Cigar Review: Acme Route 66 Hot Rod

The new Route 66 cigar line sports a retro band, an all-American name, and filler that includes the trendy Mexican San Andrés tobacco.

If you haven’t seen Route 66 yet, that’s not surprising. Acme Cigar Co.’s Jay Lundy said they have just recently begun to roll out nationally from their Texas base after what he called an “absolutely great” reception at this summer’s cigar industry convention in New Orleans.

But you’re likely to have come across Acme even sooner if you’re even mildly active on social media. The company is very active on various platforms, along with AKA Cigars, its sibling.

Route 66, rolled in Estelí, has an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, a Jalapa Criollo binder, and filler from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, in addition to the San Andrés tobacco. It comes in four sizes, including a massive (8.5 x 52) cigar with both ends closed that Acme says can be split and smoked as two Rothschilds.

The Hot Rod, which I smoked for this review, is a Robusto (5 x 50, $5.90). The cigars were supplied by Acme.

It’s a pleasant cigar with excellent construction, good burn, and a fine draw. I didn’t notice the dirt flavor I often associate with San Andrés wrappers, but the cigars did have a somewhat raw finish and an occasional back-of-the-throat scratch.

Flavors included pepper, burned coffee, and a little hay, all of which were nicely blended. I’d call it a medium-strength smoke.

The name Acme has a special place in American pop culture. Cartoon fans recognize it as the source of nearly every hair-brained gadget Wile E. Coyote used to try to catch the Road Runner. Before that, though, Acme gained widespread use when phone books came out because Acme would land your firm at the top of the list. Still today, you can type “Acme” followed by just about any business you like—pharmacy, auto, sporting goods, sponges, plumbing, etc.—into Google, and you’ll find numerous examples. Earlier cigar-related Acme trademarks had apparently expired and that enabled Lundy to grab it.

As part of its push to get cigars into more hands, Acme is sponsoring a Stogie Guys contest with five-cigar sampler packs as prizes. To enter, all you have to do is follow Lundy on Instagram at @akajaylundy and post a comment here to say that you’ve done so. (You’re a StogieGuys.com reader, so we trust you; no proof necessary.) We’ll pick the winners at random in a week or so.

As for the Route 66 Hot Rod, I’d suggest you give it a try, especially if you’re looking for a modestly priced addition to a regular rotation. I give it three and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys