Room 101 FARCE Robusto

Somewhat new to the boutique cigar scene, Room 101 cigars may have an unusual name but the cigars are 100% legit. If you’re still not convinced on the quality of these handmades, they are made by one of the best boutique manufacturers on the market today, Camacho. Actually, Room 101 Cigars was started by a chance meeting at an after party in Las Vegas by Room 101 lifestyle founder Matt Booth and Camacho’s Christian Eiroa, and the duo have been working on this project ever since.

Matt Booth retired from the cigar industry for a few short years, but is now back with the FARCE, which Booth calls a “multi-blend sub brand for Room 101.” Handmade in the Dominican Republic, the FARCE is a five country blend starting with long-fillers from Pennsylvania, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua that are held by an Indonesian binder and then dressed up with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. Once lit, this medium to full-bodied smoke explodes with notes of pepper balanced by hints of cinnamon and caramel sweetness. Enjoy this stogie with a scotch.

Though tobacco is indigenous to Hispaniola, the tobacco industry in the Dominican Republic existed in the shadow of Cuba’s dominance through the 1960s. When the exodus of Cuban cigar makers began in the wake of the revolution, many decided the Dominican Republic would be ideal for the resumption of their livelihoods. Unrest in Nicaragua in the 1980s fueled the Dominican cigar industry further. The country now makes more than half of the premium cigars imported into the U.S.

The Cibao Valley and the nearby city of Santiago are the center of cigar production in the Dominican Republic. Three main varieties are grown here: the mild and native Olor Dominicano; the intense Piloto Cubano, brought from the Vuelta Abajo of Cuba; and San Vicente, a milder and more acidic Piloto hybrid. Dominican puros were once unheard of as it was widely thought impossible to grow quality wrapper leaf on the island, but new growing techniques are now allowing some exceptional puros to be produced.