The year 2018 was a pivot year for Matt Booth and his Room 101 Cigars brand. As some of you know, Matt took a small hiatus from the cigar industry but returned in 2018 with “his” first new blend known as the Farce. Back in December I reviewed the pre-release edition of this new blend in its Lonsdale vitola. Today I offer a review of the Room 101 Farce Robusto production cigar.
Recapping the make up of the Room 101 Farce, the blend is described as:
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian
- Binder: Indonesian
- Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Pennsylvania
Manufactured at Tabacalera William Ventura in the Dominican Republic, the Room 101 Farce is available in 4 different vitolas each packaged in 20- count boxes.
- Lonsdale (6.5 x 42) – MSRP $10.50
- Robusto (5 x 52) – MSRP $10.90
- Toro (6.25 x 54) – MSRP $11.90
- Gordo (6.5 x 60) – MSRP $12.90
There is also a fifth (event only), 4 x 42 vitola, known as the Papi Chulo.
Today’s review is based on the robusto sample I received as part of the Smoke Inn Great Smoke 2019 package.
Pre-Light Examination
The Room 101 Farce is a glistening dark tan cigar with minimal veins. The cigar is smooth to the touch and quite solid in the hand. There are noticeable seams.
There are two bands that brand the Room 101 Farce. The primary is a medium grey band that utilizes the company’s logo in a darker grey hue. off to the right of the logo is the phrase “ROOM 101” and to the left of the logo is the word “FARCE” that uses a modern sans serif condensed font. The secondary band uses the darker grey hue of the logo with the word “FARCE” in the center using the medium grey hue of the primary band.
With an inviting look and feel to the cigar, it was time to check out the pre-light aromas. There was mild to no aromas along the barrel while the foot exudes notes of butter, nut, and a sprinkle of pepper.
Visual check and aromas are solid; so lets move to the cold draw to taste the pre-light tobacco flavors. I sliced the cap straight and took the first few cold puffs which I would describe as mildly restricted. The palate was treated to light earth and gentle pepper notes.
OK, you know whats next, that right – TURN IT TO ASH ! So I grabbed my double flame torch and warmed the foot of the Farce to a nice orange glow. I drew in a mouth filling volume of smoke laden with notes of black pepper and earth. The pepper was not overly intense but was enough to open the nasals more on the retro-hale. I cued up an old Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) vinyl on the turntable and proceeded to take a Room 101 journey.
Cigar Review Notes
- Mouth filling – full volume of smoke with notes of black pepper and earth
- Touch of mineral enters early in the burn
- Light grey ash forms on a fairly thick char line
- Sweet cinnamon aroma develops – think of the smell of a Cinnabon Bakery counter walking through a mall, it draws you right in
- Buttery notes enter
- The smoothness of the cigar is as smooth and Jeff Lynne’s guitar in Rollover Beethoven
- Strength begins to ratchet up
- Cedar notes enter moving into the second third
- Aroma shifts to more of a fruit note
- The well formed and solid ash fell early in the second third
- Slightly off centered burn cone
- Spice increases in second third along with a plum fruit nuance
- Excellent oil development on the wrapper
- Slight off burn develops that required a mild touch up
- Hazelnut enters profile near end of the second third
- Touch of bitterness entering final third
- Sweetness tones down the bitterness moving into the nub
- Medium to Full in strength
- Total Smoking time was 1 hour and 40 Minutes (close to double album time)
Overall, the Room 101 Farce Robusto was a very pleasurable cigar that offered a complex array of notes with a sweet and fruity aroma. It did have a slight off burn which required a mild touch-up and a once the ash fell it had a slightly off-centered burn cone. Though there was a slight bitterness entering the final third that was quickly cloaked with a natural sweetness. I rate this a 94 and would recommend picking up a fiver to add to your rotation.
Point Deductions: (-1) Off-Centered Burn cone; (-1) Off Burn; (-1) Required Mild Touch up
Bonus Points: (+1) Excellent Wrapper Oiling
