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601 Habano Oscuro Robusto (Trunco)

Angry Bill

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Well, tonight we had a fundraising BBQ at work which filled my belly, so I decided to smoke one of these cigars. I have heard a great deal about these smokes and bought 2 frs of these cigars, but never got around to smoking any of them. Its a Nicaraugan cigar with long filler. These cigars are in the $7-8 range on the net, sold in boxes of 20 for approximately $146, look around and you might find a better deal on them or check one of our sponsors.

As most of you know, this cigar was made for United Tobacco by Pepin Garcia, so it should not surprise anyone that this is an incredible smoke. Pepin creates these cigar at his factory, Tabacalcera Cubana, in the Esteli. A nice 5 x52 cigar, with a beautiful dark, oily wrapper. The construction of this cigar was perfect. Slight veins, well wrapped with the exact correctness in feel. Hints of moderate spice emit from the foot of this cigar, as cedar and dark espresso. I cut this cigar with my Palio cutter and tried the draw prior to lighting. Perfect can only sum it up. Tastes of chocolate, great black pepper and leather, filled my taste buds. The band on this cigar is a green background with gold foil and white writing. It is a prestigious band.

I lit this cigar up, sat down with a bottle of water (i'm at work) at began my quest on this cigar. The draw was perfect and filled the air with an iincredible amount of smoke. Several of my employees commented on how good this cigar smelled. The burn was perfect and the flavor blend was spot on. This cigar continued with the peppery taste, as well as the espresso/chocolate mix.

The second third continued to capture my taste buds with the excellent peppry flavor, indicative a good Nic cigar. The draw, burn and construction continued to be great, with only a slight touch up on the burn. The flavor continued to develop stronger and stronger, which made me want more. Licorice also became present, as a sweetness developed, reminding me of a CC. This sweetness did nothing but add to the great flavor.

The final third had a slight burn issue that was easily corrected with another touch up. This did not detract from this great cigar. Pepper was the mainstay, but a garlic/meat flavor started to creep up slightly, which made the peppery taste even better. Great plumes of blue/grey smoke emitted from this cigar from start to finish. The finish was great and left a peppery/toast after taste.

Overall, this is an excellent cigar which will now be a mainstay in my daily smoke assortment. Pepin created another gem in this cigar and should be enjoyed by those that like full bodied, complex cigars. It kept my taste buds craving more during the entire smoke. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate this one a solid 9. The only issue that I had was the minor burn corrections, but they were easily fixed.

Don't let these cigars get away. They are a must have in my book, but that is just my humble opinion. Thanks for taking the time to review and hope that this review helps.

On a side note, this is not a cigar that should be smoked first thing of the day. It packs a punch and should be enjoyed after a good meal. Don't let that sacre you away from this treasure.
 

jkorp

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Excellent review! This sums up my first impression of these as well. This is a great stick that is on my short short list.
 

bballbaby

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Great review. Can't wait to try the one i have. SOunds like i ought to stock up on them...just in case...i like them.
 

CWS

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Everyone keeps saying they like this one. My first experience was not great. I am going to pullone out tonight and try again. Is this the red label?
 

indyrob

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I know the 601 wasn't/isn't for everyone, but I really like them quite a bit.

I'm running out of compliments for Bill and his reviews! Have you ever thought of talking to Jesse (cigarjack) and having your reviews up on his site too?
 

Len___T

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these are ones I am looking forward to getting with the old "govmint" check after may lol...thanks for the review...I find that I am liking the oscuro wrappers more and more lol...len
 

CWS

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No Chuck, its the green label with gold and white on it... Actually a nice looking label.
Never had that one. Smoked one of the red labels last night and enjoyed it better than the first I had. Milder than most Pepins but a nice smoke.
 
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