Blind Review: Room101 Snake Shake

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Room101 Snake Shake is a collaboration between Matt Booth and AJ Fernandez, sourcing tobacco entirely from Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A. in Estelí. Not only is this the second time these two industry giants joined forces to make a blend, but it is also their second installment for a Luxury Cigar Club exclusive cigar.

There isn’t much information about this product. However, what stood out to me the most was per Luxury Cigar Club, “Snake Shake was designed to strengthen the relationship between the two companies.”

Yeah, I just got chills thinking about the possibilities…

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Room101 Snake Shake
  • Wrapper: Nicaraguan
  • Binder: Nicaraguan
  • Filler: Nicaraguan
  • Size: Toro (6″x50).

Appearance & Construction

The wrapper on this cigar is very smooth and oily. It is sturdy to the touch, and I feel like I can wave it around and chant Wingardium Leviosa to make various objects float in the room. Like a wand, there are no visible veins, and even the seam is hard to locate visually. I examine the cigar between my fingers and find it filled proportionally throughout. Overall, this specimen is rolled masterfully.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

This cigar has a very alluring scent to it. It smells like sweet hay on the wrapper and dry apricot off the foot with a hint of baking spice. I sliced the cap off with my trusty Xikar XO Cutter, and the cold draw reinforces the dry apricot flavor.

Once lit, the sweet stone fruit flavors got replaced with gram crackers, cocoa powder, oak wood, and red pepper spice. The smoke has a creamy texture and is very thick as if I can chew on it. And I can only describe the lingering aftertaste as freshly baked pie crust. I then retrohale and got offered nothing but pain from an abundance of pepper spice rushing out my nostrils. It immediately activated my tear glands and shocked my senses. On the bright side, it did what two cups of coffee couldn’t. As you can guess, I became quite wary of where the smoke exits at this point. Other than the retrohale, this cigar is performing remarkably well. The airflow restriction is perfect, around 7 out of 10. Each puff produces an abundance of smoke, and you can level the burn line with a ruler.

Once I reached the second third, the flavor profile became more refined: raw peanut, Ovaltine, dark leather, and oak wood, with an undertone of sweetness and creaminess hidden within the smoke. The pepper spice departs from the palate and eases up on the retrohale. The smoke stays pretty consistent from this point on. I took my time and smoked it all the way down to the nub before realizing I’d been smoking this cigar for more than 2 hours.

Conclusion

The Snake Shake humbled me and helped me reevaluate my mindset when I’m blind reviewing a cigar. I won’t oust myself, but I thought I knew what this cigar was, and I was proven wrong.

I compare the experience of the Snake Shaker from being a raw mineral to a polished gem. The flavors during the first third were robust, natural, and untreated. I would taste a specific flavor per each puff. As I make my way to the second third, there is cohesiveness between the flavors, that is when I was able to experience all the flavors in a single draw. That being said, the pepper on the retrohale was almost irrefutable. I was glad the strength was toned down and meshed really well with the overall taste.

Final Rating: 89

 

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Blind Review: H. Upmann Classic 1844 Robusto

3 0 1.5k

The H. Upmann Classic 1844 Robusto is manufactured by Altadis SA at the Flor de Copan factory in Honduras. Historically a Cuban brand – founded and manufactured in Havana in 1844 by Herman Upmann – the company has gone through many revamps post-revolution and is still counted among one of the world’s oldest cigars brands available to date.  With a rich history of espionage involvement, world banking systems, and also being credited as the first manufacturer to offer cigars in a cedar box- if you haven’t smoked at least one H. Upmann cigar up until this point- DO SO NOW!

