Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $12.00 - $14.00
The more I smoke Rocky Patel cigars, the more I like them. This cigar was the last in the box at my local shop, so I figured I better grab it and give it a try. Once I took this cigar out of its tube, the darkness of the wrapper drew me. I knew I was in for a treat with this stick.
Before I lit this stick I gave it a good look over. This cigar smelled very sweet. If the cigar tastes half as good as it smells I will be in for quite a treat. The cigar is packed very tight as well. There weren’t really any soft spots in this stick. And there were a few veins, mostly really small, thin veins.
Once I lit this cigar, it was all up hill. The initial flavors were very earthy and resembled a sweet wood, like cedar. After about an inch or so, the flavor started to have a bit of a peppery aftertaste. Now the smoke became very thick and creamy, leaving a good creamy layer on the palate. I was surprised at how fast the first third of this stick burned giving the fact that if was wrapped so tight.
As the first third rounded out, the wood flavor clearly stood out as cedar. The earthy flavors became much stronger. Also, the spiciness of the pepper went away for the most part giving way to hints and notes of black coffee. When I thought the flavor couldn’t get any better, I was mistaken.
From about the midpoint of the stick, all the way to the finish, the flavors were pretty consistent. The only difference was that the flavors became much stronger and the cigar as a whole became much more full bodied.
The aroma of this cigar smelled just as it tasted. I could clearly smell the cedar coming through in the smoke, as well as the slight pepper hints tingling the nose. The ash was unlike anything I have seen in a while. It was almost like a reverse skunk. The ash was a really light shade of gray with a dark streak right down the top of it. The ash was strong though, only ashed once. This stick also burned pretty evenly after the first half inch. The draw got on my nerves a little bit. It was really smooth for the first half, but then I actually had to work to produce a reasonable amount of smoke; nothing a little chewing couldn’t fix.
Overall this cigar was good, not great. I would say it deserves a 8 out of 10.
Smoke em if ya got em,
Zack the Stogie Man
I think this cigar deserves at least a 4.5. The Decade is one of my top three favorite Rocky's.
ReplyDeleteMy wife got me this cigar as a birthday present, and I really loved it. I'm partial to Rocky Patel in general, and this was a little more full-bodied than most of his offerings (except Edge, of course). The flavor was there, but the draw on mine was a little off as well - I had to work for it.
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