For three years in a row Room101 has released a limited edition series called the Master Collection. It started with Master Collection One, followed by Master Collection Two and finishing now with master Collection Three.

It was a limited edition blend that was introduced with much fanfare: the brand’s best packaging and blends—according to Room101. While the line has always had the same five sizes, the blend and packaging varied from release to release.

Both the Master Collection One and Two scored quite well with us, so it was no surprise when the Master Collection Three Mutante again broke the 90-point mark in Patrick Lagreid’s review of it earlier this month. Without rehashing all of the history he put together so well, here’s a snippet about the three releases as a whole:

The series stopped at three because the Room101 team thought it was just the right amount of releases for the project. According to Dylan Austin, director of marketing for Davidoff of Geneva USA, Master Collection One was “to introduce the new Sakura mark and the concept of a short and beautiful life, to set the tone for the series.” The second came from Booth’s adventures into the world of gold, where he was doing a lot of work with it. The third installment came to because of the strength of the blend, which made sense to serve as the wrap-up for the collection. Austin said they have been sitting on the blend since the third quarter of 2014.

Room101 Master Collection Three Roxxo Box 1

Room101 Master Collection Three Roxxo Box 2

Room101 Master Collection Three Roxxo Box 3

As previously stated, each of the Master Collections feature the same five sizes, which are.

  • Room101 Master Collection Three Mutante (7 x 38) — $10 (Boxes of 20, $200) — 500 Boxes of 20 Cigars (10,000 Total Cigars)
  • Room101 Master Collection Three Sucio (7 x 48) — $11 (Boxes of 20, $220) — 500 Boxes of 20 Cigars (10,000 Total Cigars)
  • Room101 Master Collection Three Monstro (5 x 60) — $12 (Boxes of 20, $240) — 1,500 Boxes of 20 Cigars (30,000 Total Cigars)
  • Room101 Master Collection Three Roxxo (4 x 48) — $9 (Boxes of 20, $180) — 1,500 Boxes of 20 Cigars (30,000 Total Cigars)
  • Room101 Master Collection Three Papi Chulo (4 x 42) — $8 (Boxes of 50, $400) — 500 Boxes of 50 Cigars (25,000 Total Cigars)

Room101 Master Collection Three Roxxo 1

  • Cigar Reviewed: Room101 Master Collection Three Roxxo
  • Country of Origin: Honduras
  • Factory: Agroindustrias Laepe, S.A.
  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
  • Binder: Dominican Republic
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • Size: 4 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 48
  • Vitola: Petit Robusto
  • MSRP: $9 (Boxes of 20, $180)
  • Date Released: Feb. 6, 2015
  • Number of Cigars Released: 1,500 Boxes of 20 Cigars (30,000 Total Cigars)
  • Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The beautiful medium brown wrapper is virtually flawless, as is the application, and is smooth and slightly oily to the touch. There are a couple of minor soft spots when given a gentle squeeze though I don’t think enough to cause burn issues. The aroma off the wrapper is slightly grainy, with a bit of graham cracker and fresh hay notes. The cold draw is altogether different with a touch of black pepper and a very prominent gingerbread note taking over.

Immediately, a mild pepper, cedar and a light spice to my palate as the Master Collection Three Roxxo lights up easily. The draw is a little on the loose side, though it’s still within acceptable limits. There is a ton of smoke production, allowing the flavorful aroma of the cigar to wrap itself around me as it smolders. The burn line is nearly perfect, with only a small vein lagging behind, and the ash holds on to about a half an inch. The cigar has increased in strength already and the black pepper has increased a touch as well. Some espresso has shown up alongside the cedar and spice, rounding the profile out nicely.

Room101 Master Collection Three Roxxo 2

The second third shows up quickly, continuing with the same black pepper, cedar, spice and espresso. I’m impressed with the quality of the construction, as the burn has continued near perfectly and the ash holds on until I ash it around three quarters of an inch. The only minor complaint I have is the ash does have a bit of flakiness to it. A toasted marshmallow note has popped up, an interesting addition though one that works.

Room101 Master Collection Three Roxxo 3

The final third continues with much the same, though the pepper has died down a bit. Cedar, spice, espresso and toasted marshmallow meld nicely, without any specific flavor taking the forefront. There has been just enough development to keep the cigar moving, though if it were a bland profile it would be boring. Luckily enough, the profile is enjoyable and I don’t care so much that there isn’t too much change. The burn continues to be spot on up until the very end with no need for a touch up, which is impressive in its own right.

Room101 Master Collection Three Roxxo 4

Final Notes

  • Between the stark black and white band, the light bouncing off all the snow and the lack of wind allowing the billowing smoke to curl around the cigar, the Roxxo was a pleasure to photograph.
  • Each sample performed near flawlessly, with only one needing the smallest of touch ups because of a small spike in the burn line that was lagging behind.
  • While the Master Collection as a name might be done, it’s not something to mourn overly much. As each release was a different blend with the same sizes, many of the Room101 releases actually feature the same five sizes. Dylan Austin, director of marketing for Davidoff of Geneva USA, has stated that there are more limited releases like the Master Collection in the works, so I wouldn’t be worried about more enjoyable limited editions coming from the Room101 camp.
  • Yes, it’s the least expensive size in the line, but it’s also a $9 cigar at 4 x 48.
  • It’s cold outside – and that means shorter cigars are definitely preferred by many. Smoking three of them back to back however kind of kills any kind of time advantage they might have given you though.
  • Room101 is distributed by Davidoff of Geneva.
  • The cigars for this review were provided to halfwheel by Room101, who advertises on the site.
  • Final smoking time averaged right around an hour.
92 Overall Score

In a previous Room101 review I mentioned that the brand’s cigars have been hit and miss for me. At this point however, there have been enough hits. In recent times, Room101 has been consistently coming out with great blends in sizes that I really enjoy, and the Master Collection Three Roxxo was no exception to that. A solid, enjoyable profile paired with phenomenal construction really took this cigar to great places. Historically the Mutante size has been the one to sell out quickly, so I’m sure that the Roxxo will be easier to find a full box of. Having said that though, I wouldn’t wait around all day to seek these out.

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Brian Burt

I have been smoking cigars since 2005 and reviewing them as a hobby since 2010. Initially, I started out small with a 50-count humidor and only smoking one or two cigars a month. Not knowing anybody else that smoked cigars, it was only an occasional hobby that I took part in. In March of 2010, I joined Nublive and Cigar Asylum, connecting me with many people who also shared an interest in cigars. Reading what they had to say about brands I had never heard of, I quickly immersed myself in the boutique brands of the industry and it was then that cigars transformed from a hobby into a passion.