Room101 14th Anniversary

This year marks the 14th anniversary of Room101 as a cigar brand and like the company has done for the last four years, that’s resulted in an anniversary cigar.

The Room101 14th Anniversary is a 6 x 52 toro that is made entirely of Nicaraguan tobacco from Abdel Fernández’s farm. Room101 never disclosed the factory that made the 11th anniversary release, but the 10th Anniversary, 12th Anniversary, 13th Anniversary and now 14th Anniversary cigars were disclosed as being made by AJ Fernandez.

While this might be the fifth year of these releases, it’s at least the sixth cigar. That is because last year, Room101 released not only the 13th Anniversary but also a second size of the 12th Anniversary.

• Room101 10th Anniversary (6 x 52) — 2019 — 500 Boxes of 20 Cigars (10,000 Total Cigars)
• Room101 11th Anniversary (6 x 54) — 2020 — 1,000 Boxes of 20 Cigars (20,000 Total Cigars)
• Room101 12th Anniversary (6 x 52) — 2021 — 1,001 Boxes of 20 Cigars  (20,020 Total Cigars)
• Room101 13th Anniversary (6 x 52) — 2022 — 1,500 Boxes of 20 Cigars (30,000 Total Cigars)
• Room101 12th Anniversary Perfecto (6 x 56) — 2022 — 450 Boxes of 10 Cigars (4,500 Total Cigars)
• Room101 14th Anniversary (6 x 52) — 2023 — Undisclosed

While the branding is rather similar from release to release, each year Room101 has changed up the color scheme for the packaging. This year’s version uses red as the dominant color.

• Cigar Reviewed: Room101 14th Anniversary
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.
• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Vitola: Toro
• MSRP: $13.99 (Box of 20, $279.80)
• Release Date: July 2023
• Number of Cigars Released: Undisclosed
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

Two of the three cigars are very dark, not black but amongst the darkest shades of brown I see on cigars. One wrapper is lighter—although still very dark—with more reds and less of the flat brown color. There’s not much oil on the wrappers, but I commend the cigar molds used, as these cigars are extremely cylindrical. The aroma from the wrapper has freshly varnished wood and barnyard over some roasted campfire woods and some underlying sweetness. One cigar has a chemical smell that reminds me of the smell of a Sharpie marker, but other than that, the aromas from the wrappers are about as consistent as any cigar. The smells from the feet of the three cigars are stronger and also pretty consistent. I pick up the smell of chocolate milk—not to be confused with milk chocolate—along with earthiness, sharpness and acidity. Cold draws are less consistent with raisins, grains and/or cocoa leading raspberry, sourness, leather, bitterness and fruits. It’s medium-full, more sour than sweet.

While not as consistent as the pre-light experience, the three Room101 14th Anniversarys start off pretty similar. Bark and toastiness lead bitterness, green pepper, leather, creaminess and toasted potato chips. While the two main flavors are present on each cigar, the secondary notes vary from cigar to cigar. That variance is quite limited compared to where the cigars are at after 15 minutes. While the first and third cigars I smoke are quite similar, the second cigar is much different and a lot more interesting. The two similar cigars tend to be powerhouses of earthiness, charcoal and pepper over bitterness and saltiness. The outlier is still full in flavor, but more like an 8/10 instead of a 12/10. Furthermore, it’s got a great tartness that accents nearly every puff. The list of flavors isn’t radically different, but the profile toning itself down allows for more interesting secondary notes like bread, rich saltiness and a faint hints of rose water. The finish of each cigar shows secondary notes of peppermint and saltiness, but it’s oftentimes dominated by earthiness, toastiness and pepper. Again, the second cigar has a tartness and a calmer demeanor. Retrohales deliver copious amounts of a bright pepper flavor—almost palate-cleansing—followed by some gravy-like meaty and starchy flavor and then some bright fruits. For as overwhelming as the pepper can be, it’s extremely nuanced with different types of pepper hitting different parts of the palate. The finish is short, with bread flavors and earthiness joining the black pepper. Flavor is full, body is full and strength is medium-full or full. Construction is excellent on two cigars, the third cigar I smoke has a slightly tighter draw but no other issues.

