Written by Puff Staff

Wednesday, 14 May 2014

User Rating: / 2

latelierpete johnson
room101room101 daruma gold monstro
surrogates crystal baller

Hump Day’s here, and that means it’s time for another pair of cigar reviews on  On today’s review menu is the newly-released Room101 Daruma Gold, as well as the Surrogates Crystal Baller.

Room101 Daruma Gold Monstro

Room101 announced its Daruma Gold line just about a month ago, making it available on April 30th.  It’s the second 2014 release for Room101, and it’s a follow-up to a 2013 limited edition release that received pretty favorable ratings from cigar fans and critics alike.  It appears as if Room101 is on a sequel kick in 2014, because besides the Daruma Gold, the company’s other release so far this year was the Master Collection Two, a sequel to – you guessed it – the Master Collection. 

To give you more of a background of the Daruma Gold, here’s a couple of snippets from the cigar’s official press release:

“Evolution is the process that separates those in motion from those who are standing still. As we at Room101 grow, we evolve in every way fathomable. Within this box you will find the evolution of the Daruma. The modifications you will experience in this particular blend are the by-product of our evolution and growth working within the premium tobacco craft.

 This life has been nothing short of an adventure and we are proud to offer you tastes of this adventure encapsulated within these smoke-able vessels. With humility, we present to you an evolved taste of one of our finest cigars to date. We hope you dig it.”


With that out of the way, let’s dive into the review.

The Room101 Daruma Gold Monstro measures a hefty 5 x 60.  Other sizes in the line include the 4 x 42 Papi Chulo, 4 x 48 Roxxo, 7 x 38 Mutante, and the 7 x 48 Sucio.  The cigar has a filler blend of Corojo, Criollo, and Pelo de Oro tobaccos from the Dominican Republic and Honduras.  Its binder is of the Brazilian Mata Fina variety.  Last, but not least, is a Mexican San Andres wrapper.  In terms of strength, the Daruma Gold is listed as medium-bodied.

After looking at the Daruma Gold Monstro there’s no doubt about it: this is one thick stick.  It feels firm in my hands and has very little give when pressed.  The chocolate brown wrapper is mostly smooth with just a few medium-sized veins.  A bit of oil is noticeable when the cigar’s put under direct light.  An unassuming band sits near the head that displays the cigar’s moniker over a bluish/gold color scheme.  Before lighting, there’s an earthy cold taste, while the aroma is of mild spice.

It takes a bit of work to get the Daruma Gold Monstro burning, but I’ll attribute that to the stogie’s thickness more than anything else.  The burn is even from start to finish, requiring no touch-ups.  The cigar also stays lit on its own without any help from my lighter.  There’s solid gray ash, and as for the draw, it’s just about as good as I could expect.

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