Room 101 The Payback Maduro

This was another one that I smoked on a recent work trip. This was the second of the trip and after the fiasco that was the Diesel Unlimited d.5, I needed something that I would enjoy. This trip was harder than most. No wheels and nothing much to do with the Covid-19 pandemic around the DFW area; a good cigar smoke was exactly what the doctor ordered to end my mental funk for this particular day. 

This was the last travel trip for the year, in a year of reduced travel. Typically, I find my self getting on (and off) around 120 to 130 airplanes a year. This year was very different (obviously) but I still managed to accumulate 32,000 miles. 

The Room 101 Payback Maduro can be commonly found and is available in three vitolas: a Robusto, Toro, and Gordo listed from largest to smallest. Each stick cost around $6 to $7 USD per smoke which is pretty reasonable when you think about it. 

The tabacco is sourced from a multitude of places in the world. The Maduro wrapper leaf is grown in Honduras, which is coincidentally where these cigars are assembled. The binder comes from Connecticut and is filled with tabacco from The Dominican, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Wrapper: Honduras

Binder: United States (Connecticut)

Filler: The Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua

Length: 5 1/4"

Ring Gauge: 50

Size: Robusto

The Smoke: This one was enjoyed outside the my Airport Hotel early in the evening. The weather was down right balmy for the Dallas/Fort Worth area in December. Vibes were much better than they were during my last smoke.

I used my trusty punch cutter; its about the only thing I can get through TSA while not being sequestered into an interrogation room. A bic lighter was used to toast and light for similar reasons.

The cold draw of the Room 101 The Payback Maduro was excellent. There was solid notes of cedar and leather while cold. After lighting, the cedar note remained but the more prominent notes were cocoa, pepper, and earth. The smoke began sweet but over time transitioned a more balanced overall flavor profile. The body of the cigar was medium. 

The construction of the cigar was good and it maintained its assembly. The burn rate had no issue remaining mostly straight and it did not require any corrective burns. The draw was very good from beginning to end as well. 

This is a great cigar and an extremely good value for the prices you can grab one of these. I look forward to my next smoke of one. This one restored my faith in a lot of things.

The Score: Pick up a 10 Pack

Room 101 Doomsayer Aggressive

I grabbed a 5 pack of the Room 101 Doomsayer Aggressive about a month ago and I felt today was as good of day as ever to light one up. The Doomsayer comes in two variants; "aggressive" features a proprietary Maduro wrapper while "passive" features an Ecuadorian Habano leaf.  Both versions are filled with tabacco from a massive list of locations (at least for cigars) and hit all the typical tabacco growing locations except for Cuba and The Dominican Republic. Regardless of the version procured, the only size that was produced is a 6 x 55 Toro vitola. The "aggressive" may not be the easiest stick to find but I am fairly certain you can get them for around $10 USD per smoke.

Wrapper: Unknown

Binder: Indonesia

Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua, United States (Pennsylvania)

Length: 6"

Ring Gauge: 55

Size: Toro

The Smoke: This was smoke #1 of 3 on the first day of my annual week vacation I take during the United States Thanksgiving holiday. This one was enjoyed late morning after I completed a bunch of task to help my wife with the, also annual, Thanksgiving pre-preperations. 

The Room 101 Doomsayer Aggressive has a beautiful brown Maduro leaf that is very oily. This cigar looks smooth out of the sun but when it is in the light there is some toothiness that the wrapper displays. This one feels solid in my hand and also feels well constructed.

The cold draw provides some light sweetness and faint wood. Lighting the cigar just makes the sweetness more pronounced. There feels like some very faint chocolate and caramel. The body of the cigar is light early in the smoke. As the smoke progresses the body and profile grow but it never reaches being full bodied. The smoke gets slightly more complex as it ages with the additions of light black pepper.

The construction and burn rate are impeccable. Neither wane during the almost two hour smoke session. The smoke is light and never becomes harsh in any way. The draw remains good through out the entire session as well. 

I found this cigar beyond enjoyable and perfect for a morning smoke. Some may find it a bit too mild for their liking but I think that is this one's greatest feature. It provides a great smoking experience with plenty of flavor while never becoming harsh or unenjoyable. I just wish I had toothpicks in the house so I could nub this one.

The Score: Buy a 10 pack

Room 101 Ichiban Habano Robusto

Room 101 sends out the Ichiban branding for this series of cigars which are abnormally cheap for a "luxury" and "small batch" brand. These cigars typically retail for about $2.50 USD per stick, which is amazingly frugal for a hand rolled cigar, and comes in various vitolas including a churchill, toro, torpedo, and a robusto, with this review focusing on the later. 

The Dominican manufactured cigar feature a blended mix of aged tobaccos from Nicaragua and is wrapped by a beautiful Ecuadorian habano leaf. There are also maduro and connecticut leaf variants in the Ichiban series from Room 101.

Wrapper: Ecuador

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Length: 5"

Ring Gauge: 50

Size: Robusto

The Smoke: This well constructed cigar has a light tan leaf that maintains well during the entire smoking process. The flavors of the cigar features cedar and light nut along with some light herbal and grass notes. The smoke is light and creamy with the body of the smoke is light to medium bodied. The five inch long robusto smokes for about 50 minutes and retain's its construction during the entire session. The burn rate is fairly even but it does seem to burn a bit faster on one side of the cigar and is fairly noticeably towards the end of the cigar's life.

I found this cigar to be very enjoyable with its flavor and smoking experience and represents a no non-sense and cost effective smoke. I think I have found a new everyday cigar to keep around and puff on.

The Score: Buy a Box of 20