Blind Review: Rocky Patel Quarter Century

2 0 2.7k

Rocky Patel, owner of what seems an endless list of blends over the years, has created a smoke to celebrate 25 years of craftsmanship. According to the company, the tobaccos in the Quarter Century were aged for ten years with an additional two years of aging post-roll, demonstrating superior attention to quality and craftsmanship. Rocky Patel has created premium as well as catalog cigars for literally all tastes, sizes and budgets. I’ve smoked more than my share, some I’ve loved and others quite the opposite.  

Thankfully, smoking the Rocky Patel Quarter Century blind gave me the opportunity to free myself of any preconceived notions and lets the cigar stand alone.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Rocky Patel Quarter Century
  • Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
  • Binder: Honduran
  • Filler: Nicaraguan
  • Size: 5.5” x 50 (Robusto)

Appearance & Construction

The wrapper on this cigar is dark and toothy with noticeable veins running along the sides. As I run my finger down the cigar, it is oily and after a squeeze, firm to the touch. I roll the cigar in the palm of my hand and the construction appears very good.  Smelling the foot gives the aromas of dark fruits like plum as well as chocolate.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

With my trusty Xikar Wooly mammoth cutter I clip the head and take a cold draw. There is an airiness as I inhale with dry wood and salinity followed by some sweetness. I grab my Xikar Executive lighter and toast the cigar. The first few puffs that greet me carry earthy and gritty flavors from the wrapper.  I pause for a moment taking another draw which brings out vanilla sweetness followed by bitterness on the tongue. Switching to taking a retrohale, I get pepper and citrus heading through my sinus and out my mouth. The cigar is in the medium profile—not too overwhelming and the pepper I’m getting  now is more red pepper than black. The ash looks grayish white with a razor sharp burn.

Taking a draw at the midway point, the spice I tasted initially becomes charry and bitter. As I take another retrohale there’s baking spices with a sour note on the end that resonates on my palate. The bitter expressions I’ve been getting are frustrating, and with another puff the vanilla I taste is muddled by dry earth tones ending in a short finish. Then there’s some leather along with oak making an appearance which again ends rather abruptly.

In the final third, I’m surprised by vanilla and Asian spices. But despite these pleasing flavors the finish continues to end on a charry note. It feels like biting into a charred steak with wood notes and over seasoned pepper.  The smoke continues to be in the medium bodied range, never deviating. Taking a final retrohale, I get oak with a slight creaminess that rounds out the finish. In my last puff I’m getting that grittiness and earth followed by bitterness.

Not the most pleasant smoking experience.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, the Rocky Patel Quarter Century started off bitter and gritty for me and ended the same way.  When there was some vanilla sweetness, earth or pepper it was hurt by the overwhelming charred notes. As the cigar progressed, leather and Asian spices were pleasing flavors, but the bitterness again prevailed and the finish suffered each time.

When I found out this was a Rocky Patel Quarter Century Robusto I thought it was too bad that this anniversary cigar was not blended as well as one would hope for such a milestone. I will say a lot of care was put into its construction as it burned well, was expertly rolled and filled with tobacco. Unfortunately its components were not as pleasing in taste.

Rocky Patel has many brands, many of which I’ve quite enjoyed, but for me this is not one of them.

Final Rating: 80

Blind Review: Daniel Marshall 24kt Golden Torpedo

2 1 3.5k

In 2011, famed humidor maker Daniel Marshall custom-made a cigar wrapped in an edible gold leaf, specially designed to celebrate his friend’s 64th birthday. Not too long after, Marshall decided to recreate the golden cigar for an over the top “ultra bling” humidor, which was a project given to him by Universal Studios to commemorate the movie Scarface. 

The next year, Marshall released another version of the golden DM2 blend named the “24kt Golden Torpedo” to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his company. The cigar itself is a Nicaraguan puro blended by Manuel “Manolo” Quesada and made in the Placencia factory. Each cigar gets rolled in a 24kt Italian gold leaf, which is sourced from the same supplier who provided for the Sistine Chapel. They come in individual coffins and sell for $300 per cigar. 

But at such a high price point, could it be worth it? Let’s find out.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Daniel Marshall 24kt Golden Torpedo
  • Wrapper: Habano
  • Binder: Nicaragua (Esteli)
  • Filler: Nicaragua (Jalapa)
  • Size: 6 1/4″ x 54 (Torpedo)

Appearance & Construction

The Golden Torpedo is an eye-catcher. It glares under the sunlight, making it the brightest object in the dimmed B&M I’m smoking at. Other patrons couldn’t help but notice the shiny cigar, as some thought it was a prop while others recognized it immediately. 

