Cigar Review: Rocky Patel Decade

Lancero, 7" x 38 ring gauge, $10.10
Almost 2 years ago, I was among the privileged few (about 500, I think) that were present for the unveiling of the Decade by Rocky Patel at the Big Smoke in Las Vegas. It was Sunday morning and we were drinking Scotch with Cigar Aficionado Spirits Editor, Jack Bettridge, but Rocky added his own energy to the morning by allowing us to be among the first of the general public to get to smoke one of these sticks. Fast-forward a year or so and RP released a lancero sampler with several of his popular blends in the lancero size. If the store owner decided to break up the sets, you can bet your best buddy would have already bought the Decade lanceros before you got there, leaving you to sample The Edge; it was good, but I always wondered about that Decade... Now, Rocky is selling the Decade lancero on its own in boxes of 26.

I have to start by saying that the box I picked this stick out of showed one of the worst Quality Control examples that I have seen in my 8 years of smoking, especially in this price range. This, as well as at least 2 other boxes of Decades, showed extreme color variations that you simply should never see ina box of sticks--someone is not doing their job. But, as I had never had one of these, I bought one anyway.

The Decade is a beautiful, dark cigar. The wrapper was smooth in color and texture and the cigar had just a slight box-press to it, unusual for a lancero. The body of the stick smelled of humidor and leather; the foot had a sweeter aroma: chocolate mixed with a little coffee.

The prelight draw had a chocolately, sweet flavor to it. After lighting, the smoke was creamy with a large dose of spice and black pepper. Full-bodied and full-flavored right from the start. The spice and pepper held up well throughout the first third, something I have not been seeing lately--I have been smoking a lot of cigars that had some decent initial spice that went away before the first third was finished. This not only remained, but was so strong that I had trouble finding any other flavors in the blend.

The spice and pepper continued strongly in the second third, but also allwed some black coffee flavor to come through. One notable thing about this cigar is its draw; it is not uncommon for lanceros to have tight, if not plugged, draws; the Decade's draw is nothing short of absolutely flawless.

In the final third, the pepper spice finally settled down enough to allow the coffee flavors to come to the front of the class, as well as some baking cocoa. There was still enough spice to keep things interesting, though. This was a truly impressive stick. Even though it is half an inch shorter than the Triunfador I had the day before, it lasted every bit as long and did not have any draw problems. It is a very well-balanced, full-bodied smoke that was creamy without "creaming out" and peppery without sacrificing other flavors. Easily the best Decade I have smoked since that first one back in Vegas, November 2007, and one that I'm anxious to try again. I was initially wary of the price point, but it has shown itself worth the extra buck or two.

Body: 8/10
Strength: 7/10
Complexity: 8/10

AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10