This fall brought news of a brand new Limited Edition 601 cigar. The details in the beginning were a bit sketchy but after a few calls people were able to figure it out. The cigar was being created to commemorate a book release party of Rafael Cerrato Salas’s book “25448, No! Roberto Martín Peréz” which is a biography of a man named Roberto Martín Peréz. I was able to find this info on Roberto Martín Peréz….

“Roberto Martín Peréz served 28 years of his life in a Cuban jail for his political views against Fidel Castro s Communist regime. During his imprisonment, he was referred to by Fidel Castro himself as the father of the prisoners . He currently lives in Miami, Florida, where he has gained the respect of the community for his valor and for upholding his principles in and out of jail. Without a doubt, this is one of the most complete books on the Cuban experience ever written. “

Here is a photo of the book and of Roberto Martín Peréz himself…

Thanks to Amazon.com for use of the photo

Thanks to www.ellugareno.com for use of this photo

From what we have gathered only 364 boxes of 10 cigars (so 3640 total) have been made, which symbolizes the amount of months (364) that Roberto Martín Peréz was a defiant prisoner in Castro’s prison. The cigars are sold in a package including the book which at this point is only released in Spanish language although an English version will follow at some point soon.

Here is what the Box looks like:

The Details about the specific blend are very vague. We do know that it sports a Habano wrapper just as the Regular production red label does however we are told the blend itself is much different. The cigar is 6 x 52 making it a standard Toro size cigar. The band is Red and looks exactly like the production red label except it has a second band reading “Limited Edition 2010 Macho”

Lets get on to the review, shall we?

• Cigar Reviewed: 601 Edición Limitada 2010 “Macho”
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Size: 6
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Vitola: Toro
• MSRP: $8.00 (Boxes of 10, $80)
• Number of Cigars Released: 364 Boxes of 10 Cigars (3,640 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 3

The cigar is very nice looking, I love the Toro size and I love the look of the second band it has. The cigar has a Habano wrapper sporting a fairly light shade, it looks to be Colorado. The cigar has some veins here and there but looks clean and has a smooth feel to it. It’s perfectly packed and is firm to the touch, definitely a well made cigar.

Pre-light aroma is chocolate with quite a bit of a barnyard aroma at the foot. There is also a faint cedar note as well. The pre-light draw is very earthy with a musty mushroom like note as well as a bit of hay and cedar.

Starting off in the first third there is a nice pepper kick right away. It last forever on the finish and trickles all the way down the back of my tongue. After a few puffs the cigar settles into a nice cedar profile. There is a wonderful sweetness at play and mixed with the pepper offers a perfect balance. The Cedar that I am getting is very pleasant, it’s mellow and sweet and gives the cigar and aged character, a very nice start.

Coming into the second third the cigar just takes me on a roller coaster of flavors and aromas. The aged cedar is still in charge but there is now a wonderful chocolate flavor, there is a honey sweetness coming in and out and the smoke is very velvety and creamy with hints of vanilla here and there, it reminds me very much of a Cohiba profile, so much that I would swear I was smoking a Cuban cigar at times. The Pepper is still present and just lingers in the background creating a very nice complex smoke. The finish is ridiculously long, it just goes on forever.

Finishing up in the final third the cigar switches up again and I am hit with a deep rich coffee flavor, more of an espresso as it has a burnt taste to it, but not bitter by any means. There are waves of cedar and chocolate still present and that nice creaminess is still around. The pepper has died down a bit and the cigar does not heat up one bit…I am able to nub it with ease.

Final Notes:

• As with most 601 cigars the performance and overall construction were absolutely perfect. I didn’t have to touch it up once and it burned razor sharp the entire time with a draw that was to die for.
• As I stated at the beginning of the review only 364 boxes of these were made so they will not last forever, but at this moment there are some boxes available and you can get them at Sabor Havana Cigars in Doral… (305)-436-8860, ask for Jose and tell them smokingstogie.com sent you. Boxes are on sale right now for $80 (without the book) or around $130 with the book (keep in mind that the book is in Spanish only at the moment..)
• Final Smoking time was 1 hour 43 minutes.

The Bottom Line: I was extremely impressed with this cigar. It’s a medium/full body cigar with a medium strength but it has loads of flavor… not just regular flavors, but it has a mellow aged character to it that is just amazing. I am very protective of Cuban cigars in that I don’t find too many Non Cubans that remind me of them, but I can honestly say this cigar had some of the same flavor profiles as Cuban tobacco. It was Very mellow, rich and creamy and had a nice pepper the whole way. I will be getting more of these for sure…

Final Score: 92