Rocky ALR
Today’s Featured Cigar:
Rocky Patel Aged. Limited. Rare. No. 2
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The Cigar:
Mexican San Andrés wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and filler. This is the second edition of the Rocky Patel ALR series. First Edition was made 2015 and released in 2017. This blend first hit the market in 2018 and is now a re-release of the same second edition.
The Flavors:
This is the most flavorful and complex San Andrés on the market. It is full of baking spices instead of the classic chili spices you get from San Andrés tobacco. A mild sweetness shines on the end of the smoke that resembles more of a gram cracker and honey note.
The Bottle:
“The Japanese characters for the skylark (hibari), the much-loved herald of spring in the East and West, and for this masterfully blended whisky.
Like the clear, exquisite song of a small bird, it features an agreeably pure, mellow flavour. Carefully selected unprocessed whiskies and pure, natural spring water are expertly blended to create this distinctive whisky.” This was the vision of Tenjaku Master Blender, Kenji Watanabe.
The Pairing:
This experience is to bring out all of the flavors in the cigar. The soft and refined Japanese whiskey add a bit of smoke and a bit of stone to the palate that anchors throughout the pairing. Those notes also allow the baking spices of the cigar to shine even brighter.
The Story:
Rocky Patel blended the cigars in 2016 at the TAVICUSA factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, and they have been sitting in the factory’s aging rooms until their release to retail in early October. “We tell everyone it’s got a minimum of two years of age,” Nish Patel told halfwheel. “Rocky wants them to have a little more than what we tell people,” he added.
The Brand:
Rocky Patel is a company that covers all the bases in flavor profiles. It’s a premium, diverse company that makes something for everyone.
Rocky Patel has Connecticut, Sungrown, Maduro, Corojo, Sumatra, Habano, and Ecuadorian to name a few styles. The available size profiles also cover most consumer’s preferences, with Robusto, Toro, Churchill, and Gordo in almost all the blends. It is a brand that everyone can find something they love even if you don’t fall for them all.
