601 La Bomba Warhead X

Espinosa Premium Cigars

• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: San Lotano Factory
• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 55
• Shape: Pressed
• 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)
• Original Score: 92

This is one of two cigars to do the double in 2024: it’s on both the Top 25 cigars and also on our Packaging Awards 2024. As much as we loved the packaging, that has nothing to do with its place here, though good cigar plus good packaging is certainly a winning formula.

The 601 La Bomba Warhead X is the 10th cigar Warhead cigar from Espinosa Premium Cigars, a series that begain in 2013. When it was introduced, Warhead was marketed as a maduro version of La Bomba, itself designed to be stronger than the other 601 lines. Yet, we found the latest version to show maturity and complexity that isn’t entirely befitting of that theme. That’s not to say there’s none of it. During the first puffs, you should expect a good bit of black pepper, but as I noted in my original review, there’s a lot more in store. Nearly across the board, we found the cigar to have lots of contrasting flavors that combined with the pepper to create a much more complex cigar than the series’ reputation.

It’s not just that this cigar was a departure from previous Warhead releases, it’s also another cigar from an AJ Fernandez factory that seems to be more balanced than what those factories were producing just a few years ago. Up and down this year’s Top 25 are cigars from AJ Fernandez’s two factories that scored highly thanks to an added attention towards balance.

As much as we liked the 601 La Bomba Warhead X, we were pretty universal that the cigar was a frontrunner. Like others on the staff, I found the cigar’s first third to be the best, though we differed from there. For me, the middle section was a bit boring, though others found some added harshness in the closing parts of the cigar. Despite those differences in opinions, the most basic takeaway is the same: somewhat surprisingly complex flavors, a slightly toned profile compared to what we’d expect from this band and blend, and very good construction. — Charlie Minato.