Cigar Review: Rocky Patel Olde World Corojo Robusto

So this cigar has been touted as being a fairly superior cigar coming the the house of Rocky Patel, so, I figured I'd take it for a test drive. There it sat in its box amidst the Decades and the Sungrowns, with its distinctive secondary wrapper with the laser etching. So I decided to go for the Corojo per my local tobacconists, Nick, insistence.

A few notes on construction; probably first and foremost, what caught my attention quite startlingly was the label. It looked to be made of poor quality done with a dot jet ink printer, I know this is a moot point and really irrelevant to the flavor and enjoyment of the cigar, but for me there is something regal in a well done label, even the old Havana brown and white ones had a simple elegance to them. But, I digress, over all construction seemed well. It had an outside appearance of suede leather, however upon lighting it I discovered a whole different story. I noticed almost instantly that it had a very airy draw, too airy. It also burned uneven very early into the smoke and burned very fast, to the point it was going out and had to be re-lit several times. The ash was very mottled and almost zebra-striped and flaky.

As far as flavor is concerned, it started out as a smoked wooded flavor, with a hint of pepper in the finish, and I would say it was medium bodied. Getting into the 2/3 mark, the flavor began to mellow out and the wooded flavor begins to smooth out the pepper. The last third remained woody, but began to lose some of its character. I also noticed a resurgence of pepper and a hint of nut, but became very bitter in the after taste.

Overall, I fell quite honestly, I received a rare dud from the Rocky Patel line, it became a high maintenance cigar and not easy to enjoy and really frustrating by the end.

Cigar Review: Tatuaje Havana VI Torpedo

So I have heard all the rage now about Tatuaje and since it is coming from one of the industries greatest cigar makers, Don Jose Pepin, it should live up to some nice hype. So I went down and picked up a Red Label Havana VI Torpedo.

Immediately I was impressed by its look. For a $5 stick, it looked very well constructed, smooth even colored wrapper, nice cap and a simple, yet elegant label. This is a Nicaragua puro (all Nicaraguan leaf, wrapper, binder and filler) To the hand it seemed just the right amount of soft, springy leaf filler in a perfect wrap. To light it didn't take much effort and had a near perfect draw. As it burned it created quite a nice even, white ash, although about 1/3 of the way into it, I had problems with an uneven burn, and starting around the 2/3 mark it started wanting to be a quick burn, forcing someone as long-winded as myself in conversation, to pay more attention to how often I'm pulling from the cigar requiring a re-light once. But overall I'd say this was a pretty fine smoke.

The flavor that first caught my attention within the first few draws was distinctly woody, I'd almost go as far to describe it as mesquite but not quite. but mellows out to just a wooded flavor with a hint of nut. Later, about 1/3 to halfway through there was a hint of a spice I couldnt quite place, my friend experinced the same at the 1/3 mark, it was almost like a teasing hint of anise on the back of my tongue, just poking every now and then which I found enjoyable. By the end I found that this had a fairly consistent character and good dense smoke. I paired this with a medium coffee and found that to be a pretty comfortable after dinner match.

Cigar Review: Solid Staple Cigar

So, this week I have had the pleasure of enjoying two of these completely affordable, yet tasty gems; the Rocky Patel Edge (Maduro). A little history, this cigar was released in 2004 with no advertisement and little fanfare. I was introduced to it as a giant box of a hundred and they, at the time had no label. But within one week of my local tobbaconist having them in stock, they were gone. They have grown in popularity since.

A simple light tan band for the where you light the cigar denotes this to be the the Rocky Patel Edge Maduro. Don't let the generic look of these fool you, it is a fantastic smoke for the price per stick, which is about $7.50 to $8.00. These can be found at your local tobacconist's in large wooden crates, usually number around a hundred sticks in each crate. They come in a variety of Maduro, Natural and Lite. Now, I personally am I fan of Maduro's period, but this is definitely a must.

With a rich and robust wooded flavor that subtly tingles your taste buds with a smooth finish, and a nice, even gray ash that hangs for some time. Its is well made and feels firm, with a good draw, in fact, I've not run across a problem yet. I find it to be affordable enough to fill your humidor as a great everyday smoke. Though this is a medium cigar, this should not be enjoyed on an empty stomach. Pair this up with a bold coffee, I personally recommend the seasonal 'Brazilian-Ipanema Bourbon' as an excellent selection.

A Little About Me, The Cigar Czar

So this is my blog which I will be writing articles, product reviews, giving 'how to' lessons and a few fun things for those who enjoy cigars. A little background on me; I've been smoking cigars and other tobacco products since I was 17. I started, I think as most young teenagers, with Swisher Sweets, until the day I learned the errors of my ways. On one fateful day, with barbecue ribs in a homemade Southern Comfort barbecue sauce, I was introduced to my first 'real' cigar, an H. Upmann, and it was good. Ever since then, I've been hooked and to this day, H. Upmann remains as one of my favorite brands. Particularly the Vintage Cameroon. I still smoke frequently, and now I'm here to share a little bit of my passion and knowledge with all of you. Hope you enjoy my blog site and express a little of your cigar passions here as well!

Thank you- The Cigar Czar