Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Room101 15th Anniversary is a milk chocolate medium brown with some lightly raised veins, a couple of water spots and a fine grit sandpaper feel. The seams are smooth and the caps well applied. The band is yellow and pink, with the brand logo and line name on front while the brand name and years of celebration are on the back and sides. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of earth and cocoa powder while the foot brings earth, cardboard and some ammonia. The pre-light draw brings a mix of cedar and dry earth.
Seth: The Room101 15th Anniversary is a nice-looking cigar. I really love the color of the band and the flower on the band. It all pops off the cigar wrapper. The cigar is finished with a nice wrapper that is between Natural and Maduro in coloring, and it has some nice marbling. It has a solid chocolate bar coloring. Small veins are present throughout, and the wrapper is slightly gritty in texture. The wrapper has rich earth, manure, tobacco and spice aromas, while the foot gives off notes of cocoa, rich spices, coffee, leather and earth.
John: The Room101 15th Anniversary comes packaged in cellophane with a UPC sticker containing cigar information, which tears upon opening. I weighed the cigar at 15.4 grams, noting a very soft box-pressed shape. Using the CigarMedics HumidiMeter Pro, I measured the humidity at 61.8%. For aromas from the wrapper, there was mild bread, barnyard and wood. From the foot, mostly fermented tobacco, hay and wood.
Jiunn: The Room101 15th Anniversary has an even Colorado maduro wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the head is well wrapped and capped. Pre-light aromas consist of heavy cedar and black tea.

Room101 15th Anniversary

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with earth, toasted oak, black pepper and some barbecue smokiness. At a half inch in, a light chocolate note joins the profile. The retrohale is earth, toasted oak and mild black pepper. As the third comes to a close, the earth is slightly ahead of the toasted oak, with black pepper in the middle of the profile and some barbecue smokiness and chocolate in the background. The strength was right at medium.
Seth: The first third begins with warm baking spices and soft cocoa powder notes. Dry earth flavors are present as well with touches of red pepper, coffee beans and toasted nuts. I would classify the cigar as medium-full in strength and body.
John: The cigar opens with mild bread notes leaning toward light spices and wood. These combine with tobacco flavors that linger into the post-draw as light spices with mild sharpness in the wood, noticeable after a few puffs. A mild dryness enters the finish, and the spices in the post-draw rise to medium strength. As the first third progresses, the spices recede to a light to light-plus level. The center of the profile becomes defined as light-plus dry wood with mild spice accents as it continues. The first third overall was light-plus dry wood with mild spice accents.
Jiunn: There’s an overall fullness to the flavors that I really enjoy from the first third. Distinct flavors of black pepper, milk creaminess, barnyard and cedar. Retrohaling pulls in more of the black pepper spice and cedar. The finish is long with gritty dirt/soil earthiness. Strength is medium-full and body is medium.

Room101 15th Anniversary

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the chocolate note departs and the black pepper mellows a bit. At a quarter inch in, a mild creaminess joins the profile. At three quarters of an inch in, a light cocoa powder note joins. The retrohale is now earth, toasted oak and a bit of cocoa powder. At an inch and a half in, the earth extends its lead over the toasted oak a bit. As the third comes to a close, the earth is a bit ahead of the toasted oak, with black pepper in the back half of the profile with light amounts of barbecue smokiness, creaminess and cocoa powder in the background. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The second third is fairly in line with the first. Lots of warm baking spices with coffee beans, dry earth and cocoa powder. Dry earth is present as well with those toasted nuts and it has a finish of red and black pepper. Like before, the cigar is medium-full in strength and body.
John: This section introduces creamy, spicy wood at medium-minus strength that lingers on the palate, accompanied by some dryness on the finish. Light chocolate notes emerge in the center of the retrohale as the second third settles in. Creamy chocolate leads off at light strength with sweet tobacco at the center and light-plus spicy wood finishing into the post-draw. Baking spices increase to medium-minus strength as the cigar approaches the halfway point. Through the bottom half, the baking spices ease back down to light-plus strength, blending with dry wood on the finish.
Jiunn: The second thirds flavor profile shifts to tannin filled cedar wood and gritty dirt/soil earthiness. There’s very little pepper, cream, barnyard influence at this point. Strength and body remains medium-full and medium, respectively.

