Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 Robusto

Released in 2003, Rocky Patel's Vintage features two cigar lines with different aged wrappers. For the Vintage 1992, the aromatic 10-year-old Ecuadorian Sumatra tobacco is used. Beneath the oily wrapper is a Ligero blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan filler. Rewarded with a 90+ score from Cigar Aficionado, I had high expectations from this 50-gauge.

I slipped off the cellophane sleeve, and the rich earthy aroma of this cigar filled my nostrils. This box-pressed beauty possessed an extremely waxy texture, it is a tantalizing visual feat. The chocolaty brown wrapper was coated with a sheen of oil.

The cigar felt balanced and spongy. After clipping the head, I took a deep pre-light draw, revealing a sweet earthy note. I noticed that the cigar was quite long for its vitola. The moment arrived. With a few strokes of my torch lighter, the foot was glowing orange, releasing the aromatic smoke I was expecting. The first few draws were perfect, offering distinct notes of cocoa, followed by a spicy kick. The burn was razor sharp and the ash was snow white. I was impressed.

However, by mid-way, the wrapper cracked and unraveled. I had to do some sculpting with my lighter to restore the '92's former glory. The flavours remained constant. In some ways, I was glad that it remained, but I was also hoping for something different, something a little more interesting. The final third had really let this stogie down. The rich flavour that had me arrested became sour; it tasted like burnt cocoa. Each draw became increasingly bitter. Burning my tongue, the stub became extremely hot as I tried to keep this little monster under control. I decided to let it sit for a while, hoping that it would cool down. However, this bastard of a cigar refused to behave. The smoke became too hot, bitter, and acrid. I had to put it down.

I feel that the vintage hype is overrated, but then again this was my first cigar in the series. I'll definitely have to smoke more to make a better judgment.