Robusto, 5" x 50 ring gauge, $7.90Rocky Patel was a lawyer before getting into the cigar trade about 12 years ago, so he cannot commemorate his father's birth year or how many generations of Patel have been working in the biz--maybe those cigars will come 2 or 3 generations down the line. What he is celebrating in this new release is the year of his own birth, 1961. It features Nicaraguan filler, Honduran binder, and Ecuadorian Habano-seed wrapper. It is the first cigar that is being produced in Rocky's newest Nicaraguan factory: Tabacalero Villa Cuba. (In a side note: under the description paragraph on the Rocky Patel website where I gleaned the above info, it states that the cigar features a Honduran wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and Dominican and Nicaraguan filler. Obviously, Rocky's website is up to its usual standards. I'm going with what the descriptive paragraph, not the listed info under it..it's a craps shoot either way.)
The double band is interesting and attractive, featuring a while outline drawing of a tobacco plant on a black background; the leaves and roots extend beyond the natural borders of the band and are die-cut out. The secondary band is a dark red band with the RP logo very tiny in black; it is placed lower and under the first band and gives a unique look--I commend the graphic designer who came up with this. The wrapper is a fairly dark brown--I would call it a maduro--with a little oily sheen to it (a little oily sheen...hmm, was it's name Charlie? No, that would be a crazy little Sheen). The body of the stick has an aroma that is barnyard and classic humidor; the foot is composty with some coffee and a little dark chocolate.
In prelight, the draw was excellent and the flavors were of chili pepper, creamy coffee and just a little cocoa. Initial puffs were heavy with black coffee and roasted nuts. The first third continued to be very nutty with just a little coffee undertone and a building mouth burn from the spice.
During the second third, the roasted nut flavor faded as did the spiciness. Instead there was more black coffee and a little chocolatey sweetness. So far the construction was superb: no draw or burn issues.
The last third was far more mellow than the first. The flavor of coffee continued to dominate and virtually all spice disappeared. Overall, this was a very good smoke--easily trouncing last year's Renaissance as well as most of the seasonal, special and proprietary blends that Rocky has been wasting his time on since he released the Decade two years ago. It was medium-to-full in body and had an interesting flavor progression to keep it from being dull. I have given Rocky Patel a lot of grief in conversation and on this blog in the past year, but with this stick, I call a cease-fire. If the Patel Bros. stick performs as well as this, it could have the affect of changing my opinion...and buying habits. Thank you, Mr. Patel, for creating a very flavorful stick...and for doing so at a price that is reasonable. (The Patel Bros. review should be in this spot tomorrow.)
Body: 7/10
Strength: 6/10
Complexity: 8/10
AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
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