Toro, 6.5” x 52 ring gauge /~ $12.00
Despite the frigid temperatures of late (for those who don’t know, Tennessee had a couple of sub zero temps last week), we finally had a couple of days of warmth again. So when it hit 65 degrees outside, I decided to go sit on my back deck and have a smoke. For this particularly warm day, I chose a stick from a box I received from a close friend for Christmas who was kind enough to have Rocky personalize it for me. (salutation removed to protect the young and innocent. ha). There were only 1,000 boxes made of each of the three different vitolas: Robusto, Toro and Torpedo. My gift was a Toro.
I don’t think it has ever been said that Patel doesn’t know how to celebrate, and considering this was a new line to commemorate his birthday this past year, there’s no shortage of festive feelings when you see the packaging and the confetti type of design inside the lid and on the band around each cigar. Rocky’s birthday is February 26, and hearkening back to those pesky roman numerals in school, you see that II-XXVI is not mere coincidence.
But enough about the packaging and the glitz, let’s move on to the true star of the evening. The 2-26 is an interesting cigar. Its filler tobacco is from Condega and Ometepe, Nicaragua (Ometepe is an island located within Lake Nicaragua); the Jamastran Valley, Honduras; and it also has some Brazillian Mata Fina. It has a Maxican San Andres binder and a dark Connecticut broadleaf wrapper. This stick has a beautiful chocolate color, with the slightest oily sheen. It is well constructed, with no visible flaws, enough firmness, and very small veins.
In the pre-light, I smelled a woodsy-earthy smell with bits of cocoa and coffee. There was also a pretty noticeable barnyard smell. Once cut, I had one of the best cold draws I’ve ever had. Plenty of room in the draw and detected much of the similar notes as earlier. Within a few puffs, pepper and spice accompanied the cocoa and barnyard flavors.
So after hanging out on the back deck with a deer skull that was found on family property, the cigar actually took a bit of a dive. The strength started off pretty strong in the beginning, but then it waned a bit to medium as the cigar became a bit sweeter in the middle. Coffee perked up a bit and the barnyard and pepper were replaced by cedar and tobacco notes. Smoke was prevalent and the ash hung on for about an inch and a half.
Rounding out the cigar, the sweetness subsided a bit as leather and toffee came into the mix. It maintained a fairly even burn, albeit it a little wavy, but it never compromised the cigar in structure or taste. I felt like the strength kicked up just a notch near the end for a medium/full body.
Rocky Patel usually puts out really tasty cigars. Usually if anyone has a problem with Patel, it’s only because there are several lines and usually the deep discounting websites snatch business from the brick and mortar stores. But you’re not here to run numbers are you?
I would dare say this is my favorite Rocky Patel cigar. It is complex, adventuresome, and honestly very tasty. But due to it’s medium/full body nature, I wouldn’t recommend this to a novice. But if you’re a person who enjoys medium or full bodied cigars, then this is the cigar for you. It rides the line between the two quite well, and has a great deal of flavor.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
This article originally appeared on Tiki Bar Online.
