ROOM 101 CIGARS @room101cigars

I'm a HUGE fan of the Camacho brand of cigars with their Triple Maduro being my favorite follows by the Corojo Diploma.  Camacho recently merged with Davidoff (another one of my favorite brands).  In this conglomeration comes Room 101 Cigars.  Room 101 cigars are made by Camacho for famed CA-based musician and designer Matt Booth. The medium-bodied blend contains longfillers from Honduras and the Dominican Republic, plus a Honduran binder. Room 101 cigars' wrapper, Semilla 101, is from a seed grown exclusively for this project by the Eiroa family in Honduras. Eye-catching black and silver bands adorn the dark, silky wrappers, marking a true fusion of American tattoo and traditional Japanese design. Very highly rated!

The First Room 101 cigar I tried was the Namakubi Monstro.  The Room 101 Namakubi series of cigars features a Habano wrapper, Generoso seed Honduran binder, Dominican and Honduran Vuelta Abajo fillers. This smoke is medium to full bodied. It is slightly spicy, and though powerful it is strong without being too much on the palate. The presence of spice is more subtle. 

The name of the line comes from the Samurai culture, where in ancient times, two Samurai clans would gather for competition. Normally, the losing party would die as a result of the wounds sustained in battle or be executed upon defeat. The Namakubi, or “freshly severed head” of the losing party would be prepared on a wooden tray then tagged in a regimented manner and presented to the leader of the winning clan as a gift. 

I bought three of these at Binny's in Champaign.  I bought the cigars to celebrate Turbo being done once and for all with his X-wife!  EDG who is no stranger to the realm of divorce enjoyed one along with turbo and myself!  The Monstro is a 6 X 60 cigar which is a little outside my wheelhouse.  Despite the large ring gauge the cigar had a great draw.  The smoke started off a little bitter but after a few moments it smoothed out significantly.  I thought the Namakubi was a rich tasting smoke with definite hints of paper and nut.  I did get a little coffee and spice briefly.  I have also tried the ROXXO size from the Namakubi line and I believe it is a better smoke, maybe that is due to the significantly smaller size and ring gauge.  

The next Room 101 cigar I tried was the Daruma.  I first heard about the Daruma from teh Cigar Feed (Halfwheel).  If you haven't checked out Halfwheel then I suggest you do.  It is in my opinion the most complete cigar review blog on the web.  I've learned about many cigars from this blog and I highly recommend it to any cigar smoker.  

The Room 101 Daruma is Matt Booth's boldest creation yet. Daruma, the Japanese name for who is considered to be the father of Zen Buddhism, uses an Equadorian Habano wrapper, a Brazilian Mata Fina binder, and a very unique blend of Dominican and Honduran filler tobaccos, including some Pelo de Oro. The Daruma is very different than previous Room 101 releases and sure to satisfy ANY full bodied cigar connoisseur.

I purchased the Daruma from Binny's as well.  I decided to get the ROXXO.  Lemme tell ya about this cigar, it is an excellent smoke.  Over the last 6 months I'd had Davidoff's, Cubans, and various other top shelf cigar brands and this is right up there with those.  I loved this smoke.  It's been awhile since I've smoked a cigar and been tempted to buy a box because I was so moved by that smoke and I think I could buy a box of these and be very satisfied.  The Daruma is a rich and smooth smoke.  I I really can't describe the taste because I thought it was very complex.  I can only say head to Binny's and get a few and try them for yourself.  

In the end I can say Room 101 has earned itself a place in my humidor.  I plan on buying several more of both the Namakubi and the Daruma along with other offerings from Room 101!  I've been lucky to try several good cigars over the past year and Room 101 is definitely one of those!

Cheers