After a quick show and tell, I was able to sit down and give 110% of my attention to this cigar. Visually, the Golden Torpedo is stunning. The surface is very glossy, but I can feel the impression of the wrapper through the foil. I give the cigar a firm squeeze between my fingers, and it is unyielding. Upon a closer look, I see a small portion of the gold flaked off by the foot, exposing the habano wrapper. 

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

The gold leaf has a slight waxy smell coming off of it, which kind of reminds me of wax paper for baking. The foot of the cigar gives off a sweet apricot scent followed by white pepper, which tickles my nose. I cut off the triangular cap with my straight cutter and try a cold draw. The taste is exceptionally satisfying with floral notes, dried apricot, persimmon, and sweet hay with an aftertaste of granola. The airflow is on the tight end of the spectrum, about 8 out of 10. 

Unlike a standard cigar, lighting the Golden Torpedo takes a while (and a little bit of patience). As I start puffing on the cigar, I taste barnyard, pine nuts, cedar, and black pepper. There is also an aftertaste of bitterness in the smoke. I retrohale the next puff and get a burst of black pepper spice, then hay and dark leather once the pepper disburse. This cigar forces me to continuously puff on it to keep it lit, which makes the bitterness in the smoke more prominent. 

Halfway down the first third, I have to relight the cigar twice. On the third time, the filler is not reacting to the flame from my torch. I try to knock the ash off on the side of the ashtray, but the ash is hard like a lump of charcoal. I have no other choice but to cut off the remaining of the first third.

As I relight the Golden Torpedo, I notice a natural sweetness has replaced the bitterness in the smoke. There is also a taste of almond, light leather, and cedar. The retrohale becomes smoother as well, with barnyard and red pepper spice. Unfortunately, the cigar does not stay lit for more than half an inch. The same lighting issue is reoccurring. I have to do the unthinkable twice and cut off another portion of the cigar.

Hoping third time is the charm, I reignite the foot. The flavor profile picks up from where it left off all the way down to the nub. The Golden Torpedo finally burns and tastes like a $300 cigar with creamy smoke, dried apricot, sweet hay, and grain. I shut my eyes close for a second and immediately imagined a bowl of creamy oatmeal with fruits and brown sugar. I end my golden moment with a retrohale, and it leaves me with cedar, almond, and white pepper.

Conclusion

Is Daniel Marshall Golden Torpedo worth $300? No. This cigar did tease me with superb flavors on the cold draw. However, the gold that makes this cigar stands out is also its downfall. Not only does the 24kt gold leaf make the cigar look a bit gimmicky, but unlike natural tobacco wrapper, there is no aeration through the wrapper other than the foot of the cigar. I believe the lack of oxygen was the factor that created the burning issues I experienced throughout the whole smoke.

For the price of this cigar, the Daniel Marshall Golden Torpedo didn’t even come close to my expectation. Despite the negative experience, I am interested in trying the DM2 blend without the gold, seeing as the cold draw and the nub did leave a positive impression on me. 

Final Rating: 60

,

Blind Review: Diesel Delirium Limited Edition 2020

2 0 1.9k

It seems like these days there are more limited cigars than you can count (or review!). I could probably smoke “Limited” cigars for an entire year without ever smoking a regular production blend. That said, the limited edition world certainly has its share of hits and misses. For the Diesel Delirium 2020 Limited Edition, General Cigars Brand Manager Justin Andrews and AJ Fernandez teamed up to create this full bodied toro.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Diesel Delirium Limited Edition 2020
  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
  • Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
  • Filler: Nicaraguan
  • Size: 6” x 52 (Toro)

Appearance & Construction

Reviewing this cigar blind, I see the wrapper is dark. Though this doesn’t always indicate strength, I am anxious to see on what sides of the fence this cigar leans. Besides the color, the wrapper has elongated raised veins. The cigar is slightly soft as I give it a squeeze and there appears to be small nipple or some sort of bump on the cap. I am not sure if this is intentional or poor quality control.