Room101 15th Anniversary

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the toast level increases and some wood bitterness joins the profile. At a quarter inch in, the creaminess and cocoa powder have departed. The retrohale is now just earth and toasted oak. As the cigar wraps up, the earth is a bit ahead of the heavily toasted oak, with black pepper in the back half of the profile and some barbecue smokiness and wood bitterness in the background. The strength bumped up to slightly above medium.
Seth: The final third of the cigar is in line with the first and second. Warm baking spice notes present with coffee beans, toasted nuts and cocoa powder. There is some red and black pepper on the finish with additional touches of dry earth and mineral qualities. The cigar remains at that medium-full level for strength and body till the end.
John: Bread and wood greet the palate, accented by mild tannins throughout the center profile. The post-draw turns tannic and woody as it settles in. The profile continues with dry wood and spices combining to provide a pleasant accent.
Jiunn: The final third stays the course of the second third. Still filled with tannin cedar wood and gritty dirt/soil earthiness. While this does lengthen the finish, it’s not a pleasant experience. Strength and body finishes the same medium-full and medium, respectively.

Room101 15th Anniversary

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy at times, but never needed any attention. The ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.
Seth: Amazing burn from start to finish.
John: The burn was razor straight through the review process.
Jiunn: No issues with the burn. Even, tight ashes and cool burning temperatures.

Room101 15th Anniversary

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: Perfect draw.
John: I measured the draw at 39 inches of water with the CigarMedics draw machine. Subjectively, I found it perfectly in the ideal zone between open and resistant.
Jiunn: No issues with the draw either. Ideal balance between air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with earth, toasted oak, black pepper and some barbecue smokiness. A light chocolate note joined in a bit later. The second third saw the chocolate note depart and later a cocoa powder note and some creaminess joined in. The final third saw the toast level become pretty heavy and some wood bitterness join in. The creaminess and cocoa powder then departed. The Room101 15th Anniversary had an average flavor profile throughout, focused around earth, toasted oak and black pepper. The chocolate and later cocoa powder supporting notes never really elevated the profile at any point. Overall, not a cigar I’d see myself coming back to, and not a very fitting anniversary release.
Seth: The Room101 15th Anniversary is an average cigar. It has a dryer profile overall with a good bit of spices, dry earth and pepper notes. There are some mineral notes that become more pronounced as you get further into the cigar, and it shows those qualities of a stronger and darker Nicaraguan puro. It does have those AJ qualities as a blend, and while there may not be a lot of complexity or transitioning, at no point does the cigar go downhill. Overall, it’s a nice-looking cigar with a great draw and burn. I would smoke the blend again in the future, but it’s not something I would seek out. I’d be interested to see how the cigar smokes with some age, but at the same time I don’t see it becoming significantly better.
John: The Room101 15th Anniversary delivers a well-constructed, consistently balanced smoking experience. Its flavor profile leans toward light to medium-minus strength with prominent wood and spice notes accented by subtle chocolate and baking spices. While it may not push bold complexity, I found it to have a smooth progression for the majority of the review. Both the draw and the burn were perfect. The price point for the 15th Anniversary is average for the 2025 market, but based on the flavor delivery I would seek these out again. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 22 minutes.
Jiunn: The cigar’s first third was very nice, with full distinct and tasty flavors. I liked it so much and thought, this is a cigar worthy of an anniversary marker. But as the second third approached, the shift in profile became too tannic with tannin filled cedar wood and earthy dirt/soil. Given this, I would pass on this Room101 15th Anniversary.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.65

Cost/Point

$2.65

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$2.61

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$2.20

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$2.46

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Room101 15th Anniversary