Well after a very uneventful and boring Sunday, since the cup race got rained out, I decided to break out a stick that I hadn't really seen a review on and try to give it my best go round. A couple weeks back I was fortunate enough, if you really want to call it fortunate lol, to meet up again with Marty (L8A) for smokes and drinks while he was in town for the night. He handed me this 601 La Bomba Atom with this smirk on his face. I had read about the pre-release on this site after Eddie Ortega sent them out and knew this was supposed to be a full strength power bomb so I didn't really know what to expect. After a filling Sunday dinner i got this little guy out of the humi and headed to the garage.
601 La Bomba Atom
Size: 5.5" x 46
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $7.50 range
Smoking Time: 1.5 hours
Prelight: This stick feels solid in the squeeze and looks to have very nice construction. The wrapper is nice and dark and has an oily and smooth feel. No major veins or seams either. Cut the cap off and took a cold draw to find it sadly tight for my liking. I do pick up that sweet tobacco taste though.
First 3rd: Right after getting the Atom lit I got a blast of pepper right in the back of the throat and what I thought to myself was a tight draw really produced a large volume of smoke. About an inch in and the pepper is still there but a sweetness along with notes of earth and leather come into play. The ash was holding well with a nice whitish gray to it but the burn line started to wander. Ash fell at about the 2" mark and got slightly harsh after that.
Second 3rd About halfway in and the pepper has died down a bit but the strength has definitely ramped up into the full range. I took a second to realize that, when sitting, the Atom doesn't put off a ton of smoke, but you get a huge amount off the draw. The burn still a little off but going strong. Notes of leather and earth still prominent throughout the second third.
Final 3rd Entering the final third I thought to myself, "this really hasn't kicked me in the nuts like I thought it was going to". About an hour in and the cigar brings that pepper back into the picture, and sits right in the back of the throat. The ash is falling about every inch or so now. Still the earthy and leathery notes to go with, which shows the complexity isn't really there. The burn line did finally straighten itself out and is about to the edge of my fingers so I toss it in the ashtray and call it a night.
Final Thoughts After an hour and a half with this cigar I was kind of disappointed in its complexity and the fact I expected to be in a bit of a head spin that never happened. Not to take anything away from the cigar, because it was still a good smoke, just didn't really live up to its hype. I might get a couple more singles and see what age does to them, but it's not a box buy for me by any means.
601 La Bomba Atom
Size: 5.5" x 46
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $7.50 range
Smoking Time: 1.5 hours
Prelight: This stick feels solid in the squeeze and looks to have very nice construction. The wrapper is nice and dark and has an oily and smooth feel. No major veins or seams either. Cut the cap off and took a cold draw to find it sadly tight for my liking. I do pick up that sweet tobacco taste though.
First 3rd: Right after getting the Atom lit I got a blast of pepper right in the back of the throat and what I thought to myself was a tight draw really produced a large volume of smoke. About an inch in and the pepper is still there but a sweetness along with notes of earth and leather come into play. The ash was holding well with a nice whitish gray to it but the burn line started to wander. Ash fell at about the 2" mark and got slightly harsh after that.
Second 3rd About halfway in and the pepper has died down a bit but the strength has definitely ramped up into the full range. I took a second to realize that, when sitting, the Atom doesn't put off a ton of smoke, but you get a huge amount off the draw. The burn still a little off but going strong. Notes of leather and earth still prominent throughout the second third.
Final 3rd Entering the final third I thought to myself, "this really hasn't kicked me in the nuts like I thought it was going to". About an hour in and the cigar brings that pepper back into the picture, and sits right in the back of the throat. The ash is falling about every inch or so now. Still the earthy and leathery notes to go with, which shows the complexity isn't really there. The burn line did finally straighten itself out and is about to the edge of my fingers so I toss it in the ashtray and call it a night.
Final Thoughts After an hour and a half with this cigar I was kind of disappointed in its complexity and the fact I expected to be in a bit of a head spin that never happened. Not to take anything away from the cigar, because it was still a good smoke, just didn't really live up to its hype. I might get a couple more singles and see what age does to them, but it's not a box buy for me by any means.