As I smell the foot I’m getting chocolate, vanilla with some earth notes. Let’s light up.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

With my cherry wood Xikar blade I take a slice which cuts a small clip off the head. On the cold draw I get hay and black pepper which comes through rather distinctly. Using my Lamborghini torch I set aflame the foot and get a full blast of black pepper like ground peppercorns right on my tongue. This cigar comes on strong and with another puff there’s leather and earth with spice hitting hard in the back of my throat. I hazard a retrohale and it is spicy and aggressive through the nose. As I exhale, I’m getting  tropical fruits oddly enough with a sweetness on the finish. What began as a powerful full bodied smoke is, at the tail end of the first third, on the medium to full range.          

At midway, I notice the grayish white ash that’s formed is looking a bit shaky. I lay the cigar down for a moment to let it rest and the ash falls right off. As I pick it up and take a draw there’s a sweetness along with spice albeit it rather short lived. Another puff and it’s damp with paper notes around a backlash of earthiness. Taking another retrohale, I get a combination of leather and chocolate which ends bitter as I move it through my sinus and out my mouth.  The full body picks up once again taking a draw that is now more black pepper and leather with cacao coating the palate.  The bitterness lingers which is unpleasant at the moment and another puff delivers spice and lots full tobacco notes.

As I reach the last third of the cigar, there’s cocoa, wood and a hint of licorice that rounds it out.  While the full body seems to overshadow the other flavors, I’m still tasting some glimpses that quickly fade into the background. While I give this smoke another go, black pepper, wood and earth remain the constant. The changes are not great and the cigar continues to come off strong with a solid burn line. I’m getting some leather as I’m drawing with an earthy short finish. In the final puff the pepper is tasting more like white pepper with a bitter finish. \

A full bodied, one dimensional cigar.

Conclusion

I’ve never been wholly impressed with the Diesel brand in any of its incarnations. Although they are quite different than the previous catalog lines, the style seems more strength over nuance. This cigar began as a peppery overload on the palate and even with the sweetness I picked up it was not enough to balance out the smoke. The earth and leather notes added to the strength but lacked structure. The tobacco itself was of good quality, but the blend seemed disjointed.

My opinion: there are full bodied cigars out there with more going on, and though this cigar wasn’t bad it could’ve given more.

Final Rating: 86

Blind Review: Onyx Bold Nicaragua Toro

2 0 3.4k

I remember the Onyx brand in the 90’s when I first began smoking cigars. They were jet black smokes which I bought a 3 pack of from my local tobacconist. And they tasted awful. I quickly realized these were not smokes I would be purchasing again. Despite that, the cigars flew off of the shelves along with many others during “Cigar Boom” years. As they years went on they continued to sell mostly in catalog and online form.

Recently, Altadis enlisted renowned cigarmaker AJ Fernandez to re-blend and revitalize the Onyx brand. AJ has done a stellar job of refreshing stale brands and bringing lots more flavor and interest to them. With his skills and tobaccos on hand, he could certainly produce something substantial.

Fortunately I smoke these cigars blind as I may have turned away from an opportunity such as this.  At first glance though it’s the cigar’s maduro wrapper that piques my interest…

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Onyx Bold Nicaragua Toro
  • Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés
  • Binder: Nicaraguan
  • Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
  • Size: 6” x 54 (Toro)

Appearance & Construction

This dark wrapper leaf has several veins and looks a bit gnarly. To the touch it’s spongy and soft all over which is making me a little concerned out the gate. I give the foot of the cigar a smell which brings cocoa and a damp aroma along with a spicy note at the end. The smell of the smoke certainly seems more appealing than its look I’ll say.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

For a change of pace I take my cigar scissors out of storage and make a calculated slice through the cap. The smoke cuts clean and I take a cold draw that’s spicy and sweet. With my Xikar Executive single flame, I torch the cigar and with my first puff there’s lots of spice on my lips and now hitting the back of my throat. This stick is coming off full bodied out of the gate and has a meaty and nutty character to it. Taking a retrohale, there’s intense sweet and spicy notes through my nose. At present its shows a bit overwhelming however the flavors are coming through steadily. Another draw and I pick up leather, toasted almond and black pepper.

As I reach the second half, this cigar is starting to taste metallic. I take a slow draw and there’s a chary note with a drying earthy sensation that’s coating my palate. The cigar is producing a solid white ash with a sharp burn line so I’ll say the quality is looking good in terms of construction. As I take a retrohale, black pepper and bitterness come through leaving a sharp displeasing taste in my mouth. The smoke continues on its full bodied trajectory albeit with less pleasing flavors than the beginning. There’s an almost dirty/gritty quality I’m getting from this smoke which is making it rough to continue with.  Another draw and there’s freshly tanned leather with earth leading to a gritty finish. There’s an unbalanced measure to the filler tobaccos while I take a puff as the sweetness from the wrapper is being overshadowed by the bitterness and metallic tastes.