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: H. Upmann 1844 Classic Robusto
  • Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut
  • Binder: Honduran Broadleaf
  • Filler: Honduran Cuban-Seed
  • Size: 52 x 5

Blind Review Notes: H. Upmann 1844 Classic Robusto

Appearance & Construction

There comes a point in every man’s life where he just has to move on with things.  As he sets out on his journey for personal meaning and bad-assery, he often finds himself in darker times of impulse and crazy ideas. In other words: I am going to attempt living in a tent on my own front lawn.  As I sit back and ponder how to pull this off without my neighbors calling the cops or me freezing to death in the winter, it is nice to curl up with a cigar and pour some rich nicotine on my anxieties. This rustic light caramel beauty comes complete with a simple single cap and a delicate but heavily striated wrapper.  Its also a robusto, so it gets my immediate approval in the vitola department. It is packed well with an even weight in my hand.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

The cigar has got a familiar corojo smell I know all too well with some faint cedar mixed in.  I apply a clean cross-cut and dig into a very spicy cold draw.  I go with my single flame torch and the cigar actually takes some time to toast.  A little more than usual.  It also takes some time to combust.  This sparks my curiosity as to what primings actually made it into the filler, or even what the binder leaf could be?  Maybe asbestos?!  A welding jacket, perhaps?! Anyway, once I achieve an even light on the cigar and it’s producing smoke, the familiar aroma of cedar fills the air.  Now that’s more like it!

The first third is a beautiful combination of green bell peppers, strawberry hard candy, and a chilli kick on the finsh. The expeience is very reminiscent of the many Corojo 99 blends you may come across on the market. The retrohale is sour and leafy like a lettuce sandwich.  “Lettuce Sandwich?!,” you ask. Yes, I indeed worked with a gentleman who ate one of these a week in our construction shanty during lunch time.  I guess that’s how he got his veggies in…?

The second third is even more interesting. Depending on how you draw on it- deep or shallow- you can pick up notes of a hazy IPA or just plain cumin and hazelnuts.  I like to call cigars that offer an experience like this a, “choose-your-fate-cigar.”  You dont get many of these on the market all the time, but when you do, they succeed at getting an old dusty boring smoker like myself excited without the use of a tiny blue pill. I’m totally digging the smoke.  Even the retrohale reminds me of beer hops. The cigar keeps a nice cool temperature throughout, so you can puff away as much as you like.

The last third gets a little funky.  I get flashbacks of X-girlfriends.  Have you ever dated a girl who loves air-conditioning no matter what time of year it is?  That same air-conditioner also adds to maybe a musty mold issue in the wall-to-wall carpeting that covers her living room floors? That same air-condioned home and musty carpeting is also bathed in ages of hair spray droplets that failed to land on her dyed blonde hair?  It’s actually a great smell!  And the two women who I knew, but who didnt know each other, but who should have known each other, manifest in the notes of this cigar.  Sorry to anyone who can’t realate- but trust me- there’s plenty of fish in the sea and not every cigar on the market can bring back the ghosts of two X-girlfriends- BUT I LOVE IT WHEN THEY DO! The only thing that snaps my palate back into reality is the taste of nail polish remover.  It’s even present on the retro.  Yeah, that reminds me of the X-girlfriend I didnt want to remember. Alright, so it burned a little hot towards the end. So what! This was a great stick.

Conclusion

The cigar in question was the H. Upmann 1844 Classic Robusto.  The light Ecuadorian shade wrapper covertly snuck in a Honduran broadleaf binder, and most definetley some Honduran corojo filler to the party. I’m a fan!  I normally wont touch any Ecuadorian wrapper with a 10-foot pole. I know it when I taste it! Or should I say, “I KNOW IT WHEN I DONT TASTE IT!”? In my opinion the cloud cover in Ecuador really steals from the marriage of terrior and sun in a tobacco leaf.  However, we know from experience that Ecuadorian leaves burn and combust great and are there to compliment the experience, without necerssarily adding to it half the time.  For a lifelong enemy of cloud covered tobacco in all varieties, this was the rare case where I saw a shade wrapper successfully support the unique and unorthodox flavors that Honduran tobaccos still produce to this day.  This H. Upmann 1844 Classic Robusto was also a redeeming smoke for me because I did not fancy the Nicaraguan blend AJ Fernandez manufactured for H. Upmann. If you’re revisting the H. Upmann line this year or finally trying them out for the first time, I would highly recommend this cigar.  ENJOY!

