Cigar Review The Big Payback Maduro by Room 101
Posted on December 03 2020
Vitola: 5x50 Robusto
Smoking Time:
Cigars Smoked: 2
Body: Medium
MSRP: $6.50
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Connecticut Shade
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua and Dominican
Room101 Cigars was founded in 2009 with the intent to honor the craft and rich history of cigar making whilst applying a progressive approach to both blending and product design. From its inception, the Room101 brand quickly garnered the respect and intrigue of cigar traditionalists as well as a newer breed of enthusiasts in the early stages of what was to become an era of “boutique” brands.
Visual Inspection: Mostly smooth wrapper, much better quality than I expected from a cigar of this price point. Slight water spotting, no obvious construction issues. Well packed with no soft spots.
Cold Draw: Very sweet, floral, slight leather note, along with some faint coffee and earth.
First Third: On first light the cigar is wonderful, took flame well, and is burning very even so far. The cigar is still very sweet, just like the cold draw, and that floral note is outstanding. Coffee earth and leather undertones are still there. I am happy to say that the cold draw accurately represents the first few inches of this cigar. The ash on this cigar is beautiful, but before I go further with that comment i will say that the color of ash does not have any correlation with the quality of the tobacco or cigar. The ash on this cigar is WHITE and strong, it does stand out.
The retrohale on this cigar is full of pepper, and not for those of you with a delicate olfactory nerve. The retro does add significant body to the cigar, ranking it more in the Medium+ category, but for the purposes of this review I will call this a Medium bodied cigar.
Second Third: The second third of this cigar is more of the same from the first, flavors are still good, nothing to complain about. Burn is consistent and even, ash is strong. No draw or construction issues. There are really no changes to report in the flavor category.
Final Third: The last third of this stick produces more body than the rest, the cream here also turns up a bit. Although not many changes from the flavors present in the first and second thirds of this stick. Still no issues with construction or burn.
Final Thoughts: Coming in at under $7 a cigar this Room 101 Payback Maduro is a must smoke. Affordable, consistent, smooth, and enjoyable. If you have not given this stick a chance yet, you absolutely must!
-Chris