Rocky Patel cigars hold a special place in my heart as they were my introduction to this wonderful hobby on my eighteenth birthday. I fell in love with cigars and, specifically, Rocky Patel cigars for several years following that first experience. However, somewhere along the road, Rocky Patel lost their appeal and it has become rare to reach for one. But every now and again, I grab an RP hoping to relive the memory of my first cigar.

Rocky Patel’s Sun Grown line saw the addition of the Sun Grown Maduro at the 2015 IPCPR Trade Show. The cigar not only switches out the Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper for Connecticut Broadleaf, but the entire blend is new to the cigar. Produced in Esteli, Nicaragua at Rocky Patel’s “boutique” TaviCusa factory, the Sun Grown Maduro is rolled in five sizes: Lancero (7 ½ by 38), Robusto (5 by 50), Petite Belicoso (5 ½ by 52), Toro (6 ½ by 52), and Sixty (6 by 60).

You can purchase the Rocky Patel Sun Grown Maduro from our good friends at Fox Cigar.

THE FACTS

Price: $9.45
Vitola: Trunk-Pressed Toro
Size: 6 ½ by 52
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 30 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

The Sun Grown Maduro by Rocky Patel is dressed in an extremely dark brown, nearly black wrapper. There are a couple medium-sized veins running the length of the cigar, along with some tooth.

Sweet raisin and chocolate are on the wrapper and a rich mocha aroma comes across on the foot. After cutting the triple cap, I find a firm draw. My palate is greeted by potpourri like spices, chocolate, and cedar. The flavors are rich and a spice is warming my lips and mouth.

FIRST THIRD

The flavors open up completely different than expected with an earthiness, dark red fruit, and black pepper. The black pepper is all flavor and hardly any spice. As the cigar progresses, the dark fruit is up front and center. The retrohale is very smooth and pepper has just a bit more edge as I move it through my nose. A fleeting, syrupy sweetness is appearing every few puffs. A light gray ash is forming and the tooth from the wrapper can be easily seen on it. It is actually easier to see the tooth in the ash than it is on the dark wrapper.

MIDDLE THIRD

As I make my way into the second third of the Sun Grown Maduro, the profile grows in richness and body. The burn, which was even in the first third, is now off track. A quick touch-up is required to get the burn back in-line shortly into this third. A sweet bread and cocoa have joined the mix as the spice heat increases and warms my mouth nicely and the smoke has a fizzy quality. The sweetness is gaining ground and it is a nice compliment to the darker flavors. Before I exit the middle third, a second touch-up is required and the ash is now flaky.

FINAL THIRD

With the last third underway, the dark fruit has evolved to more of grape jelly flavor, while the same earthy core holds strong. There remains just a hint of sweetness and the spice heat has considerably calmed, but the black pepper flavor remains. As the cigars begins to wrap-up, the flavors remain rich and the smoke production is satisfying.

WRAP-UP

As I mentioned, the flavors of the Rocky Patel Sun Grown Maduro were unexpected, but they were not disappointing. The earth flavor was central to the profile and there was an evolving fruit flavor that begun as a dark red fruit, but ended more like a grape jelly. The sweetness provided a nice contrast to the dark earth flavor and some noticeable changes in the sweetness were noted throughout the cigar. But it was really the richness in the final two thirds that won me over. I did not want this cigar to end. I encountered a few burn issues in one of the cigars, but the other burned perfectly for an hour and thirty minutes. The Sun Grown Maduro Toro is an excellent smoke and one that is worth your hard earned money.