Conjura, or conspiracy in Spanish, is the second release from Room 101 Cigars, the product of Los Angeles based jewelry designer Matt Booth in partnership with Camacho Cigars. The Conjura is a ramped up and stronger cigar when compared to the original Room 101, which was met with mixed results from cigar smokers upon its release.
The Room 101 Conjura will be available in four sizes, 4" x 48, 4.75" x 50, 5" x 60 and 6.5" x 54. Each vitola is being limited to a production of 12,500 cigars, with retail prices between $6.95 and $9.95 depending on the size. The Room 101 Conjura is made with a mix of Dominican and Nicaraguan filler tobacco, Honduran binder, and a rosado wrapper grown in Honduras.
For this review, the 6.5" x 54 vitola was smoked, unbanded, which was given by Booth at the 2010 IPCPR trade show in New Orleans.
This vitola proves to be quite a handful -- while not falling into the 6" x 60 ring gauge range, it certainly comes close, checking in half-an-inch longer and 6/64" of a ring gauge less in diameter.
The Conjura has a pronounced barnyard smell, almost heavy in the nose. Judging just from the smell of the cigar, it seems like this is going to be a journey down a dark path to meet someone who clearly deals with things more serious than most average people deal with. The cold draw yielded easy airflow, with subtle hints of chocolate, but had to be focused on to really pull out.
Out of the gate, the Conjura seems harmless enough - it produces plenty of smoke, although somewhat lacking in specific flavor. It doesn't come straight out with a hit of pepper or burst of spice, seemingly welcoming you in without much fanfare.
However as the second third begins to unfold, the cigar takes on more woodsy notes, bringing in some cedar and alder. While it's a dry flavor, it doesn't seem to dry out the palate. It coats the mouth with woodsy flavors, intermingling a brief hint of leather to create a rich, dry sensation on the palate.
After this point, the cigar really ramps up into meaty, hearty flavors, quickly developing into a full bodied cigar that grabs you by the palate and shakes your head around. Luckily, this cigar was smoked after lunch, otherwise the effects would have likely been magnified and any hopes of being productive afterward would have been negated due to the strong body.
While the Room 101 Conjura takes a while to get going, once it hits its stride it doesn't let up, almost to the point of being a detriment. Where as the Swag Fierce provided a couple of breaks from the intensity, the Conjura offered no time for a breather.
The 6.5" x 54 vitola of the Conjura is a long smoke, clocking in around or just slightly over the two-hour mark. While there are no draw issues and the cigar didn't seem overly packed, it burns fairly slowly, taking its time to creep up towards where the band would be.
Between the smoking time and the powerful body of the second half of the cigar, the Conjura might just be a conspiracy between Matt Booth and Camacho to knock out cigar smokers. For those who don't want to have your palate rocked by a cigar, or if you haven't had the benefit of a good meal before lighting one up, the Conjura is one to avoid. If you're looking for a cigar that takes a few puffs to get into gear and then floors it with flavor, the Conjura might just be the conspiracy you're looking to buy into.
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