Final Score: 88

 

 

Blind Review: Davidoff Escurio Robusto

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The Davidoff Escurio Robusto is a made by Davidoff Cigars who is owned by Oettinger Davidoff AG, based in Basel, Switzerland. The brand is named after the “King of Cigars,” Zino Davidoff who owned and operated a tobacco specialist shop in Geneva, Switzerland from 1926 to 1994. Released in 2015, the Davidoff Escurio line features Brazilian tobacco hailing from the wet climates of the Bay of Todos os Santos. Presented in a beautifully aged Ecaudorian Habanao wrapper, this cigar blend is offered in 5 different vitolas.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Davidoff Escurio Robusto
  • Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
  • Binder: Brazilian Seco (harvested in the Bay of Todos os Santos)
  • Filler: Dominican/ Brazilian tobacco also from the Bay of Todos os Santos
  • Size: 4 1/2 x 54

Blind Review Notes: Davidoff Escurio Robusto

Appearance & Construction

Has your mother-in-law ever come to visit and you really needed an excuse to duck out in your garage the rest of the night? Well then, just become a cigar reviewer like I did and you will always have “important business to attend to that requires immediate attention!” No lie! I actually used that line!  I had to!  I’ve used all my other ones, and I had to think of something less suspicious than normal.

My “important business,” turned out to be a plump robusto with a dead give-away of an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper.  This is indeed a blind review, but that delicate sheen and true-to-color-palette brown hue is something I never mistake.  It is crisp, veiny, and thin skinned.  If this isn’t Ecuador Habono, I’d be surprised.  The cigar is sturdy in hand and packed well.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

I go with my usual cross-cut and enjoy one of the best cold draws I’ve ever had- sweet molasses and well-humidified cedar.  I toast and light with a single torch and the aromas I’m greeted with as I stoke the flame are baking-spices and wood.

The first third is very reminiscent of every coffee order I would have to, “REMEMBER, OR ELSE!,” as a young construction apprentice.  “Coffee, milk, NO SUGAR! You got that kid!” As if even a dash of Splenda would have been enough to overly sweeten the sugar-plum fairies of pile-driving foreman and journeyman that still dance in my head this many years later.

On its first impression, the cigar shows itself to be a cigar that you don’t have to babysit.  It beckons me to self-indulge in puffery and smoke ring tomfoolery.  You know… all these years of smoking cigars, and I still cant freaking blow one smoke ring!  I knew college was a waste of time and money.

The cigar maintains a very even and cool burn so far. The retrohale and aroma coming off the foot are the same as the cold draw- sweet cedar.

 

The second third opens with some more flavor notes- potting soil, fruit, and hazelnuts.  The aroma and retro remain the same-sweet cedar. The only thing of REAL importance that I pick up is that the cigar is getting stronger.  Before smoking tonight, I happened to bulletproof my stomach with a quadruple patty sharp cheddar cheese burger and a shot of rum. Now, lets see if this cigar can actually tip an elephant over.  I’m down to rock and roll! Its been awhile, goddamnit!

The last third maintains the cool and even burn.  There are no burn issues or draw issues.  It just keeps getting stronger. The flavors also turn harsh- coffee grounds, espresso beans, and burnt toast.  I HATE burnt toast…The aroma and retro surprisingly stay the same- sweet cedar.  As the cigar finishes, I find myself bored and my tongue cooked.  I just want a pint of vanilla ice cream and my mother-in-law to leave ASAP, so i can go back to walking around naked in my own house again. “LEAVE!”

