Cigar Review: Room 101 OSOK (One Shot, One Kill) “Chingon”
Product Story / Blend Sheet:
“From the creative mind of Matt Booth at Room 101 Cigars comes his latest creation called OSOK, which is short for “One Shot, One Kill”. OSOK is a collaboration between Matt Booth and photographer Edgar Hoill, who gets his nickname “One Shot One Kill” from his ability to capture breathtaking photographs with one “shot”. Room 101 is not only known for having some great cigars, but some of the most creative packaging in the industry as well.”
Wrapper: Habano
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Dominican/Honduran
Strength: Medium to Full Bodied
Today I had the opportunity to smoke the first OSOK (One Shot, One Kill) by Room 101 Cigars that landed at the Greenbrier/Crossways store. Out of the two sizes that I received, I chose to go with the Chingon, which more or less translates as“Awesome”, though the connotation does vary. Anyways, outside of the interesting name, I’ve always had a fascination with cigars of the Diadema vitola, due to size/shape, as well as the sheer effort required to roll such a shape correctly, along with making it visually appealing. After marveling at the awesome presentation, which is typical of Room 101, I must say that this was a beautiful cigar, with no imperfections in construction in sight.
Pre-Light:
There are many factors that go into enjoying a cigar. One of the most important aspects of this is the construction– A well constructed cigar on the outside is indicative of a good smoking experience. As mentioned above, the Diadema shape is extremely difficult to roll, and even with this said, I saw no coarse veins or seams in the wrapper.
The pre light aroma was very decent. Upon smelling the wrapper, I got a whiff of barnyard and milk chocolate notes, which of course compelled me to cut and eventually light the cigar (of course!). The pre-light draw was nice and open, which showed me that this cigar was well rolled. I have smoked cigars of this vitola before with terrible draws– this was a sign of a great cigar.
First Third:
Generally speaking, the first puffs of a cigar upon lighting are very important, as it sets an expectation for the rest of the cigar, and most importantly, it creates a benchmark for the smoker to see how the cigar evolves. Upon lighting, I received a large bouquet of smoke on my palate, which contained hints of dark chocolate, along with some earthy notes. A medium to full bodied smoke, for sure. I also make sure I blow some smoke out of my nose as well, as the nose can often elaborate on certain nuances that the tongue fails to pick up. I found some pepper notes that I couldn’t pick up otherwise. However, I must say that this was very subtle and not the least bit overpowering, as seen in other cigars.
I think it’s also appropriate to comment on the finish of this cigar. For a cigar so dark and oily, I found that it smoked quite cleanly, leaving a short finish ; a desirable quality, in my opinion.
At this point, the cigar is still burning straight as a razor which is fantastic for a tapered shape!
Halfway point:
After the first third, I found that the pepper notes died off, and I was faced with a stream of dark chocolate and rich tobacco flavor. This is called the “sweet spot”, where the blend has developed into its’ peak form. I was enjoying this extremely rich flavor, which was paring well with the black coffee that I was drinking at the time. By this time, the cigar had burned well past the tapered “head” of this shape, and was burning like a champ. I can’t say this enough, Room 101 has really outdone themselves on the OSOK line, especially with a cigar as hefty as the Chingon.
Finish:
This cigar has been the first stick in a while that I have been able to smoke well past the band. As the image shows, I smoked it down to about an inch! Even when smoking this cigar down to such a low point, I need to point out that it still produced a cool, enjoyable smoke. At this point, I was getting some espresso notes– a sign of a fantastic cigar!
Will I smoke this again? In a heartbeat– You should, too! This cigar is part of a very limited release, and is available at all five Emerson’s Cigars stores. Go out and try one today, before it’s too late!
Room 101 O.S.O.K. can be purchased online and at all 5 Emerson’s Cigars locations in Hampton Roads or by calling us us at 1-800-842-2990 to place an order.
