Rocky Patel ALR Robusto

[Don Fernando]

In 2015 one test blend made at Rocky Patel’s Nicaraguan factory turned out with so much potential that Rocky Patel had 100.000 cigars made in three vitolas. Yet, Patel also decided to let them age for three more years to reach their full potential. And that’s what happened. These cigars became the Aged, Limited and Rare line and were released in July of 2018. Europe got the cigars in September though, after the Intertabac trade show.

Since Patel liked the cigars himself, he had ten percent of the total inventory set aside as a personal stock. The remaining 90.000 were packed in twenty count boxes, 1500 of each size and shipped worldwide.

Name: Rocky Patel ALR
Country: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera Villa Cuba S.A.
Size: 5×50
Vitola: Robusto
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: € 9,00 (The Netherlands)
Cutter: Xikar X2
Lighter: single flame
Smoke conditions: indoors with ventilator
Smoke time: 
2 hours 20 minutes
Purchased at Cigaragua

The cigar rings are clearly inspired by the Rocky Patel Vintage series, the same touch and feel are used. White and gold are the colors on white shiny paper. The thin golden lines on the white instead of leaving the background white are a classy touch and give the cigar a more luxurious appearance. The wrapper is dark, oily and leathery. The triple cap is a nice finish to a great looking cigar. The aroma is complex, with earthy and vegetal notes.

The cold draw is flawless, and the flavor is of dry tobacco. After lighting the cigar spicy coffee and flavors are what comes to mind. Hay, tobacco, and sweetness follow before the flavors change to pepper, leather, wood, and nutmeg. After an inch, the cigar has a nut flavor, hazelnuts, and walnuts with pepper and hay. After a third, the cigar tastes like a spicy mixture of hay, green herbs, pepper, and leather with slightly bitter chocolate on the background. The peppers grow in strength. The final third is peppery with wood, the mouthfeel is mildly creamy. The cigar evolves into cedar, oak with pepper and hay, near the end the sweet flavor of raw carrot was tasted.

This cigar has Nicaragua written all over it. This is a strong, full flavored cigar. Bold flavors, strong peppers with an impeccable draw, great smoke, firm ash. The burn is good too. Because of the age, the flavors are well balanced. The smoke time is two hours and twenty minutes.

Strength: Full
Flavor: Full

For the final score with a scientific diagram, a video and pictures, go to: https://ministryofcigars.com/rocky-patel-alr-robusto/