Fire Up That Cigar

Room 101 by Camacho Cigars
Wrapper: Semilla 101 (Honduran)
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Honduran
Made In: Honduras
Size: 702 (11/18) – 6.5×56 Figarado
Price: $9.95 per single

For those of you living underneath a rock for the last 6 months here’s the story behind Room 101 cigars. Matt Booth owner of Room 101, a custom luxury jewelry and accessory maker, met up with Dylan Austin from Camacho Cigars at an after-party. Booth and Austin were discussing Booth’s cigar accessory line and they both got to thinking, why not have cigars to go with those fancy accessories? A trip to the Camacho Family’s faculties in Honduras and a barrage of marketing and articles later, here we have the coveted Room 101 cigar. All the hype, all the marketing of Room 101 cigars has finally come to this; review time. Great looking packaging, fancy bands and conspiracies don’t mean shit if the cigar doesn’t taste good. Let’s fire up it up!

Aesthetics: The Room 101 702 is a gorgeous looking figarado that is slightly tapered at both ends. The wrapper is a chocolate brown color with some moderately sized veins. The roll looks good as there are even cut lines on the wrappers seams and the cap is done very nicely. The band is very bold and when you really focus on it, there are many unique details.

Smoking Characteristics: The draw is very free on this Room 101 cigar and produces a good amount of smoke. The burn was uneven but did not get out of hand. However, the ash on the other hand had a lot of flowering and it was flaking everywhere. The body of the cigar is medium and the strength is average.

Flavors: The Room 101 has a nice light earthy core with notes of dark chocolate, espresso and a light spice. The cigar is surprisingly light on the palate for a Camacho cigar but full flavored. The second third brings much of the same until I hit the bubble of the cigar, or the fattest part of the figarado. At the bubble, the flavors really pick up and get really rich. The cigar still remains medium in body but the flavors are bolder. The final third of the cigar is the ending portion of the bubble, and is where the cigar starts bringing on a woodsy flavor. The spice also amps up in the final third but is still balanced nicely with the rest of the cigar.

Final Thoughts: Usually when cigars have this much hype and marketing behind them, it usually means its making up for something. Not the case with the Room 101 – this cigar is legit! The thing I liked about this cigar is how it was very full flavored, but was not heavy on the palate. The flavors themselves were very nice and balanced, and moderately complex. The cigar is a definite winner in my book and I can see the Room 101 being very successful.

Worth a Shot: You bet yer ass it is
Buy Again: Yes, a box of these will be in order
Enjoyablity: High

My Father Le Bijou 1922 by Don Pepin Garcia
Wrapper: Habano Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Made In: Nicaragua
Size: 4.5×50
Price: About $7

A Little Background: The My Father Le Bijou 1922 is a spinoff of the successful My Father line which was created under secret as a tribute to Don Pepin Garcia by his son Jamie Garcia. The My Father Le Bijou 1922 was created to honor Don Pepin’s father who was born in 1922. The Le Bijou 1922 has a unique wrapper which is a Pelo de Oro leaf (Golden Hair). Pelo de Oro is considered the father of the modern corojo wrapper which was made by combining Pelo de Oro and Sumatra tobaccos. Growing the Pelo de Oro is very prone to disease so it is rarely produced because growers don’t want to deal with the hassle of this leaf. The My Father Le Bijou 1922 was released at this year’s IPCPR Trade Show in New Orleans.

Aesthetics: The My Father Le Bijou 1922 has a silky smooth dark brown wrapper with minimal veins. The construction looks phenomenal as the seam lines are smooth and even, and the triple cap is done to perfection. The wrapper is a gorgeous with reds, pinks, greens and golds.

Smoking Characteristics: The cigar has a great draw that produces a good amount of smoke. The burn was a bit uneven but nothing major. The ash was strong and compact and had no flowering or flaking to it. The body of the cigar is medium to full while the strength was average or medium.
Flavor: The My Father Le Bijou 1922 starts off with some nice pepper, coffee and mocha flavors on top of an earthy core. I have come to expect a fiery blast of hot red pepper when lighting up Don Pepin cigars but that was nowhere to be found on this cigar. The second third of the Le Bijou is much of the same with less pepper and is smoother. The final third was much the same as the second third, but really concentrated on the coffee flavors.

Final Thoughts: Overall I thought this was a great cigar. There are very nicely balanced flavors with a decent amount of complexity on the My Father Le Bijou. The cigar reminds me of the Illusione line of cigars with a little more depth of flavors. I can definitely seem myself smoking more of these on occasion.