By the midpoint of the third Room101 14th Anniversary I smoke, I’m concerned about how I’m going to feel by the time the cigar finishes. The nicotine is strong, aggressive and past my personal point of comfort. I eventually get to that point—though later on in the cigar—during the first the cigar I smoke. Curiously, while the second cigar is full strength, it’s not anywhere near the other two, further cementing its outlier status. Again, toning things down slightly allows for much more nuance. The second third of that cigar is led by toastiness and bread flavors—though not toasted bread—along with creaminess, grapefruit tartness, potato chips, earthiness and a decent dose of white pepper. The other two cigars are led by toastiness and a very sharp earthiness with red pepper and sourness accenting things off. It’s a contrast that really shows that just because a cigar can be stronger in flavor doesn’t mean it’s going to have more flavors. The finish of the two powerhouse cigars has burnt earthiness and lots of saltiness with some of the bread flavors coming through. The calmed-down version of the profile shows walnut, earthiness and toastiness leading the finish with a milder roasted flavor that lasts longer into the finish. In lieu of pepper, that cigar has a sharpness that reminds me more of the burn of a tequila shot. Retrohales are closer to one another: burnt earthiness and pepper over muted gingerbread cookie. The secondary notes vary a bit: one cigar has tartness, the other two have sourness and saltiness. In case this wasn’t clear: flavor is full, body is full and strength is at least full. The first two cigars I smoke continue to have virtually flawless construction, while the third cigar requires a couple of touch-ups to help with combustion.

Earthiness, toastiness and pepper continue to lead two cigars. At times, the profile takes a step back and allows for more nuance—especially to the pepper—but either the flavors have become a bit more muted or my palate is fatigued as I don’t taste as much detail. It’s not to say they’ve backed off in intensity, rather, the level of detail has dropped. The second cigar continues to be an outlier, and better for it. Creaminess overtakes bread flavors for the top spot, earthiness, an increased tartness and spiciness melt together to form one melody of secondary notes. On all three cigars I find that mineral flavors show themselves during the finish, a nice change of pace from the burnt earthiness that can be found initially. The second cigar also has a softer, not quite creamy flavor. It reminds me a bit of egg whites, though I’m not sure if that’s the best way of describing it. Retrohales are an interesting contrast because the initial flavors are an aggressive mixture of earthiness, mineral and black pepper, but the finish has creaminess come out of nowhere to help settle things down. Flavor is full, body is medium-full or full and strength is full or off the charts strong depending on the cigar. All three cigars leave me feeling a bit buzzed, but one cigar requires me to go sit down for 10 minutes and consume some sugar. Two cigars continue to have excellent construction, the final cigar I smoke needs one more touch-up to help get it to the end.

Final Notes

• I’ve always been fond of the playfulness of the Room101 sakura logo, where the leaves look like insects got to eat some tobacco leaves.
• There seems to be one minor adjustment to the anniversary logo for this year’s release. Previous versions have featured the accent piece in the 10 o’clock position—on this year’s band, it’s the black part—but this year, the accent has two dripping lines instead of one. From what I can tell, the 10th, 12th and 13th Anniversary bands had the one piece, though the 11th Anniversary seems to have had two. This could very well be the result of printing. It’s possible the logo is the same each year, but the way the colors get printed, it looks slightly different from year to year.
• The first and third cigars I smoked were rather similar, but the second cigar was an outlier. Whereas two cigars started full strength and finished with a nicotine dosage greater than probably 98 percent of cigar blends, the second cigar seemed to be more medium in the first half before ramping up close to full.
• For those wondering about whether it’s just my inability to process nicotine, perhaps that’s the case, but I have had days that involve smoking multiple Neanderthals without ever feeling ill. Even if you might be able to handle the nicotine of the first and third cigars, I’m not sure how many people can. It certainly is well past the point of me recommending this cigar to the median cigar smoker.
• I also felt like the flavor of the second cigar was better. The tartness added a level of depth that was not present in the other two cigars. It wasn’t just the strength that was toned down, the flavors themselves seemed less amped up in the second cigar, which allowed more flavors to shine.
• The first two cigars were consistent in the construction category—they didn’t have any issues—but the final cigar I smoked had a tighter draw that seemed to impact combustion and required a couple of touch-ups.
• General Cigar Co./Forged Cigar Co. advertises on halfwheel.
• Cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel
• Final smoking time was around two hours.
• Site sponsors Cigars Direct and Famous Smoke Shop carry the Room101 14th Anniversary.