Conclusion

The cigar I smoked was a Davidoff Escurio Robusto.  What do you know?!  The cigar DOES come wrapped in a beautiful Ecuador Habano wrapper and showcases exclusive tobacco harvested from the watery climates of the “Bay of Todos os Santos, Brazil.” “You can dress her up, but you can’t take her out!,” is a saying I’ve come to know all too well in this life.  First, if you’ve ever met any of the women I’ve entertained, and secondly, Ecuador Habano is notorious for covering up a poop stain.  Was it the sauna-like humidity of early August in my garage that made this new and interesting Brazilian tobacco produce a nothing-special yet stronger profile then was advertised?  The construction and combustion were some of the best I’ve seen in awhile, yet I desperately found myself bored and wanting more out such a beautifully presented cigar. The cigar crashed and burned with me hoping it would just turn into a nicotine bomb so I could at least have a good fire-fight story to share!  AND NOW, after finding out the MSRP for the stick, there’s no way I would recommend someone at least give the cigar a shot-EVEN if I had the hope that their smoking experience may fare better than mine just went! When it comes to new and interesting tobaccos, I am known as a smoker that goes where no smoker has ventured before.  As a farmer and winemaker by trade, I also appreciate the notion of terroir and want to see if I can taste the motherland.  With all that said, I have found that many new and interesting tobaccos are almost always hit-or-miss, SOOOOOO, I strongly feel you shouldn’t have to pay a ransom for potential volatility.  If you want something funky, out-of-the-box, unorthodox and different- with a better pricing scheme- I would totally recommend CAO cigars as an alternative.  For cigars similar in effort to this one: if you can snag something from CAO’s quick-t0-sell “Amazon Basin” line or their “Brazilia” brand- I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Enjoy!

Final Score: 79

Blind Review: Protocol Bass Reeves Natural

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The Protocol Bass Reeves is the third installment for the Lawmen Series from Cubariqueno. Reeves, the name sake for this cigar was a figure who was often known as the inspiration for the Lone Ranger.

Reeves was born into slavery in Arkansas in 1838. It is unclear exactly how, but he was able to escape at some point during Civil War. He fled to the Indian Territory, learned their language, and lived amongst the Cherokees until 1865, freed by the Thirteenth Amendment. 

Later in life, Reeves was recruited to serve as the first black deputy for the West of Mississippi River due to his familiarity with the land and knowing the Natives’ language. 

“I feel it truly shows the diversity of the law enforcement community as a whole, that men and women from all races and ethnicities come together to serve the public at large,” said Juan Cancel, the co-founder of Cubariqueno, in a press conference. 

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Protocol: Bass Reeves Natural
  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
  • Binder: Nicaraguan
  • Filler: Nicaraguan 
  • Size: Toro (6″x52)

Appearance & Construction

The look and feel of this cigar reminded me of a tree branch. The cigar has a soft box-press, and it is a dusty brown color. There is one visible vein running from the cap to the end of the first third. And when I study the foot of the cigar, I can distinguish different types of tobacco used for fillers. 

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

The wrapper has a sweet, toasty, molasses scent to it. I then get vanilla and white pepper spice off the foot. After slicing off the cap, I proceed with a cold draw and got a flavor that reminded me of a damp log with some spice lingering. 

As I light the cigar, a white stream of smoke spirals out from the foot, carrying a scent of freshly baked goods. The smoke is very buttery, and I got flavors of sweet chicory (earthy and nutty), star anise, cocoa nibs, and red pepper spice. The retrohale on this cigar is intense with black pepper spice, roasted coffee beans, cocoa, and oak. There is a distinguished taste of sweet and spicy vanilla flavor in the finish that reminds me of Chinese sunflower seeds.

Overall, this cigar is a little overwhelming; my mouth is drying out with each puff, the black pepper spice dominates my palate, and there is a high amount of nicotine in this cigar. Nevertheless, the construction is pretty good for this cigar. The burn line is even, the ash is holding on at the 1.5-inch mark, and the draw restrictiveness is about 7 out of 10. 

Arriving at the second third, the profile continues to build on the sweetness and spiciness with flavors of dark cocoa, chicory, smokey oak wood, and sunflower seeds. The spice is receding on the palate while keeping the sweetness in the finish. The retrohale is still pepper forward. 

As I continue to smoke, there hasn’t been any change until I reach the nub. It feels like all the different flavors stop fighting against one another and becomes more cohesive. The flavor is sweet, oaky, nutty, and just enough spice to excite the palate. The spice on the retrohale has reduced, and I ended my experience with roasted nuts, vanilla, and leather.   

