Rocky Patel The Edge (Corojo)

So today I’m bringing out another Rocky Patel cigar that was graciously gifted to me once again by my good pal Lou. It seems he’s making a consistent effort to try and turn me into a Rocky fanboy. Lou, I see your sinister plan, just thought I’d let you know!

But I’m always up to try some new cigars so here we go digging into some information behind The Edge. It’s been a really since I had one of Rocky’s The Edge cigars and I used to actually really enjoy the original blend of the Sumatra wrapper. The new blend isn’t the same and although it wasn’t bad, I haven’t really stocked up on them. But today’s review isn’t on the Sumatra wrapper, we’re focusing on the Corojo for now.

As with the whole Edge lineup, the long fillers used to stuff this cigar are aged for a full five years before they get to the rolling tables. Something else interesting about this line is that the filler on their website simply says that it is “Secret”. There are some speculations around the actual makeup of the filler but I’m not one to speculate, so we’ll just leave it at that.

As with many of Rocky’s cigars, he has teamed up with the tobacco growing powerhouse that is Nestor Plasencia. Aside from the Corojo, you can also find the limited runs of Sumatra wrappers as well as a Maduro wrapped blend. There’s also a similar line called the “Edge Lite” that comes with a connecticut wrapper and even a limited run Candela that Tony reviewed here. So let’s dive on in and see how the Corojo wrapped Edge by Rocky Patel stands up.

Cigar: Rocky Patel The Edge
Drink: Pocas Special Reserve Tawny Porto
Vitola: Torpedo (6 x 52)
Wrapper: Honduran Corojo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Secret?
Price: $6.00
Burn Time: 1.5 Hours

Construction:
• This Rocky Patel has a seriously deep dark brown and oily wrapper
• There are very few veins on this wrapper and whatever I do see is very small
• The cap is finished very cleanly with the single lead blending seamlessly into the rest of the wrapper
• The foot is super packed from what I can see, lots of filler inside this cigar
• There is a bit of a soft spring near the foot when squeezed but the top of the cigar near the cap is very firm
• The cap took a little effort to clip, probably due to the huge amount of filler inside it
• Draw is just about perfect, it has just enough resistance
• Noticed a few wrapper cracks as I burned through the cigar but none caused any major issues to be worried about

Burn:
• Toasting was very easy and The Edge had a glowing foot with very little effort
• We’re off to a good start with a nice clean burn line in the first bit here, let’s hope that continues
• Saw one little peninsula forming but The Edge made a come back and corrected itself without my help
• A couple more small peninsulas as we roll along here but they keep correcting themselves which is a welcome treat
• One of the peninsulas finally needed my help to correct in the last half but nothing major
• Smooth sailing to the end with a good burn pace and no more issues to correct

Smoke & Ash:
• Right from the start, there is a ton of smoke coming off this Rocky Patel cigar with only a small draw required to get it
• The ash is coming along with a very light grey, almost white color to it and some darker black accents here and there
• Super strong and clean ash here, no flaking at all
• Tapped off the first ash at about 1 inch just to prevent it from falling on my laptop, but it probably could have gone longer
• There is a fair bit of resting smoke off this cigar as well and I have to say, it smells a little like roasted marshmallows which is awesome
• All the ashes kept nice and clean and easily made the 1 inch mark before ending up in the ashtray

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper on the Rocky Patel The Edge has a sweet sort of candy/ cocoa aroma, reminds me of what Smarties smell like
• The foot brings more of that sweet cocoa aroma and adds to it a bit of baking spices like cloves and nutmeg
• The pre-light draw brought a little bit of the sweet cocoa but now it’s more wood and spices
• From the initial draws, The Edge was giving me lots of woodsy notes with some back splashes of cloves and nutmeg and maybe a bit of a leathery flavor
• The body starts off right around the low end of medium, a nice comfortable strength for now
• As for the retrohale, The Edge does have a bit of bite to it along with a smooth cedar finish
• The wood and spice notes are still holding strong, but I’m getting a bit of a black licorice taste in here now which is making it interesting
• A little ramp up in the body around the halfway mark as the licorice really starts to be prominent along with the spices making for a very interesting and balanced profile
• The coffee and spice took the main stage for the last half with some licorice peeking in once in awhile
• There was no harshness towards the end and The Edge finished smooth and with a bit of strength

Final Thoughts:
So Lou seems to be becoming the Rocky Patel advocate for me and I have to say he’s doing a pretty good job of turning me on to some of their better sticks. This is another Rocky Patel I can add to my list as one that I really enjoyed. It had lots of good flavors, some interesting change ups, and solid construction from start to finish. It seems that if you can find the sticks in the Rocky inventory that appeal to your taste profile, there are definitely quite a few that are worth trying. I will definitely keep my eyes open for more of these in the future and if you aren’t a huge Rocky fan, this may be a good one for you to try. Can’t complain about the price either, right in the sweet spot of most people.

Pairings:
I think it’s been awhile since I actually paired with a port, not sure why but here’s a new one for you. Today’s choice is a new one for me too from Pocas which is a family owned winery from Portugal. This particular blend is called the Special Reserve Tawny Porto. It pours very very light and has some very fruity notes on your nose. The flavors follow those same lines with a very light flavor, fairly fruity, lots of oak flavors and not bold at all. This would make an excellent into to Port if you haven’t dabbled in it before. It paired nicely with the Rocky Patel The Edge but I wouldn’t choose it for something super strong as the light flavors would get overwhelmed.