Vitola: Robusto- 5.5” x 50 ring gauge
- MSRP $13
- Purchased from Burns Tobacconist
Background
November 22, 2019, was my last day working for Burns Tobacconist after more than 6 years either part-time or full-time. It was an event so momentous that Rocky Patel himself felt compelled to come to the shop and wish me well. Actually, that’s not entirely true. It was my last day, but we had an event scheduled with Rocky for several months; it was originally supposed to be in September but got rescheduled…and happened to fall on my last day. But he did, in fact, wish me well.
Another big thing that happened for Rocky Patel in 2019 was the ALR Second Edition. ALR stands for “Aged, Limited, Rare.” The first version came out in 2018 and I missed it. This Second Edition is an entirely new blend, though, and I’m pretty glad I didn’t miss out on this one. They use Nicaraguan filler and binder, from Rocky’s farms in Estelí and Condega, along with a Mexican San Andrés wrapper. These cigars were rolled in 2016 and sat in an aging room for over 2 years before being boxed and released.
They come in 3 sizes, each of which is “limited” to 40,000 boxes of 20 sticks. (I put “limited” in quotes because the total overall number of cigars is pretty huge…even with RP-sized sales numbers, you should be able to find these for a year or two.)
The Toro vitola was named Cigar Aficionado Magazine’s #5 cigar of 2019; color me surprised that they actually reviewed something that came out during the last few months of the year. If your local shop inexplicably does not carry Rocky Patel Cigars, you can pick these up on Small Batch Cigar, a Leaf Enthusiast sponsor.
Prelight
I saw a photo of the first ALR and thought it was very plain, with the typical double-band that RP has been using for decades (and on the Decade, for that matter <snicker>). This time they went a little over-the-top to make it look different. I’m not the best judge, but I think maybe they could have covered a little more of the cigar if they had tried harder (the sarcasm is strong today). The band is a rather large diamond shaped affair with tons of copper foil and embossing, along with ALR and RP reversed out in white lettering. The secondary band is more of a sheath that covers the rest of the cigar. It features a cream background and mostly type and ornamentation in the same copper foil, but some type in black lettering, as well.
The wrapper leaf that was showing above the banding was a dark chocolate brown with a very smooth feel under my fingertips and a strong earthiness, along with a touch of unsweetened cocoa. The foot of the stick had rich earth, semi-sweet chocolate, and coffee bean notes.
After clipping the head, I had a great draw that had moderately sweet chocolate flavor, along with earth, natural tobacco, and a touch of leather.
Flavor
Firing up the ALR Second Edition produced a strong cedar flavor right off the bat, which is not something I had expected based on the cold draw. There was earth and unsweetened cocoa behind the wood, as well as a bit of pepper spice heat. The retrohale was very peppery. As I burned through the first third, I found a sweet note coming out of the chocolate and a little more pepper hitting my palate, while the cedar receded a bit.
Getting into the second third, I picked up a leathery note to go with the semisweet chocolate. Earth and cedar played distant secondary notes and pepper was a steady low-level burn.
In the last third, the ALR Second Edition got more earthy and there was less sweetness, leaving more of a unsweetened cocoa powder note again. Pepper was still hanging in there.
Construction
I had a great draw, very even burn line, and solid ash.
Value
Although a little more than “average” on the price tag, the ALR Second Edition is simply one of the best Rocky Patel’s I’ve had, so it’s worth it.
Conclusions
With the ALR Second Edition, Rocky Patel has made a classic Nicaraguan blend, heavy on earth and chocolate notes, with plenty of pepper and cedar to back it up. It’s not the most original flavor profile, but it is undeniably very good and I enjoyed it from end to end. It was medium-plus in body all the way and is very easy to recommend for folks that like Nicaraguan leaf.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
