The Room 101 LTD Namakubi, an offshoot of the Room 101 brand, was inspired by Japan’s Samurai culture. According to the tale, after Samurai clans battled, a freshly severed head from the losing party would be prepared on a wooden tray then tagged in a regimented manner and presented to the leader of the winning clan. Thankfully, the attractive Namakubi black satin boxes only hold cigars. The boxes are artfully decorated with red lettering conceived by brand owner Matt Booth. There are five sizes but the standout was the Roxxo, a 4 inch by 48 ring short robusto that scored 90 points, the only cigar in the line to break into the 90-point percentile. The cigars come 20 to the box, with 1,000 boxes of each size, save for the Papi Chulo, which is packed 50 to the box and is limited to 400 boxes. The Namakubis are made by Camacho and distributed by Davidoff.
As with most of Room 101′s recent releases (Connecticut, LTD Conjura, and LTD Namakubi), I was fairly impressed with this blend. Burn issues aside, the OSOK Filero is well constructed (and those burn issues were probably caused by the young age of the cigar, as I smoked it pretty soon after receiving it), well-balanced and a flavorful blend that works perfectly in the vitola it is made in, and I LOVE the size. I am VERY interested to see how different each of the other larger two vitolas are and how the profile will change. If you love smaller cigars, this is going to be one you want to try out.
The Namakubi is one of my favorites from Room 101 because it is such a versatile smoke. I can smoke this cigar any time of day and pair it with almost any libation. From a morning coffee to an evening Scotch and everything in between, the Namakubi will surely appeal to a large segment of cigar smokers.
Cigar manufacturers have constantly raised the bar, pushing the limits of blends, and Camacho did just that when they created the Room 101 Namakubi. It’s a hell of a cigar. One big characteristic was the flavor as it produced an experience unlike any cigars on the market today. Each year cigars like this one raise our expectations. This full bodied flavor bomb is sure to satisfy the most experience cigar smoker as well as introduce any novice to a world of great cigars. I would by again and it’s box worthy for sure.
My initial impression was right on the money, the Namakubi Papi Chulo most certainly does not suck. In fact, I’ve enjoyed it a great deal, and will be a little sad when the last of them disappear from shop shelves. It’s little flavor bomb that’s reasonably priced and ideal for those occasions when you want a cigar, but don’t have much time. If, like me, you were not a fan of earlier Room 101 releases, now’s the time to forget about that and get a little head.
My local cigar store received the Papi Chulo (which I’m reviewing today), Roxxo and Monstro. Garrett Calhoun, the infamous,of Davidoff, gave myself and Shawn a sample on his visit to the shop when the shop ordered. I was blown away. Since then I’ve probably smoked at least half a box of the Papi Chulos.
I really enjoyed the Namakubi and find it the best of all the 101 sticks produced so far. While I still think the Tiburon might be the best size, I have no regrets in buying the box of Roxxo and expect that I’ll be enjoying them the rest of this year and into next. As for body and strength, this never got beyond the medium to full range and the nicotine hit was never all that strong. I could easily recommend these, in this size at least, to anyone but the newest of smokers.
I would say this cigar is very complex, and not a cigar that a new or amateur cigar smokers would truly enjoy. I say this because of how difficult all the flavors are to pick up. Some smokers would not get them and think it was a boring smoke, when it is really far from that. The strength is a true medium bodied smoke, and I think any cigar smoker could enjoy it. I will definitely be enjoying these often in the future, and I give this cigar a 93. Excellent job Matt Booth, excellent job!
The stuff being released by Room 101 lately has been really good. The Connecticut was a nice surprise and the Namakubi is a cigar worth losing your head over. A nice flavor profile and perfect burn make this a cigar worth buying by the box.
A few weeks ago I attended one of the first stops on the Room 101 Cigars Cigarmaggedon tour at The Village Tobacconist in Fairlawn Ohio. (Here’s some video Matt Booth (owner of Room 101) shot of me and my friend Dan.) I had a great time, as always, hanging out with the guys and smoking some new sticks. While I was there I was handed a sample of a new cigar still being tweeked by Matt Booth and still in pre-release stage named One Shot One Kill. At least that’s what the band says, so I am guessing that will be the name. This is a pre-release so who knows. I asked Matt for a quote about the cigar or any specifics and here is his response.
Quote Matt Booth: “I refuse your request sir.”
If you know Matt this will not come as a surprise to you because, I can assure you, he meant nothing harsh by that comment and that he’s just being his normal joking self. So with all of that said, this review will be pretty much uninformed and just what I thought of the stick.
