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Welcome to another Cigar Geeks Critique of a vitola provided to us by our friends at Rocky Patel Cigars. Up for review this time is the new Patel Brothers Toro. A special thanks to CG member Akira for setting this one up with Rocky Patel.
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Length:
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6.5
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Ring Gauge:
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52
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Country Manufactured:
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Nicaragua
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Filler:
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Nicaragua
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Binder:
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Nicaragua
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Wrapper:
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Pennsylvania
United States
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Color:
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Maduro
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Strength:
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Full
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Shape:
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Toro
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| This cigar was enjoyed with Whalers Dark Rum and Coke
Pre-Light: 18 Points of 20 Possible
This cigar had a dark, slightly oily wrapper. There was some crush damage to the foot, but that was probably due to shipping/ handling so I will not count that against it. The head clipped easily and I was rewarded with a earthy chocolate pre-light draw.
Cigar presentation was very nice with a tasteful band that removed easily.
Light & Burn: 11 Points of 15 Possible
The cigar toasted very quickly and lit easily with no stubborn spots. The burn favored one side of the cigar throughout most of the smoke, but this may have been due to the damage at the foot. I did have to touch it up once during the smoke to even it out. After that, it burned very well.
Ash was ugly, dark and not very tight. It did hold firmly however, and did not flake.
The quantity of smoke was not up to what would be expected from a Rocky Patel cigar. It was wispy and did not have that typical Rocky voluminous white smoke.
The main issue that I had with this cigar's burn was that it seemed like I was struggling to keep it from going out. This necessitated puffing quicker than I would like and trying to strike a balance between keeping it lit and keeping it from burning too hot.
Construction: 26 Points of 30 Possible
The oily sheen was even across the cigar and the capa had a veiny, wrinkled, Cubanesque appearance to it.
The cigar was very firm along most of its length, but was a bit spongy near the head. Other than the sponginess, it seemed very well made and had a good weight in the hand.
The draw was tight, but not overly so. The cigar had a lot of nicotine as I could feel the tip of my tongue tingle from it.
The aroma of the cigar was rich tobacco with a strong earthiness.
Flavor: 30 Points of 35 Possible
Initial flavor was very full, almost too much so. It hit my mouth with lots of earth and pepper with a strong coffee finish.
Once the initial pepper wore off, the cigar settled into a profile of earth with some burnt coffee. There was an astringent sensation in the back of my mouth from it. There was an ashy taste that also came in and out of the flavor profile of the first third of this stick.
Around the time that the cigar progressed into its second third, the flavors mellowed out and became much more pleasant. The astringentness left, as did the ashy taste. The flavors became more sweet and the smoke became more "chewy". The coffee was fading away and more of a woodsy, earthy treacle flavor remained.
The last third brought about even more sweetness, as the earthiness faded. This was very enjoyable, and lasted to the nub. As the cigar was getting near the nub, it was getting fairly hot to the fingers and I had to give up on it, which was unfortunate, because it was the best part of this cigar.
Summary
This was not a typical Rocky Patel cigar. The smoke and burn were completely different from anything that I have experienced from his line.
The flavors were a bit overwhelming for the first third, but settled down into a very enjoyable profile after the first third.
Because I found the initial part of the cigar to be unpleasant for the first third, I probably would not purchase these myself. However, I would not turn one down if offered.
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