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

Patina Habano Toro

This cigar has been sitting at the top on my humidor for a few months and I finally could not wait any longer. I had to smoke this along with some espresso on a quiet Sunday morning before the family all got going for the day. This cigar features tabacco from Nicaragua and my home state of Pennsylvania. These tobaccos are wrapped by an Ecuadorian Habano leaf. I received this cigar from a monthly cigar subscription membership.

These cigars can be commonly found online; I am unsure if they made their way to all brick and morter shops but I suspect that most larger shops will certainly have a box or two on hand. These smokes run around $11 USD per stick which is a bit high for a daily smoker but certainly in the price point of most smokers. The Patina Habano can be found in 5 sizes ranging from a 4 x50 Petite Robusto to the largest being a 6 x 56 Double Toro.  The size in this review is the Toro 6 x 52.

Wrapper: Ecuador

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua and The United States

Length: 6"

Ring Gauge: 52

Size: Toro

The Smoke: My first impression is that this cigar is a thing of beauty; the color provided by the Ecuadorian Habano wrapper is similar to milk chocolate. When squeezed, it allows its self to be pushed in slightly but quickly returns to its original form when the squeeze is released. I used my Xikar XV2 cutter for this one since it has a larger ring gauge. Once the formality of cap removal was complete, I checked the cold draw which felt sufficient. The cold draw allowed a nice profile of wood to enter the palate.

Lighting the cigar continued with some mild woodiness. That flavor was joined by some mild leather, earth, and pepper. Overall, these flavors were subtle and the over all body of the cigar was light to medium. As the smoke session continued the pepper dissolved and was replaced by some coffee and cocoa. The cigar's light to medium profile continued and lasted all the way to the final puff.

The cigar retained its construction very well during the life of the hour and fifteen minute smoke. The ash was tightly packed but it did require ashing to occur five times. The burn rate was even enough to not require subsequent correction burns.

I enjoyed this cigar; perhaps the best cigar in about a month. It is slightly more mild than I would have cared for but it was perfect for a morning smoke with a cup of joe. I personally plan on buying a box once my tupperdor has the space to squeeze in another box.

The Score: Buy a Box

J. Grotto Anniversary P555

A good buddy of mine gave me this cigar and told me it would be a great morning when I finally got around to smoking it. I was unsure of that, because I have never had a good experience smoking an unknown (to me) brand that was made for a specific B&M. Let's give this one a chance I suppose.

This one hails from Rhode Island and is a product manufactured by Debonaire Cigars and is sold by Ocean State Cigars. Some people in the New England region of the United States may be more familiar with Ocean State and it's owner Paul Joyal, who operated Mr. J's Havana Shop in Warwick, Rhide Island. Not sure if he still does.... 

Anyway, the Anniversary is their fourth offering that they released and is one of their more robust lines. This one was sold in four vitolas: Churchill, Toro, Perfecto, and Gordo. My particular sample is the P555 (5" x 50 gauge ring) Perfecto. Any vitola with in the line features Dominican tobaccos and some tobacco from "other Central American" countries that are wrapped by a dark broadleaf Connecticut leaf.

"Other" Counties... LULZ

Wrapper: USA - Connecticut

Binder: Dominican Republic

Filler: Dominican Republic and "Other" Countries...hmmm

Length:  5"

Ring Gauge: 55

Size: Perfecto

The Smoke: This cigar features a deep tan hue provided by its broadleaf Connecticut wrapper with some small veins visible. The leaf feels oily in my hand. The cigar also feels well constructed and is stiff when squeezed. My Palio straight cutter made short work of taking off the cap.

Obviously, the cold draw is awful given the perfecto shape. When I was lighting the cigar, I noticed that this is probably the smallest foot of any cigar I have every seen. It was miniscule.... as in it did not exist. No worries, the cigar toasted and lit well. The lit draw as tight but once the cherry passed the narrow perfecto shape the draw of the remainder of the cigar was excellent. 

The profile of the cigar was medium to high and was consistent during the life of the smoke. The flavors are robust through out the smoke as well. The notes in the first third of the cigar are pepper and coffee along with a sweet maple syrup undertone. Cocoa and chocolate were the dominate flavors of the middle third in which the pepper faded into the background. Cocoa remained in the final third but the pepper returned.

