Rocky Patel Vintage 2006 San Andreas Churchill Review

When The Cigar Authority returned from the 2017 IPCPR we had a lot of samples to smoke through, and a lot of questions from our friends about what we liked in terms of the full releases we smoked. My answer was always the same, “I don’t put any stock into trade show samples.” When pressed for an explanation, my answer was simple that the travel of the cigars from humid, to arid, back to humid wrecking havoc with the tobacco. At other times, I went for the controversial answer that trade show samples aren’t always the final blend.

When my answer wasn’t enough and people really wanted to know what cigar I liked best based on the trade show samples it was today’s cigar the Rocky Patel Vintage 2006 San Andreas. Which by the way bothers me to no end, not because its Rocky Patel but because the name is wrong, as the tobacco region in Mexico is San Andres.

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 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

Rocky Patel Vintage 2006

Rocky Patel Vintage 2006 Foot

Rocky Patel Vintage 2006 Foot

Rocky Patel Vintage 2006 Burn

Rocky Patel Vintage 2006 Burn

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