Worth a Try: Yes
Buy Again: Yes
Enjoyablity: Medium to High

Alec Bradley Prensado
Wrapper: Trojes, Honduras
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Trojes, Honduras and Nicaragua
Made In Danali, Honduras – Raices Cubanas
Price: $9.75 per single

Appearance & Construction: The Alec Bradley Prensado is a nice boxed pressed cigar. The wrapper is a medium brown color and has some medium sized veins. One thing I always notice with box pressed cigars is that the veins always look terrible. The press mashes them down and they look like crap, but who cares about looks…

Smoking Characteristics: The cigar has a nice even draw to this cigar that produces a ton of thick smoke. The burn is nice and even the ash holds on for a decent amount of time. The body of this cigar is medium to full while the strength is just medium.

Flavor: The first inch or so of the Alec Bradley Prensado is pretty flat and lacks flavor. All I was getting out this cigar was a natural tobacco taste until about the inch mark where some nice woody flavors picked up. I also get some coffee, mixed nuts and leather out of this cigar. The second third is much of the same as is the final third but all in all this was a pretty tasty cigar.

Final Thoughts: Unfortunately I only had one of these cigars to review and the lull at the beginning was a turn off for me. However, I would still smoke this cigar regardless of that lull. I liked the flavors of this cigar and if that lull goes away in the beginning, I think this is a cigar that I could see myself smoking a lot of. Defiantly not an everyday cigar but a once a week or once a month type cigar.

Worth a Shot: Yes
Buy Again: Yes
Enjoyablity: Medium to High

Cubao Maduro
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Made In: Nicaragua
Size: No. 5 – 6 1/8×50 toro
Price: $9 per single from Titletown Tobacco

Appearance & Construction: The Cubao Maduro has a nice dark brown oily wrapper that has primarily small veins to it, however there is one moderately sized vein near the top of the cigar. The construction seems great; it is packed tight with tobacco and the seam lines are cut evenly. The band on the Cubao is very nice. It is brown with white lettering and a white cross emblem. The secondary band states “Maduro” which is what we are about to fire up.

Smoking Characteristics: The cigar has a nice even draw with just a bit of drag to it. The burn is even, and the ash is strong and compact. I also noticed some crystals in the ash almost like glitter. I’m not 100 percent sure what this is, but my best guess is that it is sugar crystals left over from the tobacco. The body was very full on the Cubao Maduro and the strength was also full.

Flavors: The Cubao Maduro starts off with some major heat but it is very clean and crisp, like crushed red peppers. The spice does fades a bit after the first inch or so, but is still very present throughout the entire cigar. Other notes I was getting were rich espresso, dark chocolate, and a cinnamon flavor. There wasn’t much flavor variation but the flavors were great.

Final Thoughts: Overall I really enjoyed the Cubao Maduro. The flavors were nice however I’m not sure I would spring for a box of these just yet. There are a lot of great Maduro cigars coming out right now and I have yet to try a lot of them. There is no doubt I will be buying more, it’ just how many.

Worth a Shot: Yes
Buy Again: Yes, just don’t know if its box worthy just yet
Enjoyablity: Medium to High

Grand Habano 3 Siglos
Wrapper: Shade Grown Nicaraguan Corojo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan, Columbian, Costa Rican
Made In: Honduras
Size: 5×50 Robusto
Price: About $5.75 per single

Appearance & Construction: Nice looking cigar with an elegant looking band and a flattened head. The wrapper is darker blonde color that looks like a Connecticut shade wrapper. The construction is nice and there are no defects from what I can tell.

Smoking Characteristics: Great draw on this cigar, the burn is slightly wavy and the ash is nice and compact. Nothing to complain about in this category.

Flavors: The cigar has a woody core with notes of coffee, cinnamon, and pepper. As the cigar progresses, the pepper picks up intensity and is starts to overtake the cigar. I even purged this cigar before the final third and the pepper continues to be the main show of this cigar. The body is medium to full on this cigar, the strength is medium.

Final Thoughts: I like when pepper is present in a cigar. This cigar however, the pepper is the main attraction after the first third and I typically do not like when pepper is the primary flavor of a cigar. The first third was a nice balance of flavor but half way into the second third the pepper stole the show and I did not care for that. Some however will like this cigar but it is just not my style.

Worth A Shot: Yes, the pepper lovers will dig this cigar
Buy Again: Probably not
Enjoyablility: Low-Medium