Room101 Death Bucket 2

16. Room101 Death Bucket 2

ROOM101

  • Country of Origin: Nicaragua
  • Factory: Fabrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A.
  • Wrapper: Nicaragua (Habano)
  • Binder: Indonesia
  • Filler: Nicaragua (Condega, Estelí & Jalapa)
  • Length: 6 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 52
  • Vitola: Toro
  • MSRP: $12
  • Release Date: December 2020
  • Number of Cigars Released: Undisclosed
  • Original Score: 93

There was a healthy debate about where Joya de Nicaragua would finish in our Factory of the Year rankings. The problem was quite simple: while the new cigars Joya de Nicaragua made for itself scored quite well, they were almost all extensions to Joya’s most expensive and limited lines. By contrast, most of the new regular production cigars we reviewed that were made at Joya—all made for other companies—did not score that well.

Then, towards the very end of the year, there was a surprise release from Room101: Death Bucket 2.

The Death Bucket 2 is the first time I can remember Room101 working with Nicaragua’s oldest cigar factory. It’s a follow up to the Death Bucket, a cigar made at Tabacalera William Ventura in the Dominican Republic. Both have been released on a limited basis, most recently to retailers part of the Limited Cigar Association, meaning not every Room101 retailer had access to the cigar. Profile-wise, this tastes far more Joya than Room101 with a smooth, medium-full profile that never comes near words like “harsh” or “bitter.” As Patrick Lagreid put it in his original review, “I can’t say that there was a single unenjoyable puff from start to finish.” Good luck finding some of the Death Bucket 2s because they seem to be gone. — Charlie Minato.