Vitola: Robusto- 5” x 50 ring gauge
- ~$10.50
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
The story of this cigar begins (or maybe ends) with a rather grand pronouncement: “In all of our years creating world-class cigars, we’ve never produced anything that more rigorously adheres to our high standards and dedication to quality.” I’ve grown fairly inured to marketing hyperbole and overstatement, but this still seems like a dark, heavy line that’s been drawn. I’m assuming you’ve already read the title of this review, so you know already that I’m talking about “Disciple,” one of the latest from Rocky Patel Cigars.
My first question is, “Who is the ‘disciple’ referred to in the name of this cigar?” My next remark came was, “I can’t believe these don’t come in 12-count boxes…what a missed opportunity!” Disciple is composed of Nicaraguan filler and binder leaves from Condega and Esteli, all wrapped up in a Mexican San Andres wrapper.
These are sold in 4 sizes, all of which come in 20-count boxes. This review sample is the third time I’ve had this blend and I bought all my cigars at Burns Tobacconist. If your local cigar shop isn’t carrying the Disciple, you can get them at our sponsor, Small Batch Cigar.
Prelight
The boxes for this release are a dark wood grain with black lining and lots of gold shininess. The main band is mostly copper foil with black type and artwork. The name of the blend is front and center, with “Rocky Patel” above it and the RP logo below. There is a copper foil footband and a black sheath that covers the majority of the cigar. The sheath also has the RP logo emblazoned upon it in copper foil.
The wrapper leaf of the Disciple was a medium-brown, almost milk chocolate color. The color was a bit of a surprise to me because most of the San Andres I see these days tends to be much darker. It was rough and rustic-looking but had tons of oils under my fingertips. I got aromas of earth, anise, leather, and bell pepper from the wrapper, along with cocoa powder, coffee, and earth on the foot.
After clipping the cap, the cold draw was excellent. It was had plenty of semi-sweet chocolate notes, earth, and espresso bean.
Flavor
Once fired up, the Rocky Patel Disciple exploded into flavors of cocoa powder, dark roast coffee, black and red pepper, and earth. Anise and leather played secondary supporting roles, while the retrohale was strong with leather and red pepper spice. As the first third continued to burn, I picked up on a vegetal bell pepper note, as the earthier and sweeter notes faded a bit.
While the first third had stormed out of the gate with a medium-to-full body, there was a definite dip in the body department during the second third. I got more bell pepper and earth, along with the introduction of cedar and cinnamon into the mix. Semisweet chocolate and cocoa powder were in the background.
The last third had a slight increase in earthiness and a corresponding decrease in the bell pepper notes. Body picked up a little again and pepper was vivid on every puff.
Construction
I had a very good draw, even enough burn line, and solid ash throughout.
Value
The price tag was right in the “average” range, which is very good for a cigar that was this pleasing.
Conclusions
No matter who it refers to, Disciple is a very good addition to the Rocky Patel catalog. It was spicy and sweet and savory and complex, a far cry from a decade ago when it seemed like most of the RP cigars were heavily Honduran in blend and tended to fall a little flat for me. Along with the Sun Grown Maduro, ALR Second Edition, and Twentieth Anniversary, this is a Rocky Patel blend I would happily smoke again and again.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
