REVIEW: 601 MACHO Edicion Limitada

The cigar up for review tonight was generously sent to me by fellow BOTL Steve Valle (@SteveVlilo on twitter) of smokingstogie.com fame. If you don't know about SmokingStogie.com or haven't visited in awhile, I suggest you head over there and check it out right after you read this review. Brooks and Steve have one of the best (and in my opinion THE best) cigar review sites on the web. Keep up the good work, guys.

There isn't much info to be had around the web on this specific cigar, so I emailed Eddie Ortega (@eddieor on twitter), co-owner of EO Cigars (the makers of 601), for some details.

The Limited Edition 601 “Macho,” was just a short and very limited release produced

to accompany a book signing by Roberto Martin Perez.  Mr. Perez was a long time political prisoner in Cuba before finally being released and seeking asylum in the US.

We wanted to commemorate the occasion by making something really special for him, he loves the 601.

We only made 364 boxes and were only available at Sabor Havana Cigars in Miami, don't even know if they have any left.

The cigar was made at Pepin's factory.  Is really a great cigar.

-regards

 Eddie

Thanks for responding to my email Eddie and thanks for the info. The cigar looked great so I was stoked to light it up.


(Editor's Note: I had some problems with our camera for this review, so I only have a final third photo.)

Specifics  
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Niaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: ??
Smoking Location: House of Cigar
Beverage: water
Manufacture's Website: http://www.unitedtobaccoinc.com/

Pre-Light

The 601 Macho had a medium brown, very natural-looking tobacco wrapper. The wrapper did have quite a lot of veins, but all were small enough that they posed no problem to the burn. Squeezing the stick, I could tell it was evenly packed and not too tightly bunched, as it had a nice subtle give to it. The unlit aroma was surprising strong, smelling intensely of cedar with hints of black coffee. The cap clipped easily and the cold draw tasted very sweet. I would describe the flavor as raw/brown sugar.

First Third

My 601 Macho lit very easily with a soft flame lighter. Right off the first two puffs, the flavors were coming through strongly. I love when a cigar roars out of the gate and this stick was feeding that love. The initial flavors were of a lot of cedar on the front with a sweetened spice on the finish. The finish lingered awhile on my palate and seemed to get sweeter the longer I waited between draws. Speaking of the draw, it was perfect for my preference. Just enough resistance that you don't feel like you're sucking air and the smoke coated my taste buds slowly. About two inches into the stick, the flavors on the finish started to fade and the spice was replaced by just slight hints of coffee. The body was in the medium range and the burn was excellent. (Sorry I can't show you.)

Second Third

The second third of my 601 Macho had that previously-mentioned coffee flavor really pick up. Unlike the pre-lit aroma, where it was more of a black coffee note, this flavor was blending evenly with the sweetness on the finish to create a coffee with sugar taste. The cedar notes were still very strong on the front of each draw, but it was the finish that really had me smiling. The flavor sounds simple when I read my notes, but remembering the smoking experience, it was quite complex. Another nice change-up from the first third was that the texture of the smoke became very creamy. The first third was not dry or anything to be upset about, but the smoke in the second third was obviously much richer. The body was still a solid medium and the burn was great.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

The final third was an absolutely pleasurable smoking experience. The coffee and sugar flavors that were only dominate on the finish until now, started to keep into the strong cedar notes on front of the profile to make a very interesting taste. I can't describe it exactly, but imagine making a pot of sweetened coffee over an open wood fire and maybe that smell is similar? I'm not sure if that's it, but what I'm sure of is that I liked it a lot. Towars the nub of the cigar, some of the spice I had picked up at the start came back into the mix, but it was not for long as I was almost near finger burning zone by then and had to put the stick down. The body was exactly the same for the entire smoke, in a nice relaxing medium range, and the construction was top notch and had zero problems. 

My final thoughts on the 601 MACHO Edicion Limitada? This cigar had amazing flavors that really kept my interest from start to finish. The further I burned into the stick, the creamier the smoke became and the more relaxing and enjoyable the experience got. I was bummed when this stick had to be put down because it is the only one I have and I'm not sure if I will be able to get more. I like a 601 cigar every now and then to mix up my rotation of everyday smokes. I have smoked all of the lines and I have to say that this stick is the best of them all. Figures it's the limited release from 601 that I like the best, but maybe if enough people try this cigar and speak out about it, we'll get a larger re-release.
 
Would I buy it again? There is not one bad thing I could say about this cigar, so given the chance I would absolutely buy more of these sticks. If I can't buy them, I will be looking to some more BOTL for trades.

Would I buy a box?  I'm not sure what the price was on these, but if the price was right, these are 100% box-worthy.

