Rocky Patel Connecticut Toro

As Rocky Patel continues to add to his ever expanding line of cigars there are some of the originals that are worth revisiting. The Connecticut is an often overlooked delight in Rocky's humidor.

This toro has a silky golden Connecticut shade grown wrapper with a mild cedary smell. The overall feel of the cigar is good with no obvious construction flaws. The draw has medium firmness and the foot smelled of wood and hay.

The initial flavors were mild cedar and nuts. The burn was even with a gray semi-firm ash that held for about an inch before dropping off. The flavor picked up a bit around the halfway mark with more woods and a slight earth undertone while the smoke became creamy and closer to medium bodied. It had a nice mellow finish with more creamy toasted nuts and a warm pleasant ending. The aroma was, like the cigar, mild and woody.

This wouldn't be classed as a complex, thought provoking smoke, but it's mild bodied smooth flavors work well after a light meal or for a smoke early in the day. As always, the construction was excellent and the price is right.

Wrapper: Conn
Filler: Nic, DR
Binder: Nic
Rating: 88

Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 Toro

Rocky Patel has become a master in the cigar industry to the point where at least one of his blends seems to pop up in the top 25 cigars of the year on an annual basis. The Vintage lines are quintessential RP and top class smokes for a great price.

This Vintage 1990 toro sports a rich chocolaty brown box pressed 12yr old Honduran wrapper. The cigar starts out with mild woods and cocoa beans. Within the first 2" a mild spice developed and held until about mid-way through the smoke. The woody flavor began to take on a more cedar character and some floral notes were evident in the aroma. The flavors were quite consistent from this point on and even mellowed a bit as neared the head. It had a nice light gray, compact ash and I was able to do an ash stand after about 1 1/2". Good times!

The construction was a little disappointing as it burned wobbly a couple of times but to its credit didn't require any touch ups. The draw was quite good and the overall quality of the cigar was excellent. Despite the Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos, it would be classified as a medium bodied smoke, though I would consider it to be on the mellow side of medium bodied. I would highly recommend the Vintage series and although the '92 is my favorite of the two, I wouldn't pass up an opportunity to get my hands on one of these.

Wapper: Hon
Filler: Nic, DR
Binder: Nic
Rating: 90

Rocky Patel Sun Grown

Rocky Patel has become one of my favorite cigar producers. I have only found one cigar that comes from Patel (Vigilante which I'll review at some point) that I didn't like. The RP Sun Grown is one of those that you are guaranteed to love.

I picked up the Torpedo 6 x 52. It has a chocolate brown oily wrapper that stands in perfect contrast to the bright red double bands that label it. The draw and burn were impeccable and it left a firm white ash. Initially the flavors were earthy, with nutty notes and a sweet after taste. It soon became quite bold with a mild spice about 1/3 of the way in. I was surprised to find that for the last inch and a half it changed again to become woody with a hint pepper. The aroma was full and rich. It was so nice I caught myself slowly releasing the smoke so I could enjoy it as it passed my nose.

This cigar was a real treat and one of the highlights of Rocky Patel's line.

Wrapper: Ecuador Sumatra
Filler: DR, Nic
Binder: Nic
Rating: 92