Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Aging Room La Bohéme Poeta is dark brown with lightly raised veins and a gritty feel. The seams are smooth and the caps well applied. There are two bands, both in a blue and gold color combination. The primary denotes the brand and line while the secondary denotes that it is by Rafael Nodal. The aroma from the wrapper is dark earth, bakers chocolate and some wood. The foot brings cedar, construction paper and a bit of ammonia zing. The pre-light draw is a light mix of cedar and floral notes.
Seth: The Aging Room La Bohéme Poeta is a good-looking cigar in hand. The wrapper is clearly maduro, and it has a nice dark milk chocolate coloring. The cigar is firm in hand and finished with a slightly gritty texture. There are minimal veins present on the wrapper, and those present are small. The wrapper has a rich aroma of chocolate, raisins and rich earth, and the foot gives off similar notes with a nice level of spice as well.
John: The Aging Room La Bohéme Poeta comes in cellophane and features a UPC sticker with cigar information that tears when opened. It’s double-banded, with the primary band reading “Aging Room La Bohème” and a foot band stating “by Rafael Nodal.” I weighed the cigar at 17.2 grams and measured the humidity at 65.9% using the CigarMedics HumidiMeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper included syrupy, well-fermented tobacco with underlying wood. Aromas from the foot were intensified tobacco and raisin sweetness.
Jiunn: The Aging Room La Bohéme Poeta has a maduro wrapper shade showing even traces of oiliness. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the head is well wrapped and capped. Pre-light aromas tell barnyard, cedar and a hint of star anise.

Aging Room La Bohéme Poeta

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted oak, bold black pepper and dark earth. The retrohale is toasted oak, zingy black pepper and some earth. At an inch in, the black pepper mellows a bit and a light creaminess has joined the profile. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak is up front, with the dark earth a bit behind and the black pepper further back. A light creaminess is in the background. The strength was right at medium.
Seth: The first third begins with a flavor profile of dry earth, warm tobacco, wood and spices. There are faint mineral notes present, and touches of cocoa on the finish. In terms of strength and body, I would classify the cigar as somewhere between medium and medium-full.
John: The cigar kicks off with dark, earthy tobacco that quickly evolves into black pepper, which transitions to a more intense chili pepper in the post draw. That spice builds to medium strength and lingers on the palate between each puff. As it settles, the chili pepper and earth begin to recede, making room for creamy, sweet tobacco and wood at the front of the profile. Medium-minus leather enters the post draw, while the retrohale delivers sweet chili pepper at medium-minus strength.
Jiunn: The first third creates full flavors that are equally earthy and sweet. There’s a deep rooted dirt soil earthiness mixed with equal sweetness and creaminess. There’s also a commanding red pepper spice that does a great job of interplay with the sweet and creaminess. Retrohaling creates fresh red pepper spice that is so pungent that it’s hard to squeeze out a full retro. The finish is long and lengthy with cedar tannins and dirt soil earthiness. Strength is medium-full and body is medium.

Aging Room La Bohéme Poeta

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the black pepper is now in the back half of the profile. At a half inch in, the black pepper is now in the background. The retrohale is now toasted oak and earth with mild black pepper. At an inch and a quarter, the earth is now even with the toasted oak up front. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak and earth are even up front with black pepper and creaminess in the background. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The second third shows a continuation of the dry earth, warm tobacco, wood and spice notes. The cocoa notes are a little bit more present in this third, and the mineral notes are as well. Nice pepper and sweet spice finish. Like before, medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: The second third begins with creamy, sweet tobacco and a sweet chili pepper core that carries into the post draw, joined by medium-strength leather. As the third settles, medium-strength earth returns to the finish. The chili pepper in the post draw increases again, almost reaching medium-plus, contributing to palate fatigue as the combination of strong spice and leather dominate the bottom half.
Jiunn: The second third continues to impress. The profile holds strong with full flavored notes of deep rooted dirt soil earthiness, sweet and creaminess, red pepper spice and a slight minerality that adds just the right amount of different spice into the mix. Strength and body continues to be medium-full and medium, respectively.

