Room101 Farce Maduro Robusto

When 2017 kicked off, it was a big year of change for Matt Booth and Room101 Cigars. At the time, Booth had split his production and distribution from Davidoff and was planning on taking a hiatus from the premium cigar industry. A few months later, as the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show came around, Matt Booth was back – and he was rebooting his brand. He was working with new production sources as well as a new distribution channel. At the time of his return, he was involved in a couple of collaborative projects (Hit&Run and The T) with Robert Caldwell. Fast forward one more year and Booth would begin to launch his own projects under the Room101 brand. Booth’s solo premium line would be known as Room101 Farce – and its a line in his portfolio that would grow to three blends. Fast forward one more time to 2019 and Room101 would release its third Farce blend, the Room101 Farce Maduro. Today, we take a look at the Room101 Farce Maduro in the Robusto size.

In addition to the Room101 Farce Maduro, the Room101 Farce line also features the Room101 Farce (Habano) and Room101 Connecticut blends. The Room101 Maduro features a San Andres wrapper. In general, Room101 is a brand that has not been known for its Maduro releases. In the past, Room101 (most notably on the Room101 San Andres and Room101 Master Collection One) has used San Andres, but these were technically San Andres natural wrapper releases. For a brand that had been quiet with Maduro, 2019 was the year of Maduro for Room101 as it also saw the release of The Big Payback Maduro.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Room101 Farce Maduro Robusto and see what this cigar would bring to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

In addition to the San Andres Maduro wrapper, the Room101 Farce Maduro consists of an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over a blend of fillers from Nicaragua and the United States. Production is handled out of Tabacalera William Ventura in the Dominican Republic.

Wrapper: San Andres Mexican Maduro
Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler: Nicaraguan, U.S. (Pennsylvania and Connecticut Broadleaf)
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacalera William Ventura

Vitolas Offered

The Room101 Farce Maduro is available in four sizes. Each is presented in 20-count boxes

Papi Chulo: 4 x 42
Robusto: 5 1/2 x 52
Toro: 6 x 52
Magnum: 6 x 60

Room101 Farce Maduro Packaging

Appearance

The San Andres wrapper of the Room101 Farce Maduro Robusto had a roasted coffee bean color to it. Upon closer examination, there was some subtle mottling present on the surface of the wrapper. This was a wrapper that didn’t have much in the way of oil on it. There were some visible veins as well as some minimally visible wrapper seams.

Prominently on the front of this band is Room101’s signature Sakura (Cherry Blossom) logo. The Sakura has a midnight blue, white, and gold design to it. The Sakura sits on a midnight blue background with white trim. On the right side of the band is the text “ROOM101” in gold.

There is also a white-colored secondary band. Sitting on the band is the text “F|A|R|C|E” in gold font. Below the text is a blue pinstripe.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

Prior to lighting up the Room101 Farce Maduro Robusto, a straight cut was used to remove the cap of the cigar. Once the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw. The dry draw delivered notes of cocoa, earth, and some mixed fruit sweetness. I judged this to be a satisfactory pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to toast up the Room101 Farce Maduro Robusto and move on to the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The Room101 Farce Maduro Robusto opened up with notes of cocoa powder, coffee, cedar, oak, and red pepper. Sometimes I get a “mocha” fusion between the coffee and cocoa notes, but in the face of the Farce Maduro Robusto, the notes remained separate and distinct. During the first third, the coffee notes emerged as the primary note. The cocoa, cedar, oak, and pepper notes receded to the back. As the cigar progressed through the first third, a slight fruit note also emerged. Meanwhile, there was a layer of both red and green pepper spices on the retro-hale.

During the second third of the Room101 Farce Maduro Robusto, the coffee note still remained in the forefront. The cedar and pepper became the next most prominent notes in the background. The pepper was still more prominent on the finish. Occasionally, the cocoa notes popped in as the next most prominent background note. Meanwhile, there still were notes of oak and fruit present in the more distant background.

During the final third, the coffee notes held on as the most prominent note. Both the cedar and pepper inched closer to the forefront but did not quite cross the threshold. Meanwhile, the cocoa, fruit, and oak notes were more distant. This is the way the Room101 Farce Maduro Robusto came to a close. The resulting nub was slightly soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The Room101 Farce Maduro Robusto had a jagged-burn line requiring more touch-ups than I would prefer. These touch-ups did ensure that the cigar maintained a straight burn path from start to finish. The resulting ash was light gray. This was an ash that was skewed toward the firmer side. Meanwhile, the Room101 Farce Maduro Robusto maintained an ideal burn temperature and had an ideal burn rate.

Burn of the Room101 Farce Maduro Robusto

Draw

The Room101 Farce Maduro Robusto had an open, but not loose draw. Normally I prefer a touch of resistance to the draw. In this case, there was still no problems deriving the flavor from this cigar.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength and body, the Room101 Farce Maduro Robusto started out medium. For the most part, the strength didn’t have much variance during the smoking experience. As for the body, there was a slight increase as the cigar headed into the last third which pushed the body into the medium to full range. During the smoking experience, the body maintained a slight edge over the strength.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

At each year’s Trade Show, I’m always asked what are some of the things I liked being showcased. In the case of the 2019 IPCPR Trade Show, the Room101 Farce Maduro Robusto was definitely one of the highlights. Since the cigar has hit the market, it has not disappointed. The Room101 Farce Maduro Robusto excels in the category that matters the most – flavor. If you like the combination of cocoa, coffee, and spicy notes that a San Andres Maduro wrapped blend can deliver, the Room101 Farce Maduro is for you. This is a cigar I would recommend to any cigar enthusiast. As for myself, the Room101 Farce Maduro Robusto is a cigar I would pick up again – and it’s one of which I would buy multiples for my humidor.

Summary

Key Flavors: Cocoa, Coffee, Pepper, Cedar, Oak, Fruit Sweetness
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium (1st 2/3), Medium to Full (Final Third)
Finish: Very Good