I soldier on at this point reaching the final third and the ample smoke fills my study. The spice picks up as I take another puff and the full flavor tastes like fresh tobacco with an underlying earthiness. Unfortunately my next draw brings back that metal along with a sharpness that bites on the palate. The retrohale I take is charry and burnt which resonates in my sinus as I blow the smoke out. At this time I take a final puff of the cigar that leads to a meaty and earthy short finish. A lackluster smoke.

Conclusion

What began as a powerhouse of spice, meats and nuts ended up metallic and bitter. If the cigar stayed the course from its onset I would’ve saw it as just a one dimensional full bodied stick. However as I progressed the charry and burnt notes were quite displeasing. The metal and dirt which reverberated on my palate seemed a result of the filler tobaccos and wasn’t a complimentary blend to the sweet and spice of wrapper. It was disappointing to hear AJ Fernandez was at the helm of this project as he has done well revitalizing several Altadis brands. Although this cigar was far superior to those cigars from the 90’s, I still feel the blend needs to improve for me to recommend giving this version a try.

Final Rating: 85

Blind Review: Nat Sherman Timeless TAA 2020

2 0 2.2k

As of 2020, Nat Sherman is no more after more than 90 years in business. It’s a shame for many reasons, not least of which is that the company was completely reimagined in the past several years, first with new blends and then with top spots in major cigar magazines. I’ve enjoyed several of the newer lines and always look forward to the Tobacconists Association of America (TAA) special release cigars. These cigars are created specifically for Tobacconists who are members of the TAA and are sold in those participating shops. Smoking this blind was a pleasant surprise as it was certainly a cigar I would have sought out on my own.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Nat Sherman Timeless TAA 2020
  • Wrapper: Nicaraguan
  • Binder: Nicaraguan
  • Filler: Nicaraguan
  • Size: 6” x 50 (Toro)

Appearance & Construction

The cigar wears a silky dark wrapper with a sleek small vein on one side.  As I give a feel to assess this smokes construction I can see it is solidly packed with tobacco.  The foot has an inviting aroma of currant, plum and earth.  So far based on the look and feel, I am more than ready to light up.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

With my Palio’ cutter I make a straight slice and take a cold draw.  The cigar seems airy, and I pick up earth, cedar and black pepper on the lips. I take a long match courtesy of Club Macanudo and strike a flame. Gently toasting the cigar I take a puff and graham cracker and vanilla are on the forefront.  Another draw brings  cedar, fruits and some floral notes. With a quick retrohale, I get a blast of black pepper that hits my sinus in a big way.  The transitions at this point are moving rather quickly and the cigar is in the medium to full range.

By midway into this smoke, the burn line is a bit wavy with an intense white ash. I’m now getting milk chocolate with a creaminess that lingers on my palate. The retrohale I take is bringing cashews, coffee and hay as I blow it out. Thus far the flavors have been very specific which makes smoking this cigar effortless. Another puff and cocoa powder, espresso with more nuttiness comes through along with a short bitter finish. The smoke seems to be billowing from the cigar and I take puff outward to try and quell it. It seems to be settling down and I’m getting the return of graham cracker with hay that coats around my mouth.  The cigar is in the more fuller body of style at this point.

I’m enjoying this smoke, and now in the last third earth and cocoa are intermixing quite nicely. Giving it a retrohale, there’s espresso and some spice resonating. As I blow out cashews are lingering on my palate. The burn line is looking straight and taking another puff produces leather, nuts and cocoa reside on the finish. This is a fast smoking stick which is making it a tad bitter and with that I’m getting bakers chocolate with espresso bean.  While I take a final puff to finish this cigar there’s some vanilla bean and more nuts at its end. Quite satisfying.

Conclusion

The Nat Sherman Timeless TAA 2020 delivered a lot of easily identifiable flavors which made it a smooth smoking experience. The graham cracker was evident from the first puff as chocolate, cedar, cashews and espresso carried through the cigar. The full body came on quick with the last third settling into a more relaxed medium to full range.  Finding out this was what will now be the last Nat Sherman Timeless TAA cigar, my feelings are mixed. It was sad to see the company dissolved and at the same time they’ve sent the brand off well with a smoke they can be proud of.  I think these will age nicely so grab a box at a TAA retailer if you can.

Final Rating: 90

«‹ 60 61 62 63›»