There was a debate last week about Rocky Patel cigars on a popular Facebook group with basically a person asking if Rocky Patel cigars were over-rated and over hyped. Needless to say many people who buy into some of the social media hype surrounding cigars that make up a very small total of our industry didn’t buy into Rocky Patel. While not every blend is a winner, the Vintage 2006 is one of them. If you didn’t listen to our podcast this past weekend, we looked at social media and cigars.
Cigar: Rocky Patel Vintage 2006 San Andreas
Wrapper: San Andres (Mexico) (Aged 11 years)
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: 7″
Ring Gauge: 48
Size: Churchill
The Look: Rocky Patel follows the blueprint of previous Vintage releases with the release of the 2006. The black dress box features a rectangular orange design which denotes the San Andreas release. Inside the orange band on the dark San Andres wrapper really pops creating a gorgeous looking contrast. The dark wrapper is flawless and rolled to perfection.
The Notes: The cold draw of the Vintage 2006 San Andres has a meaty cold draw with a subtle sweetness and a touch of earth. Nothing is overly defined, but there is just enough there to pick up on it. The aroma off the foot is similar to the cold draw. Once the cigar is lit the first thing that pops into my mind is a s’more.
As we work our way into the San Andres wrapped San Andreas there is some subtle sweetness to the cigar that is remicent of marshmallows. That marshmallow goodness slowly begins to fade with the introduction of pecans and some subtle leather notes. The retrohale offers a warm spice and hints of mocha.
The second third sees the pecan notes become dominant as the leathery components intensify and by the half way point it becomes the dominant profile. There is some mocha in the background with some rich espresso notes as well.
The last third of the Rocky Patel San Andreas Vintage 2006 sees the balance of the wrapper and binder play off each other brilliantly. There is some subtle sweetness from the broadleaf and some leather from the wrapper creating a mouth watering enjoyable moment.
The Finish: This for me is one of those rare moments when a IPCPR sample and final product are pretty much spot on. As a result this remains my favorite release from the show with a warning. You need to like San Andres tobacco, because its definitely the primary note producer however there are nice subtleties from the broadleaf wrapper present as well. On a side note, the company has only shipped the Churchill and Gordo, I am eager to try the other sizes.
Score: 95
Price: $10.29 / $180.99
Rocky Patel Vintage 2006 Foot
Rocky Patel Vintage 2006 Burn
