Back in January, we covered the press release for the newest Smoke Inn Exclusive called Big Delicious. Created by Matt Booth and the folks at Room 101, this cigar has been capturing the attention of cigar enthusiasts all over the country. On February 16th, we also brought you the first fully dressed sneak-peek preview of what to expect when the cigar is finally released. Now, we’re four (4) weeks away from the national launch party on Friday, April 26th and with that – it is time for our official review.
It was at the 2013 Great Smoke Pre-Event Dinner that we got the first look at this gorgeous 6-1/4 x 42-54 Torpedo vitola. Each dinner guest was presented with an event-only 5-count box containing a custom graphic of Swanky White and Big Delicious – characters made popular in the Room101 Big Delicious on-line cartoon series. As for the blend itself, I revert to what was mentioned in the original press release, which hints at Big Delicious being based off of a previous Room101 limited release. Our belief is the Big Delicious blend most closely aligns with the Room101 Daruma. That being said the cigar doesn’t really smoke like a Daruma – yes there are similarities, but this particular cigar offers different flavor nuances. So, all that being said – let’s get in to the review:
CONSTRUCTION:
- Name: Big Delicious
- Brand: Room101 (SmokeInn exclusive)
- Origin: Honduras
- Factory: Tabacos Rancho Jamastran
- Size: 6.25 x 42-54
- Shape: Soft Box-Press Torpedo
- Wrapper: Habano 2000
- Binder: Brazil
- Filler: Honduras, Nicaraguan, Dominican
- Strength: Medium
- MSRP: $8.95
VISUAL: Right out of the box, this cigar shows off a gorgeous reddish-brown select-grade Habano 2000 wrapper. The sheen coming off the wrapper adds to its visual appeal. Slight veins are present but the wrapper is otherwise seamless. The covered-foot also adds a nice touch to the appearance. The band is unique in that it is asymmetrical in nature – angling from lower left to upper right as it makes its way around the cigar. On each side of the cigar band are the characters “Swanky White” (Booth) and “Big Delicious” (Dababneh) and the words Big Delicious are centered in silver letters. The background color of the band is white with red and silver accents.
FLAVOR: Prelight: Initial flavors coming off the dry draw consist of a peppery like spice, an herbal/floral note and a slight tobacco sweetness. Light: Once torching the closed foot bringing it to an orange glow, the pepper note takes center stage. There’s a unique spice mixed in with the pepper as well, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. The pepper soon fades to the background and a smooth creaminess comes in to play. The creaminess has a cool mint-like feel on the tongue. As the spice begins to take center stage, I recognize it as cedar – and it blends in nicely with the sweet herbal notes experienced in the pre-light. As the smoke progresses, I pick up a distinct note of walnut which adds depth and complexity to the over-all smoking experience. There aren’t a large number of distinct flavor transitions per say, but this is a complex cigar with a plethora of flavors that all come in to play and complement each other very well. One thing to note, so many cigars today seem to contain a prominent flavor of coffee, espresso and/or cocoa. While I do enjoy these flavors, I have to admit it’s nice to smoke a cigar that isn’t heavily focused on a coffee-forward flavor profile for a change.
EXPERIENCE: Burn: Big Delicious shows off a very cool burn and the smoke coming off the cigar has a pleasant yet unique foreign-type of spice that adds to the existing flavors nicely. The burn line is razor sharp and the black burn line is barely visible. Draw: I’ll start out by saying I am not a big Torpedo/Belicoso fan – mainly because I typically experience burn and draw issues with this vitola. That being said, the draw on Big Delicious is flawless and near effortless. The slight resistance coupled with the array of flavors are both examples of the high quality put in to this cigar. Smoke production is more than ample, and the aroma is unique and very enjoyable.
FINAL THOUGHTS: With the Big Delicious, Matt Booth and Abe Dababneh have come together to create a very special cigar. One that is very unique in terms of (not only marketing but) flavor. As I mentioned earlier, the flavors were quite complex – something I believe cigar enthusiasts will really appreciate. There’s a lot more to this cigar than just a good smoking experience. All one has to do is pay attention to the subtle nuances this single run vitola has to offer. Speaking of single run, knowing Big Delicious will only be available to Smoke Inn customers as a one-time offer – I will definitely be picking up a number of these for myself at the April 26 national launch party. Trust me when I say – if you decide to purchase this cigar, you will not be disappointed. With that I give you my final score…93