REVIEW: Pre-release 601 La Bomba

Last Saturday I received a gift in the mail from Eddie Ortega (Co-owner of 601 cigars) for participating in 601's latest promo. I don't know much about these cigars and, from doing some Google searching, it doesn't seem that there is a whole lot of information public yet. What I do know about this pre-release was taken from a post on the BOTL cigar message board and one email exchange I had with Eddie.

BOTL POST
"Just got the the samplers of the new 601 La Bomba. Will start shipping them to all who participated in the promo at the end of this week, hope you enjoy full bodied smokes,,,,this is a Bomb. Smoke after a good dinner...:-))

3 sizes will be available:

La Bomba – 5-1/2 x 46
La Bomba – 6 x 50
La Bomba – 5 x 52"

EMAIL exchange

"The only thing I can tell you, is that it’s very full body and has lots of flavor and that its made in Esteli, Nicaragua.  All else, We plan to keep under wraps"

So that's that. I don't know what factory these are being made in nor what the blend is made up of.  This is going to be fun...on to the review!

Specifics
Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: ?
Binder: ?
Filler: ?
Price: ?
Smoking Location: House of Cigar
Beverage: water

Pre-Light  

The first thing you will notice about the 601 La Bomba is the fuse-like pig tail that finishes the cap of the cigar. We've seen this done a few times recently and some will say it's a copy of this or that, but I, for one, am all for it. Call me crazy, but I like little additions like this to cigars now and again just for some added fun to the vitola. Does it really add anything? No, but I still enjoy seeing some creativity. The wrapper on the cigar was very dark and felt oily to the touch. Squeezing the cigar, I could tell it was evenly packed from head to foot. The pre-lit aroma was strong and smelled of leather and earthy grass. The pig-tailed cap clipped easily and the draw was very free with hardly any resistance. The cold draw flavors were a mixture of natural sweetness and vanilla. 

First Third

My 601 La Bomba only took a short time toasting to really get going and when it did, it bellowed huge clouds of smoke. The first few draws on the cigar tasted very strongly of white pepper -- it was actually a little harsh on the finish. I was a little worried about what this could turn out to be, so I let my cigar sit in an ashtray for a few minutes to give it some time to settle. This was a good idea because the draws following that rest period tasted much better. The flavor I picked up then was primarily leather, mixed with some earthy notes, just like the pre-lit aroma. The draw was great and the construction of the cigar was high quality. The body was in the medium to lower full at this point.

Second Third 

The second third of my 601 la Bomba smoked nicely along. The flavors stayed consistent to the first third with the leathery, earthy tastes both on the front, and on the finish. The amount of smoke this cigar was putting off was very impressive. Right about the half way point of the stick, the body kicked in to full gear. This cigar went from the medium/full range right into head spinning power. I grabbed myself a sugary drink to try to balance out some of the strength.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

The final third of my 601 La Bomba had a slight change in the flavor profile. Just like from the start of the cigar, the major flavor player was leather, but on the finish I started to taste just a hint of black pepper mixing in. It was a nice way to end the cigar because it brought, although slight, a little change to the experience. The body still was rocking in the upper full range all the way to the nub.

My final thoughts on the pre-release sample of the 601 La Bomba? In my opinion, this is a fairly simple cigar and pretty straight-forward from start to finish. With that said, I did enjoy the consistent leather flavor and top-notch construction, which made the stick effortless to smoke. Look for these, you FULL FULL body guys, because I think you will really enjoy the power that it brings to the table.

Would I buy it again? I will buy a few more when they are officially released and sit on them. I am curious to see if, with some age, the flavor profile will mature and become a little more complex.

Would I buy a box? If these are priced similar to other 601 lines I think I would pass on a box, and go with a 601 blue because it fits my taste a little better.

Dan

REVIEW: E.P.Carrillo New Wave Connecticut

Everyone else is doing it, so I thought I'd join the party. The cigar I smoked for today's review has been featured throughout the cigar blogosphere a lot this past month. Most of us (I am assuming) got the same 4-pack sampler (2 of this stick, 2 of the EP Carrillo Elencos) from Ernie Carrillo and quickly unwrapped them with excitement. At first glance, I was more interested in the Elencos included in the pack, but after hearing all the praise on Twitter about the Conny, I thought I'd take this stick to task first.

The EP Carrillo Short Run was in my Top Three new cigars of last year. Let's see if I think the (albeit just a few days) of hype surrounding this stick is warranted.

On to the review...

Specifics
Vitola: Brillantes (robusto)
Length: 5
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua and Dominican
Price: $5.25
Smoking Location: House of Cigar
Beverage: water

Pre-Light  

My sample of the E.P.C. New Wave Connecticut had a very light wrapper (expected with all Connecticuts) with medium-sized veins. To the touch, the wrapper felt very dry, but not brittle by any means. Squeezing the stick I could tell it was nicely packed and had a bit of a bounce back from the pressure applied. The pre-lit aroma was very strong and smelled of sweetness and hazelnuts. The cap clipped easily and the cold draw also had a strong flavor of hazelnut, mixed with some notes of raisin.

First Third

When I first lit my E.P.C. Conny, I immediately got a tingly zingy feeling on the top of my tongue. What shocked me was this was a very similar feeling that I experience when smoking Cuban cigars. Interesting to say the least. The flavor profile was nice also, consisting of a sweet mild spice mixed with nutty flavors on the front and finished off with a raw honey taste that lasted well over a minute between draws. The flavors were strong, which I don't normally think of when it comes to Connecticut wrapper cigars. The draw/burn was perfect and the body was in the mild to lower-medium range.

Second Third 

The second third of my E.P.C. Conny was similar in flavor to the first third at the start, but changed right at about the halfway point of the stick. I still got a lot of hazelnut and sweet spice on the front, but the finish flavors became very woody and thick -- not a cedar flavor, but more a flavor of cut raw wood. Think of walking down the lumber section at a hardware store; that smell was similar to this taste. I found it to be enjoyable, even if it doesn't sound as good as the raw honey from the first third. It added a nice bit of complexity to the smoke, which is always a plus. The draw and burn were still excellent and the smoke volume seemed to pick up when I got past the halfway point. The body did not change; it stayed right in the mild to lower medium range.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

Not much new to report on in the final third of my E.P.C. Conny. The flavors kept coming with the sweet spice, hazelnuts, and wood tastes. The one thing that might have changed a little was the smoke volume. As I got closer to the nub of the cigar, the stick was really drawing huge clouds of smoke. This is a stick that you are going to want to smoke outside or in a well-ventilated room. The body stayed consistently mild and made for a really easy cigar to smoke -- one that is full of flavors and not lacking in entertainment.

My final thoughts on the E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut? This cigar really shows what a Connecticut wrapper cigar can be with a solid blend filling it. I admit, I don't smoke a lot of Connecticuts because I tend to like a spicier cigar, but this one is a winner in my book. EPC keeps putting out quality cigars and this is another one to add to the list.

Would I buy it again? I will definitely be picking up more of these.

Would I buy a box? These are a great price and I would buy a box to share with my friends who like lighter cigars.

Dan