might have been there, it might not have been, but if it was, it didn't last very long.

Steve & Bob both tried a few puffs off the cigar at various points too. None of us really found the pepper enjoyable, and Steve smokes basically nothing but full bodied Nicaraguan and Honduran cigars. Steve did comment that the latter part of the cigar was similar to how he remembered the Frank.
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Adam, the sour part was short-lived, maybe 4 or 5 draws, but very pronounced.
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Since I wasn't smoking it to review it, I wasn't paying that close an attention to the cigar - I might just have lumped it in as tongue bite from the pepper.
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I wasn't implying that you missed anything, Brother, I have had cigars out of the same box with different profiles, so you never know. :-)
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Just like all other monster series and special edition Tats, I don't bother as they can't beat the original Brown line, imo. The original Frank was and still is the most boring cigar I have ever had.
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I noticed the first inch or so of the lil frank sucked as well.... it seemed to get much better closer to the middle of the cigar tho
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I realize that and I never thought you were implying anything, my friend.

My previous post should be read as more of a "thinking out loud" comment than anything else.
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Saw someone raving about the Lil Mummy on another thread, maybe that one is next, Adam. :-)
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Looking forward to reading your thoughts on whichever one you choose to smoke next, Tom.
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Next up in my Lil Monster reviews is the Lil Mummy.

Again great construction, no touch-ups needed throughout this smoke.

No pepper blast...we are off to a better start.

Early on, I can't stop thinking of the '01 Vegas Robaina Classicos from "the sale". Mild, somewhat muted flavor with a hint of cola taste. Each time I concentrate on the taste, I can't help but come back to this comparison. Odd, but much more pleasant than the mace in the face start of the Lil Frank.

About a third of the way in, the flavor changes and the taste reminds me of oak...the way a beer or liquor aged in an oak barrel has that woody hint to it. Still mild, this profile lasts most of the rest of the smoke. A couple more hints of the Classico near the end, and one strange draw where I thought I could taste Sprite...sort of a sweet citrus, but it was gone almost as soon as it arrived.

So with two down, my ranking is:

1. Lil Mummy
2. Lil Frank

Would I buy another Lil Mummy? While it wasn't a bad smoke at all, it certainly doesn't warrant an 8 to 9 dollar pricetag for this Hog.
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Sounds good Tom! I think I'll let mine sit a while.
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