601 Habano

601 Habano

• Strength: 3/ 5
• Size: 5 x 52
• Origin: Nicaragua
• Price (local): $6.50
• Wrapper: Habano
• Flavor Text:

Another gem from 601.

Handmade in Erik Espinosa's boutique Nicaraguan factory, the 601 Serie Red employs a silky Nicaraguan Habano wrapper. It sorta reminds me of Cuba’s Ramon Allones Specially Selected (right down to the fur and smell). Nestled within this leaf, lies a potent blend of aged Nicaraguan long-fillers.

Each 601 Red Label features dominant notes of earth and sweetness lingering on the back of the palate as waves of velvety flavor greets the senses. It's got some power, but the smoothness and balance help to mask its strength. Medium to full-bodied, and extremely well-made, you are in for a treat with the 601 Serie Red.

601 Red Label Habano received a 93-rating, noting: "A pointy torpedo whose nutty, woody core of cedar and walnuts is framed by notes of honeyed tea and a mineral finish."

This cigar is the next up for review here on Cigar Ledger as I continue my 601 review marathon. The 601 Habano was the #17 rated smoke on the Top Cigars of 2017 and for good reason: it remains consistent with the 601 formula of providing flavorful, potent sticks that can appeal to most people. The 601 Habano is 601's rendition of a perfect medium cigar, and backed by a visually-appealing Habano wrapper, it provides the smoker with an excellent, yet measured smoke that will meet most people in the middle in their search for the smoke they are looking for.

I grabbed a 5-pack of 601 smokes and opted for the Habano today after hitting some of the harsher sticks over the past two days. What I found in the Habano was a very measured smoke that was full of notes of wood, nuts, toast and a little bit of olive oil, surprisingly. I caught the oily bits on the back end of the retro hale, while the former mentioned notes were bountiful immediately with every draw. It's interesting to smoke this one, as Habano-wrapped cigars are usually a bit stronger than this one. It was actually very pleasuring to smoke a Habano that didn't try to throw the kitchen sink at you with a Nicaraguan blend based on black pepper. These notes in this smoke are very unaggressive, and they approach the palate in a friendly way that I believe most cigar smokers will be able to agree with.

The construction on this cigar is perfect, and the draw was offering me just the right amount of smoke. It burned very sharply and cut even easier; unraveling or flaking was never a concern during my time with the 601 Habano. Among all of the great things happening with this cigar, I believe the Habano wrapper is the star of the show. 601's decision to back off of an intense Nicaraguan blend for this one and opt for a perfect medium-body blend of tobacco really helps to show off the aromatic smoke that the Habano produces, while also giving the smoker a measured blend that allows for the proper tasting of both the tobacco blend and the wrapper. It's another fantastic smoke from 601, and it's the one I am most sure will appeal to every smoker, no matter what their preference is.

Happy smoking! CB