Aging Room La Bohéme Poeta

Final Third

Aaron: The final third continues with the toasted oak and earth up front and black pepper and creaminess in the background. At a half inch in, a light wood bitterness joins the profile. At three quarters of an inch in, the toast level becomes pretty heavy. The retrohale remains toasted oak and earth with mild black pepper. As the cigar wraps up, the heavily toasted oak and earth are even up front, with wood bitterness just behind the middle of the profile and some black pepper and creaminess in the background. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The final third delivers stronger mineral and spice notes. The cocoa, wood, tobacco and earth notes are present, but they are not as pronounced as they were in the first and second third. Like the first two thirds, the cigar is between medium and medium-full in strength and body.
John: The final third opens with creamy tobacco, followed by medium chili pepper and dry wood into the post draw, where it’s joined by leather and eventually earth. Occasional bursts of sweet tobacco surface at the front of the profile. As it progresses, the earth intensifies on the post draw, starting at medium and pushing to medium-plus at times. A toasted, smoky quality emerges on the finish in the bottom half as earth takes over the post draw entirely.
Jiunn: The final third is less complex with mainly trailing minerality and dirt soil earthiness. The best part is the retrohale because it is just like the first two thirds. Strength and body finishes the same medium-full and medium, respectively.

Aging Room La Bohéme Poeta

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy at times, but never needed any attention. The ash held on in inch and a half increments.
Seth: The burn was perfect from start to finish.
John: The first third had a wavy burn. A wrapper strip failed to combust in the second third, requiring a touch-up. The burn remained uneven in the final third, which eventually went out and required a re-light.
Jiunn: Great burn performance, providing an even burn, tight ashes and cool burning temperature.

Aging Room La Bohéme Poeta

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: The draw was great throughout the entire cigar.
John: Measured at 33 inches of water using the CigarMedics draw machine, the draw was subjectively ½ to 1 notch toward the open side, falling between open and resistant.
Jiunn: Great draw performance as well, providing the ideal air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted oak, bold black pepper and dark earth. Later, the black pepper mellowed a bit. The second third saw the black pepper migrate to the background and the earth became even with the oak up front. The final third saw some wood bitterness join in and the toast level became very heavy. The Aging Room La Bohéme Poeta had a nice start, with a good combination of flavors. As the pepper mellowed significantly in the second third, it took a step down and remained at that level the rest of the way. The cigar didn’t do enough past the first third to make me want to return to it. Pair that with the very high price point and it’s an easy pass for me.
Seth: The Aging Room La Bohéme Poeta was not a bad cigar, but it lacked complexity and transitioning to make it a good cigar. The core flavor profile was solid, although the mineral notes became too prominent towards the end of the second third and throughout the final third. It had a nice spice, earth and cocoa flavor profile, but it just needed more. It was not too full in strength and body, which is nice, and I feel that is a good way of letting the Connecticut Broadleaf flavor profile pop while not being stereotyped as a strong cigar. The vitola is to my liking, but it is not a blend I would come back to in the future.
John: The Aging Room La Bohéme Poeta delivers a front-loaded experience with rich earth and pepper that transitions into creamier, sweeter notes by the end of the first third. However, the cigar’s second and last thirds become increasingly dominated by spice, leather and earthy elements, contributing to some palate fatigue. The draw was excellent, but burn issues across all thirds, culminating in a re-light, held back the overall experience. A cigar that is best suited for those who enjoy bold pepper and earthy profiles, but one that falls short in refinement and balance as it progresses. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 23 minutes.
Jiunn: What a pleasant surprise. On paper, I would dismiss this cigar. But we all know to not be arrogant doomas and judge a cigar only by its literature. This Connecticut Broadleaf is a sleeper and should not be missed by anyone. It really has it all: chewy full flavors that make you want to take another draw as soon as you take one. The only thing I wish was it wasn’t as pricey, as other Connecticut Broadleafs can be found for cheaper with similar experience. But even with that said, I would take these Aging Room La Bohéme Poeta all day every day.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.00

Cost/Point

$4.09

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.60

Cost/Point

$4.38

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.80

Cost/Point

$4.23

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$3.60

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Aging Room La Bohéme Poeta