Rocky Patel Cameroon Especial
Sunday, March 21st, 2010I was introduced to this cigar by Mike from The Stogie Review. His review didn’t go so well, but he basically had a bum stick in the construction department. What intrigued me about this cigar was the price and what sounded like decent flavor. I am always looking for something to have in the morning with coffee, and this sounded promising. Supporter of the site, Bonita Smoke Shop, has these at a good price. If this sounds like it is for you, it may be worth checking out. As always, I paired today’s review with water. See what I thought below…
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Dominican
Size: Toro 6 x 52
Price: Around $48.00 for bundle of 20
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
A quick glance at the wrapper shows a few blemishes, some medium sized veins, and an overall rugged appearance. The foot and wrapper both had a slight earthy, barnyard odor. There were a few hard and soft spots in the cigar, but overall it seemed to have decent construction. The pre-light draw was good with slight resistance, and had sweet earthy notes.
I did no burn corrections, and the ash held for just under an inch before falling off in my lap or ashtray.
Flavor:
The first third began with mild mellow notes that were typical to Cameroon wrapped cigars. By that I mean a smooth, somewhat earthy and nutty flavor. A tinge of sweetness sort of wrapped around the core flavors.
The second third kept the same flavors, but overall things became sweeter. I picked up a very slight spice when passing the smoke through the nose. The smoke feel became a little smoother with a slight creaminess.
And on to the last third. The creamy smoke feel went away but was very smooth. There was an addition of a mild sweet spice on the lips and through the sinus. The body increased a little higher into the upper mild or lower medium range. That same nutty flavors with whisps of earthy notes were there like before.
Conclusion:
This was a pretty good mild to medium bodied cigar. For a bundle cigar, I can’t complain. There were no harsh sensations or bad flavors. My only complaint is that you may get a stick or two in a bundle that have a tight draw. But for a bundle cigar, this lives up to the price range.