Originally published at Tiki Bar Online
Rocky Patel is know for being prolific in terms of producing cigar blends. Now his brother has gotten into the act with the Thunder. This cigar comes in three sizes, the Toro, Torpedo, and the Robusto, which I’ll be reviewing. The Thunder is Nicaraguan with a Habano wrapper. The filler and binder are from Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica. All but one of the samples I smoked for this review were purchased at Islands Cigar Lounge in Brea,CA.
Looking at the cigar I could see plenty of oils on the wrapper. There were some small veins on the wrapper but nothing to get excited about. The aroma from both the body and the foot were of heavy barnyard and hay. Upon lighting, I got an explosion of spice on the palette and with the retrohale, I thought my nostrils would fall out! This is one spicy smoke! Now I don’t want to leave the impression that the Thunder was too painful to smoke. Far from it. But this stick is not for the faint of heart.
After the first third the spice subsided, giving way to woody and leather flavor notes. The construction and burn were flawless on all but one sample which canoed slightly.
The ash was very firm breaking off in large chunks. As I smoked the last third the spicy notes returned but more subdued, and the woodsiness continued to the end.
The Thunder lives up to it”s name, but newbies beware!
Score: 89/100
Please proof read your reviews before you post. Rocky Partel?
We all make mistakes and Vernon doesn’t see as well as most of us, so a little grace is requested. Thanks for the heads-up…it’s been corrected.
My apologies for sounding overly harsh. I am a daily follower of Tikibaronline and do very much appreciate your work.
Thanks for your comments. It was just a ‘rokie’ mistake:)
Nice I have heard mixed reviews on this stick… I may now have to pick one up… for an after dinner smoke. Great review.