Although many aficionados consider Rocky Patel cigars to be overrated, I personally think he is putting out some of the finest blends in the industry. The Decade is one of my top-five favorites, and The Edge, Connecticut and Vintage 1990 continue to impress. At any given moment I’ll have three or four different types of Rocky Patel cigars in my humidor. The Renaissance, introduced in mid-2008, has for some odd reason eluded me. Meaning I have been remiss in getting around to smoking one. Odder still is that I have had three Renaissance Robustos squirreled away in my humidor since last February (’09). So after a respectable 15-month hibernation in the humi, I figured Memorial Day would be an appropriate occasion to finally smoke this beauty. After a sweltering backyard dinner and drinks at a friend’s place, I was happy to find myself back home in comfortable clothes, relaxing in my “man cave” (the garage). Sporadic afternoon thunderstorms brought a nice reprieve from the hot, muggy weather here in the metro Detroit area, and a cool breeze was coming in.
Pre-light/pre-cut inspection revealed a skillfully constructed cigar with a nicely formed cap and consistent firmness throughout. This cigar uses a “four-year aged Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, a binder from Jalapa, Nicaragua and a blend of rare tobacco from Nicaragua, along with ligero from an undisclosed region of Central America.” The wrapper was more of a Colorado Maduro in color with some brown speckles mixed in. The cigar band itself is an ornate affair, with shades of brown, white and gold; exactly what you would expect to find on a cigar named the Renaissance. (You could almost imagine Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo sparking one of these up over a glass of port.) The guillotine cut was swift, exact and without incident. A pre-light draw enticed me with an earthy flavor with subtle hints of nuts, vanilla and a touch of spice. I settled in and lit the fuse…
Ah sweet nectar. Once again I suckle at your teat! ™ Right from the first few puffs, I suspected that this cigar was going to be a champ. The smoke volume was nice and billowy and the draw was cool and effortless. Initial flavors were plainly distinct with strong notes of rich coffee, vanilla and spicy pepper. I coasted into the sweet spot, tasting hints of cinnamon and sweet raisin, along with a slight roasted almond flavor. Exhaling through the nostrils produced that nice peppery “zing” I have come to appreciate. The burn was razor sharp and the ash held tight well beyond the one-inch mark. The cigar showed balance and smoothness and rewarded me with a politely protracted finish. It goes without saying I smoked this rope to the nub. What a great cigar to usher in the unofficial beginning of summer!
To sum up: Overall, another medium-bodied hit from Rocky. The Robusto is priced in the tolerable $7.00 - $8.00 range. I would without hesitation recommend this cigar to fans of the Rocky Patel line, or connoisseurs of a notch-above a medium-bodied stick.
Grade: A-
Good day sirs!
Pre-light/pre-cut inspection revealed a skillfully constructed cigar with a nicely formed cap and consistent firmness throughout. This cigar uses a “four-year aged Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, a binder from Jalapa, Nicaragua and a blend of rare tobacco from Nicaragua, along with ligero from an undisclosed region of Central America.” The wrapper was more of a Colorado Maduro in color with some brown speckles mixed in. The cigar band itself is an ornate affair, with shades of brown, white and gold; exactly what you would expect to find on a cigar named the Renaissance. (You could almost imagine Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo sparking one of these up over a glass of port.) The guillotine cut was swift, exact and without incident. A pre-light draw enticed me with an earthy flavor with subtle hints of nuts, vanilla and a touch of spice. I settled in and lit the fuse…
Ah sweet nectar. Once again I suckle at your teat! ™ Right from the first few puffs, I suspected that this cigar was going to be a champ. The smoke volume was nice and billowy and the draw was cool and effortless. Initial flavors were plainly distinct with strong notes of rich coffee, vanilla and spicy pepper. I coasted into the sweet spot, tasting hints of cinnamon and sweet raisin, along with a slight roasted almond flavor. Exhaling through the nostrils produced that nice peppery “zing” I have come to appreciate. The burn was razor sharp and the ash held tight well beyond the one-inch mark. The cigar showed balance and smoothness and rewarded me with a politely protracted finish. It goes without saying I smoked this rope to the nub. What a great cigar to usher in the unofficial beginning of summer!
To sum up: Overall, another medium-bodied hit from Rocky. The Robusto is priced in the tolerable $7.00 - $8.00 range. I would without hesitation recommend this cigar to fans of the Rocky Patel line, or connoisseurs of a notch-above a medium-bodied stick.
Grade: A-
Good day sirs!
Excellent reviews !! You seem very knowledgeable and a real pleasure to read!! I have listen to The Cigar General (its a talk radio show about cigars)every weekend for a very long time and I believe you know more about cigars then he does !! Have you ever considered doing something like that? I don't think you can have enough scholars teaching us newbies the fine art of cigar smoking....
ReplyDeleteI am glad to learn somebody is actually reading my blog! And yes, I do indeed listen to Cigar Dave – a/k/a The General – every week. As a matter of fact I was a caller on his show last spring. Unfortunately it was a real debacle getting the cigars he promised me, but I doubt he personally has anything to do with that. Thanks for your comments and the compliment.
ReplyDelete~Christopher/Cigar Scholar
The smoke volume was nice and billowy and the draw was cool and effortless. The rich, leathery sweet tobacco flavors of a fine cigar pair so well with the sweet, spicy warmth of a smooth bourbon.
ReplyDeleteoliva v