Rocky Patel HR 500 by Gary Sheffield
Thursday, May 30th, 2013I can’t recall where I picked up the cigar being reviewed today. I suspect I got it at one of the few less than memorable places. This blend is a collaboration between Rocky Patel and Gary Sheffield. Apparently Gary is a celebrated baseball player, and this cigar pays tribute to him hitting 500 home runs.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Honduras, Nicaraguan
Size: Toro 6.5 x 52
Price: Around $11.00
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The wrapper was oily, and had a rugged, porous appearance. The foot had a mild earthy smell. Off of the wrapper, I picked up a mild odor of cedar, earth, and leather. Overall, the cigar was evenly packed, and had a little give when squeezed. The draw was free, and had a fairly strong flavor of earth, leather, and wood.
The burn required a few corrections in the first third, and the ash held for about an inch.
Flavor:
The first third started off with an interesting minty, almost floral note. Things developed pretty quickly. Cedar, earth, mild spice, and a slight sweet bitterness overtook the initial flavors. The smoke feel was dry, yet somewhat creamy.
The cigar started to come to life in the second third. The dominant flavor was cedar, with coffee and a peppery spice following behind it. Bitter sweet cocoa would come and go, and it mixed nicely with coffee. The aftertaste became rich, and clung to the mouth for quite some time.
Bitter sweet cocoa dominated the last third. Behind it was coffee, spice, and wispy notes of cedar. Every now and then, the dominant flavor would switch between coffee and cocoa.
Conclusion:
This was a solid, down the middle, medium bodied cigar. The flavors were fairly complex, and sometimes subtle. If you’ve been to this site before, you can guess what my only complaint is. Yep, it’s the price. It’s just a little too high for my liking. Otherwise, I can’t complain.
