In 1995 Rocky Patel left the entertainment industry where he worked as a lawyer and his public access cooking show in Wisconsin to focus on cigars. Rocky and Phil Zanghi were partners in Indian Tabac a brand that was discontinued earlier this year. Eventually Rocky and Zanghi would split apart and Rocky Patel would become a household name amongst cigar smokers.
The 20th Anniversary is available in 5 sizes all of which are box pressed and is expected to be available in September. Those sizes according to the Rocky Patel price sheet are: Lancero (7.5 x 38 / $9.65 SRP); Rothschild (4.5 x 50 / $9.65); Robusto Grande (5.5 x 54 / $10.15), Toro (6 x 52 / $11.20) and Sixty (6 x 60 /$ 12.80)
Cigar Review: Rocky Patel 20th Anniversary
Size: 4.5 x 50 (Rothschild)
Wrapper: Honduras
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras (Jamastran) and Nicaragua (Esteli and Jalapa)
Strength: Medium
Source: Rocky Patel
The Look: The cigar features two bands with the primary utilizing colors of silver, gold and black. The cigar features the Rocky Patel circle logo. Underneath the logo is the word twentieth with the years above it (1995-2015) and the word anniversary beneath it. In the back the band it denotes “XX Years and Counting”. The foot has a band that denotes Natural leaving us to wonder if there will also be a maduro version in the future. The wrapper is oily and the box pressed cigar is flawlessly rolled with a nice weight it.
The Notes: The cold draw of the cigar serves up notes of cocoa and marshmallows that is a sweetness I pick up from a lot of Rocky Patel smokes. The aroma off the foot is virtually non-existent. Once the cigar is lit there is a sweetness of mocha with a subtle spice.
Working our way into the first third the cigar has nots of figs and raisins with some charred wood notes. The aroma of the cigar is sweet. As the first third comes to a close the cigar picks up an orange like citrus note.
As we move into the second third of the cigar the citrus notes quickly fade as pepper picks up through the nose and on the aroma. The cigar continues to serve up notes of mocha with a hint of espresso.
The last third of the Rocky Patel Twentieth sees the primary note take on a leather like component and the sweetness remains as an afterthought on the finish with some yeast and coffee.
The Burn: Even though the cigar was sitting in my humidor for a few weeks the burn line of the cigar wasn’t the best, but its hard to find fault in an IPCPR sample. The ash held for nearly the first half of the cigar, and the draw was a tad loose with a combustion line that I would like to see smaller. However, with all that IPCPR samples go through I offer this up as a precursor as whats to come and don’t put much stock into a trade show sample other than basic flavors.
The Finish: The Rocky Patel Twentieth Anniversary sample from the IPCPR did enough to pique my interest for the regular release which should arrive in September. The cigar offered up a nice sweetness with some subtle spices that has me curious to try the regular release. From this point forward pre-release samples won’t be scored.
Price: $9.65 (Obtained for free from Rocky Patel)
Bullet Points
- I feel it is blasphemous to say so, but in the hand the cigar feels like a Padron 1964.
- I’ll be curious to see how these change-up; as the cigar smoked for review was an IPCPR sample.
- Despite being a slow smoker, I finished this cigar in 40 minutes.
- The Rocky Patel website offers no information on the cigar other than a picture which is disappointing.
- I paired the smoke with water.
- Both bands were easy to remove.
Rocky Patel Twentieth
Rocky Patel Twentieth Foot
Rocky Patel Twentieth Burn