Conclusion

The Protocol Bass Reeves is a cigar aimed at veteran smokers. The unique and abundant flavors of cocoa, chicory, oak wood, vanilla, and pepper spice that I got from this smoke can be interpreted as complex at first. However, it becomes very overwhelming soon after with little to no alteration to it. The two highlights of this cigar are its construction and how it ended. The construction is so good that I honestly forgot to pay attention to it since it gave me no issue visually or during the smoking experience. In addition, I wish this cigar can start the way it ended: the final few puffs I got out of the Bass Reeves Natural was a harmonious experience. 

Final Rating: 87

Blind Review: Protocol Bass Reeves Maduro

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The Protocol launched the Lawmen Series to acknowledge and pay recognition to figures who has impacted in law enforcement throughout history. It all started in 2019 with Sir Robert Peel, the founder of Scotland Yard. Then in early 2021, introducing Eliot Ness, the second line in the Lawmen Series who is best known for capturing Al Capone during the Prohibition era. Lastly, the newest addition to the series, Bass Reeves, showcased at PCA 2021.

Being the first Black Deputy U.S. Marshal in history, Bass Reeves had many achievements throughout his career. One of the most notable is his arresting more than 3,000 dangerous criminals since he got sworn in in 1875.

With such accomplishments, having only one blend would not do him justice. Therefore, following up on the Natural, the Protocol: Bass Reeves Maduro is next on the blind review chopping board.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Protocol: Bass Reeves Maduro
  • Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
  • Binder: Nicaraguan
  • Filler: Nicaraguan
  • Size: Box Pressed Toro (6″x52)

Appearance & Construction

The cigar appearance is a cafe au lait color with few visible veins on the wrapper. The seam on the wrapper leaf is raised and detached from the surface. Nonetheless, it did not affect the construction as it still feels sturdy while holding it in my hand.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

There is a faint sweet and tangy scent coming off the wrapper and an abundance of pepper spice off the foot of the cigar. Using my Xikar XO cutter, I sliced off the cap and did a cold draw. It tastes fruity, musty, and has a freshness that reminds me of jalapenos. While lighting the cigar, the scent reinforced what I got from the cold draw, as if I was roasting fresh jalapenos over a live fire.

My first puff of this cigar surprised me with a copious amount of spice and nicotine, more than I thought it would have. As the nicotine slowly settled down in my stomach, I got bitter and sweet coffee, oak wood, charcoal, and black pepper spice on my palate. The retrohale isn’t too far from what I got on my palate: black pepper spice, coffee, and damp wood. The construction is pretty on point, the ash is holding together loosely, and the burn line is very even. Other than the flavor challenges, I have no trouble puffing on this cigar.

The spiciness slowly recedes as I’m approaching the second third. The flavors are more palatable: chocolate, oak wood, roasted peanuts, and red pepper spice. The pepper spice is still dominating the olfactory senses when I retrohale, but I was also able to get oak wood and roasted peanut shells. One characteristic of this cigar I am not a fan of is the finish. There is a saccharin or artificial sweetener aftertaste which I usually avoid in all my beverages. Therefore, it is not a pleasurable experience for me when smoking.

Upon reaching the final third, the flavors for this cigar bloomed. I got flavors of roasted nuts, caramel, oak wood, leather, and a hint of pepper spice. The retrohale becomes more enjoyable with caramel, peanuts, oak wood, and a hint of red pepper spice. It almost mirrors what I have on my palate.

Conclusion

The Bass Reeves Maduro started by striking me with a jarring set of tasting notes. The excessive amounts of pepper spice and nicotine content in the first third of this cigar almost made me quit smoking. But through patience, I was rewarded with delectable flavors such as caramel, oak bark, roasted peanuts, leather, and just enough spice to tingle the senses. I believe this cigar is meant for after a meal, paired with a dram of bourbon to optimize the appreciation for it.

Final Rating: 86

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