The burn rate and draw were really good for a perfecto shape. This vitola is always difficult to pull that off and this did splendidly. The draw as good during the majority of the cigar while the burn rate was even enough that I never needed to complete a corrective burn. 

I would recommend buying a bunch of these if you ever stumble upon them but I have a feeling that finding these would be difficult due to their release being over 6 years ago. Happy hunting!

The Score: Yeah, buy some. A box for sure if you discover it.

Caldwell Blind Man's Bluff Toro

I had purchased a 5 pack of these about 6 months ago at the height of lock down. Seemed to me then, the only thing to do were to cruise for deals on a somewhat well-known cigar auction site. These ones in particular were picked up for about $5 USD per smoke, which is a great deal because they typically retail for about $8 USD per stick.

Caldwell has become a widely known boutique cigar company that made a quick dash to fame a few years ago. The cigars are known for quality and unique traits like The T cigar I reviewed about a month ago; and to that end, Blind Man's Bluff is no different.  The wrapper is an Ecuadorian Habano leaf. The binder comes from Honduras and is a Crillo while the filler tabacco is from Honduras and the Dominican.  This Toro shaped cigar has the typical Toro length but comes in with a slightly wider than normal 52 ring-gauge; Robusto and Magnum sizes are also offered as part of this line of cigars from Caldwell.

Wrapper: Ecuador

Binder: Honduras

Filler: Dominican Republic, Honduras

Length: 6"

Ring Gauge: 62
Size: Toro

The Smoke: I used my V-cutter to poke a hole in this one. The cigar feels firm and has the feeling of strong construction. Un-lit, this cigar has woody and grassy aromas. Aromas and flavors of wood, bread, cinnamon, nutmeg, and caramel come after the cigar is toasted and lit. Slight nut joins the array of flavors about mid stick.  The smoke is light a creamy with ample amounts of it to cover the palate. The body of the cigar is medium to full bodied.

The cigar held its shape and had a mostly even burn rate during the hour-long smoke. One thing that got to me on this one was the nicotine pop. This is the first cigar I smoked that had this much of a nicotine kick to it, but it felt good and carried me well into the evening.

Overall, I found the Caldwell Blind Man's Bluff to be an enjoyable smoke. Something I would recommend at least trying and determining if it is something that you enjoy as much as I did.

Score: Buy a Pack of 10

Drew Estates MUWAT Kentucky Fire Cured Hamhock

Drew Estate is known to have some unique cigars and this one is no different.  The My Uzi Weights a Ton (MUWAT) series is offered in two distinct products in that it has its typical traditional cigar tobacco and an additional variant that uses fire cured tobacco, the Kentucky Fire Cured. The cigar explored in this review is the 3.7" x 56 Hamhok which is a gordo shape and was sourced from a winning CBid lot.

The cigar features tobacco from Nicaragua and the United States; the leaves used for this smoke are cured with a special method that infuses smokiness and sweetness into the leaves. The cigar is bound by a Brazilian binder and wrapped in a oily Mexico San Andres maduro leaf. 

Wrapper: Mexico

Binder: Brazil

Filler: Nicaragua, United States

Length: 3.7"

Ring Gauge: 56

Size: Gordo

The Smoke: My initial impression of the Drew Estate's brand is favorable as they make some great cigars so I am looking forward to this one. The maduro leaf is oily and richly colored which is ultra inviting. The unlit scent is filled with oak and leather. I used a straight cutter and the cap was cut with ease.

Lighting the cigar was difficult as the draw was extremely tight. It took about 5 to 10 minutes to get the cigar lit. The tight draw remained for the first quarter of the cigar and was very frustrating. Once past the 1/4 mark, the draw opened and the cigar became much easier to smoke. The flavor of the cigar is decent. Notes of oak and hickory are complimented by leather and smoked meat tones.

I guess, if I have to sum up this cigar, I would note that the flavors were good and the smoke was enjoyable was the tight draw was resolved. I think the price point for this cigar is high for what it is with most online retailers selling around $6.00 USD per stick. 

I reach that conclusion mainly due to the tight draw; these smaller vitolas are designed to give a quick smoking experience and that is completely torpedoed when it takes a significant amount of time to get the cigar smoke-able. I have a few more of these in my humidor and if age helps the draw I will return to this review and update it but for now I have to go ahead and give it my lowest score.

The Score: Scroll Past