Room101 The Big Payback Sumatra Papi Chulo – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

Last year, Matt Booth announced a new wrapper option for The Big Payback line, Sumatra. This is the third in the Big Payback series following the original Connecticut wrapped version, and the Big Payback Maduro. The Room101 The Big Payback Sumatra uses an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Honduran binder, and Nicaraguan filler. It only comes in one size, a short robusto called Papi Chulo that measures 4.5 x 50.

Room101 The Big Payback Sumatra is rolled at the HATSA factory in Danlí, Honduras, which interestingly is the STG (General Cigar) factory. Matt Booth recently sold the Room101 brand to STG and took as position as Creative Director for the company. The cigars come packed in 50 count cabinets, or bundles of 20. Each cigar has an MSRP of $5.99, keeping in line with the value-oriented vision of this line. This was the first regular production Room101 cigar to use a Sumatra wrapper.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Robusto
Length: 4 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 50
Country of Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: Honduran American Tobacco S.A. (HATSA)
Blender: Matt Booth
Number of reviewers: 5 – Kevin J. (maninblack77) Lauren S. (Lauren S.) Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi) Isaac M. (The Nothing) Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
Price: $5.99
Age: 9 Months
Release Date: July 2021
Contributed by: Blind Man’s Puff

Initial Impressions – Room101 The Big Payback Sumatra Papi Chulo

Appearance: 89

“This cigar won’t win a beauty pageant. This oily ebony color wrapper has several small veins. The end of the foot is kind of a mess. There seems to be extra pieces of the wrapper long the foot. It is rolled tightly and is finished with a double cap.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

Aroma: 92

“The aroma is dominated mainly by leather with a touch of cedar and walnuts.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

First Third

Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The first few puffs have strong notes of cherrywood chips. These notes quickly morph into that of an under ripened bing cherry. Holding the smoke, in the mouth, for a little longer I find a little bit of caramel sweetness. When I push some smoke through the sinuses I get a slight cinnamon burn but it doesn’t linger. The ash is tight and bright white in color. The finish is fairly short in length.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

“The blend opened with a very heavy dirt-based earth that was slow to settle. Once it finally did a more bitter but creamy dark chocolate flavor moved in with an odd feeling of spice on the tongue without the flavor of it.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)

Second Third

Flavor: 94
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The middle portion of the cigar starts out with a doughy note with undertones of cedar and anise. As I retrohale some more I get notes of graham cracker dusted with cinnamon. At about the midway point of this third a herbal note has started to form in the retrohale. The ash has remained tight and falls off at the halfway point. The finish has gotten longer.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

“Halfway through the cigar and sourdough is still the star currently. What is interesting is the touch of honey sweetness to balance out that sour like profile from the bread.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

Final Third

Flavor: 94
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium

“I did not want this cigar to end. But all good things must end. Nice mix of earthy notes along with coffee, chocolate, leather and oak. From beginning to end, this cigar was a winner in my opinion. The strength was medium to full with a complex mix of flavors. Anxious to find out what this cigar is.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

“More of the nice creamy deep dark chocolate flavors continue in the final third. I find the strength has pushed into a more medium-full and a heavy spice comes on the last couple of inches.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)

Overall Impressions – Room101 The Big Payback Sumatra Papi Chulo

Draw: 93

” Draw was balanced out with the v-cut and I can’t really complain.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

Burn: 93

“The burn was solid from start to finish, if not a little bit fast.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

Construction: 95

“The bunching and roll was excellent. It burned evenly making for a great smoking experience.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 94

“This cigar marked every box when it comes to cigars I enjoy. Rich, bold flavors with a moderate amount of kick that will keep you interested in what’s coming next. I can easily see myself buying a box of these. I’d highly recommend trying this.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

“The opening of this blend was a bit rough but it quickly settled into a very enjoyable deep, bitter, and creamy dark chocolate flavor. The occasional floral note and baking spices added some great interest. I smoked this cigar until I could not hold it anymore so I would absolutely smoke this cigar again in the future. In the end, I wanted more so I would be curious in trying this blend in a larger size as well.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)

“The term “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” kept coming to mind throughout the whole smoking experience. Once lit the cigar outperformed it’s look. Early bright notes catch your attention and dark notes carry you to the finish. This small cigar punches above it’s weight class for sure. Perfect for all occasions and ease of smoking will make it a sure hit. I hope to find some for my humidor soon.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

“‘Finger licking good.’ Those were the only words in my mind when this cigar was burning my fingertips in the end. The flavors were great, and the transitions were cohesive. I’d love to try this cigar in a larger format because I couldn’t get enough of this cigar.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

“Not a bad cigar at all. With some uniqueness of cloves and sourdough, it gave me a different experience than typical. Some construction issues towards the end, but not enough to force me to end it prematurely. The one odd thing to note was the complete lack of any pepper for me. This is a rarity that I felt needed to be brought up, as some folks are always looking for cigars that offer that but still have some oomph to them. If that is you, I suggest checking this one out.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 62

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Room101 The Big Payback Sumatra Papi Chulo – Blind Cigar Review