Dan

REVIEW: Pre-production Liga Privada Unico Serie Ratzilla

Tonight's review is a pre-production sample of a new cigar in the Liga Privada Unico Serie line from Drew Estate -- the Ratzilla. Last year, Drew Estate released the Dirty Rat which became an instant favorite on many blogs (including mine.) The Ratzilla is the same blend of tobaccos as the Dirty Rat, just in a much larger size. Can you say yummy? Rumor has it that this stick is officially going to be released at this year's IPCPR show, but after spending some time with Steve Saka (president of Drew Estate), I know how personally he takes Liga Privada and these cigars will not be released until they are "ready" by his standards.

A little about this sample: This past January, I was invited to go the Drew Estate Cigar Safari with my partners at Cigar Explorer. We spent 3 days touring factories, trying many new cigars, and even blending two batches of our own sticks. This was an absolutely amazing trip and I am very thankful to the entire Drew Estate crew for making this a reality for me and my partners. This particular sample of the Ratzilla up for review was taken right off of the rolling table by Pedro Gomez (Drew Estate International Sales and Cigar Safari Guide) and handed to me while on the tour. I watched the woman roll this stick with my own eyes, so to say that it might be a little young might be a huge understatement.

The stick has spent three weeks resting in my cooler and I can't wait any longer to fire it up.

Specifics  
Vitola: Long Corona
Length: 6
Ring Gauge: 46
Wrapper: Stalk-Cut Sun-grown Habano
Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina
Filler: Dominican, Honduran, Nicaraguan
Price: $??
Smoking Location: Explorer Lounge
Beverage: water
Manufacture's Website: http://www.drewestate.com/

Pre-Light 

After a few weeks' rest, my first inspection of the pre-production sample of the Ratzilla, had me thinking it still was a bit "wet". The tobacco was a little spongy and soft, but firm enough that I thought it would smoke. Like I said above, I had only waited three weeks, as my temptation had the better of me. The stick did have some weight in my hand and felt evenly packed from head to foot. The wrapper was very toothy, with a few larger veins, but when rolling the stick the palm of my hand, it felt very smooth. The cigar did not give off much of an aroma and the cold draw had a faint natural tobacco taste mixed with some spice.    

First Third

I lit my Ratzilla with a triple flame torch and was immediately hit with what I was expecting. Delicious black peppery spice was blasted my taste buds. I am a big fan of this flavor (it's what I like so much about the Dirty Rat), so I was hoping for it. The first inch or so of the stick continued to produce a strong black pepper flavor, but after getting past that start the flavor started to mellow. The cigar was now producing a milder black pepper on the front, mixed with some earthy sweetness on the finish. The construction of the stick is well worth mentioning because the draw was perfect, the burn was perfect, and the volume of smoke was enjoyable. Unlike the Dirty Rat, the body at this point was more in the medium range and not full-on nicotine buzzing.

Second Third

In the second third of my Ratzilla, the pepper flavor really mellowed off, almost to non-existent. Actually, I would say the flavor was completely gone, but the feeling of the tingle on my tongue I got from the black pepper spice was still there. On the front of the flavor profile, I then picked up a mild, yet very distinct cedar taste. What I found most interesting about that taste is that this particular stick has never seen the inside of a cedar box. This cigar was literally taken off the rolling table, put into my travel humi, and moved straight into my cooler, yet the cedar was definitely the flavor I tasted. Along with the cedar on the front, I started to get some bitter chocolate notes on the finish. This too was a pretty mild taste, but very obvious and easy to pick out of the smoke. Again, the construction was top notch with zero issue keeping the cigar drawing well and burning evenly.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

The final third of my Ratzilla is where I think the cigar being young/fresh might have shown up. The flavors were still there from the second third: cedar on the front and bitter chocolate on the finish. However, the power of the flavors had diminished even more from the mild range into the almost-not-there range. I want to say certainly that it was not flavorless, just extremely mild at this point. In complete contrast to that, the body of the stick was now well into the full range and I could feel my heartbeat kicking up a few notches. Another change that seemed to happen in the final third is the smoke volume picked up even more than the first two portions of the cigar. I was getting plenty of smoke from the get go, but now I was getting really thick, full clouds. As you can see from the pictures, I had no problem nubbing the cigar, and the stick never got hot or sour.

My final thoughts on the pre-production Liga Privada Ratzilla? It's not fair at all to judge a cigar overall on a sample that is so fresh, or maybe even on just smoking one of them (that's always debated.) Like I always tell people who ask me about this blog and reviewing: I am reviewing the one stick I am smoking, not the entire brand/line. With that said, I feel like my Ratzilla sample is/was a sleeping monster. The flavors are all there and that pepper at the beginning is ready to jump up and bite you. In my opinion, the blend is ready and dead on. The cigars just need some time to fully mature. I think that would help prevent the flavor strength from dwindling like it did for me in the final third. This monster will wake up and it will be another instant favorite to many cigar smokers.  

Would I buy it again? I have no idea how much this cigar is going to cost, but I am sure I will be buying more of them when they are on the shelf and in full production.

Would I buy a box?  If it's anything like the Dirty Rat price, this is more than likely going to be out of my budget range for box purchases. But, if I fell into a lot of extra cash, this is a cigar that would be high on my box-buying list.

Dan