601 La Bomba Warhead X

More than a decade ago, the then relatively new Espinosa Premium Cigars announced the 601 La Bomba Warhead, an extension to the La Bomba sub-brand of the 601 brand that the company acquired as part of the break-up of EO Cigars.

Warhead wasn’t necessarily made to be a stronger version of the La Bomba line, though the name certainly conjures up the idea of strength. For at least the first release, the internal blend was the same as La Bomba but the Warhead got a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, the first time that wrapper was used for the brand.

I remember the first release, but not for its blend or even how the cigar smoked. Rather, the cigar’s packaging used a painted bomb as the brand identifier. The band looked just like a World War II bomb and the company even brought along some dummy bombs to the IPCPR Convention & Trade Show that year.

• 601 La Bomba Warhead (6 1/2 x 54) — 2013 — 2,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (20,000 Total Cigars)
• 601 La Bomba Warhead II (5 1/2 x 56) — 2014 — 2,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (20,000 Total Cigars)
• 601 La Bomba Warhead III (7 1/2 x 38) — 2016 — 500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (5,000 Total Cigars)
• 601 La Bomba Warhead IV (6 x 48) — 2018 — 1,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (10,000 Total Cigars)
• 601 La Bomba Warhead V (6 x 52) — 2019— 1,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (10,000 Total Cigars)
• 601 La Bomba Warhead VI (5 x 58) — 2020 — 1,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (10,000 Total Cigars)
• 601 La Bomba Warhead VII (7 x 50) — 2021 — 2,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (20,000 Total Cigars)
• 601 La Bomba Warhead VIII (7 x 50) — 2022 — 2,500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (25,000 Total Cigars)
• 601 La Bomba Warhead IX (6 x 56) — 2023 — 5,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (50,000 Total Cigars)
• 601 La Bomba Warhead X (6 x 55) — 2024 — 5,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (50,000 Total Cigars)

Since then, the Warhead has been a near annual release—there were no new versions in 2015 and 2017—with new installments coming in various shapes and sizes. In March, the company shipped the 10th iteration of Warhead, coming in a 6 x 55 oval-pressed toro extra vitola. It’s a shape that has been used for a variety of other cigars made at AJ Fernandez’s San Lotano Factory, including some Knuckle Sandwich Cigars, the partnership between Espinosa and Guy Fieri, the celebrity chef.

 

As with previous releases. the cigar uses the painted bomb for its logo, though this year that same design is also used for the box. Literally, the shape of the box is the same as the band.

“This year’s bomb is very special,” said Erik Espinosa via a press release when the cigar was announced. “We began teasing it at La Zona Palooza. My son worked tirelessly on the design and presentation for this release; the entire sales team has been chomping at the bit to get these to retailers. Personally, I am very happy that the PCA is in March, and we didn’t have to wait to launch the Warhead in July as usual. I have no doubt it will be the talk of the show.”

• Cigar Reviewed: 601 La Bomba Warhead X
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: San Lotano Factory
• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 55
• Vitola: Toro Extra
• MSRP: $16 (Box of 10, $160)
• Release Date: March 4, 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: 5,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (50,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

While previous iterations of this line might have had darker-colored wrappers, I’m surprised by how much discoloration there is across the three 601 La Bomba Warhead Xs I have for this review. Some of the lighter colors are around the vein structure—certainly not a unique thing—but one of the cigars has a large section of lighter color. The first cigar is noticeably squishy, though the other two cigars are firmer than average. The aromas from the wrappers are medium-plus or medium-full with a vinegar scent that reminds me of a Carolina-style barbecue joined by some campfire smells, which even furthers the barbecue reminders. The aromas of the feet of the second and third cigars are medium-full with brown sugar, woodiness and hints of red pepper. For whatever reason, the first cigar is full and smells like cinnamon cookies have just been taken out of the oven, an incredibly distinct smell that I can’t recall ever finding before while sniffing a cigar. “What a weird fucking cold draw” is the first thing in my notes. The first cigar tastes like someone took a cigar and dipped the top part in some red communion wine. Not “has accents of red wine communion wine,” no, like the cigar was flavored with red communion wine. While that flavor is present in the second cigar, it’s more of an accent joined by cocoa, caramel and some petroleum flavors. That said, the most distinct thing about that cold draw experience is smelling the vinegar-like scent from the wrapper. The third cigar is far more common with brownie sweetness over some soft red pepper, caramel and fruit juice, around medium-full.

Given how intense the red wine flavor was on the cold draw of the first cigar, it’s no surprise that I can still taste some of it once the first cigar is lit. That said, the flavor is largely about woodiness and crisp black pepper. Toastiness and cocoa lead the starts of the other two cigars—though they have noticeably different profiles—with caramel, mineral flavors, black pepper and some toffee making appearances. Despite all of their differences, the three cigars each begin medium-full. Woodiness—varying between damp woods to campfire smells—and a sharp spiciness are the leading flavors. Cocoa, toffee, something that reminds me of the smell of used oil after frying some chicken, and a bright generic fruitiness serve as accents for the three cigars. On the first and—to a lesser extent—second cigars, I can taste remnants of the red wine flavor during the finish, though earthiness and metallic flavors are the strongest sensations. The third cigar has some roux-like creaminess that binds everything together, though I’m more impressed with how bright some of the flavors taste. Retrohales can produce a very intense black pepper that overwhelms the woodiness, though the toffee sweetness comes in to help soften things. The third cigar has a distinct hard pretzel flavor, though I don’t find it in the other two. Whatever is the leading flavor of the retrohale stalls out during the finish, overtaken by woodiness, light roast espresso and the campfire flavor. Flavor varies between just shy of full to full, body is medium-full though close to full and strength is medium-plus. Construction of all three cigars is fantastic during the first third.

The 601 La Bomba Warhead X takes a step back towards being a bit more average than the excellence of the first third. So much of the step backwards is because the profile has settled into a more pedestrian flavor mixture of earthiness and black pepper, accented by flavors of nuttiness, charred woods, leather and creaminess. The largest difference is that the brightness that certain flavors had in the first third is largely gone, meaning there’s far less differentiation when it comes to the texture of the different flavors. The finish is a bit more bitter than the main profile, though still pretty enjoyable. Roasted woods, earthiness and black pepper lead creaminess and dry minerals. While the cigars are hardly identical, the general tenure is pretty similar. Retrohales have more lively roasted wood flavors, though outside of a creamy pistachio ice cream flavor on the second cigar, there’s not much difference between the retrohales and the main flavors. Flavor is medium-full and body is full or medium-full. The first and third cigars are full in strength, while the second cigar is in the medium-full category. Construction remains fantastic.

I’m thrilled that the final third of each cigar is much closer to the first third than the second third. The brightness picks back up, attaching itself to a cinnamon flavor. Just having one flavor with a different texture substantially increases the complexity of the cigar. Salted potato chips and earthiness are stronger than the cinnamon, though maybe not as noticeable. The earthy core remains, at times, accented by the roux flavor. The third cigar is a bit drier and lacks as much brightness, though it too has improved from the middle parts. During the finish, the roux flavor morphs into more of a generic dough sensation, joined by minerals, saltiness and a red pepper. Retrohales have soggy french fries joining the earthy core, accented by leather and some of the generic fruitiness—almost like the taste of a watered-down Capri Sun—that I found on the first third. The finish has some of the mineral and metallic aspects, though they aren’t as strong as the other flavors and don’t negatively impact the profile that much. Flavor is full, body is medium-full and strength is slightly toned down compared to the second third: right around full for the first and third cigar, though more like medium-plus for the second cigar. The final cigar needs a touch-up to help with combustion, though construction remains very good overall.

Final Notes

• For those confused by the “brightness” term regarding flavors, think about the difference of a particular food before it is seasoned with lemon and/or salt. The salmon you seasoned isn’t going to taste like tuna, but the added acidity not only changes the chemical reactions taking place on your tongue or in your nose, it also makes it easier for your brain to detect them. The brightness I found was taking flavors I find in other cigars—pepper, caramel, cinnamon—but giving them a slightly different texture, which made them easier to identify compared to the other flavors. What’s very interesting is that the flavors aren’t necessarily the strongest, even if they are the easiest to identify.

• I’m not sure how many cigars have bands and boxes that are more or less the same design, but this is as close as I can think of seeing. The band, pictured above, even has the red nose.  It is also very difficult to remove; I’d recommend just tearing it off.

• This is one of my favorite cigar boxes of the year so far. The back of the box features two pre-drilled holes that will make it much easier to hang this box on a wall. This is a small feature, but one that I think is super smart as it gives Espinosa a much better chance at getting free publicity by people mounting these on a wall. It reminds me of the Oliva Master Blends 1, which also came with a hole drilled out to make the lid easier to hang for display.

• On the downside, the nose of our box came off. It’s nothing a tiny dot of glue can’t fix.
• This is some of the least shelf-friendly packaging I’ve seen in quite some time. Less than half of the width of the box is used for storing cigars. If the cigars sell quickly, however, it doesn’t really matter how poor the efficiency of the box is.

• These cigars are listed by Espinosa at 6 x 55, I’m not sure what to make of the ring gauge disparity though perhaps the unique oval press is the cause.
• Cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time was just shy of three hours.
• Site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars Direct, Corona Cigar Co., Famous Smoke Shop, JR Cigar and Smokingpipes carry the 601 La Bomba Warhead X.