1 review for Rocky Patel 1990 Vintage Robusto
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Rocky Patel 1990 Vintage Robusto
Overall Score
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Cigar Inspector
Format : Robusto
Size : 152 x 24 mm
Ring : 50
Weight : N/A
Hand-Made
Price : ~$8 each
It is close to impossible to get Rocky Patel cigars in Europe, but fortunately my friends from the US sometimes bring me some interesting specimens. The Vintage 1990 line is getting a lot of coverage online and I was anxious to try it out.
Appearance : [rating:4/5]
The wrapper (Honduran Maduro) is very dark and oily, with a only few imperfections. The double band looks noble and attractive. It has a faint smell of dry tobacco leaves.
Construction : [rating:4.5/5]
The construction of this cigar is OK, I was pretty much satisfied by the burn and the draw.
Flavor : [rating:3.5/5]
Somehow, the first third was almost unsmokeable. I was getting very dry, earthy flavors that almost made me cough. After this initial bad taste, I started enjoying the 1990 Vintage – somehow the dryness completely disappeared and was replaced by creamy mild notes, including coffee, cocoa and chocolate. The stick remained very soothing until the end, where it started to get harsh so I had to put it down.
Value : [rating:4/5]
Not the best investment for me. It is less expensive than decent Cuban robustos, but I’d rather have a Vegafina than this one. Not that I can buy it in my local shop, anyway 🙂
Overall Rating : [rating:overall]
Unlike other cigars sold exclusively in the US that I had a chance to try, this one was pretty disappointing. However, having read a few of other reviews by my friends Walt and Patrick, the problem might be in my particular cigar. Will have to wait until I go to the USA to confirm that 🙂
[sz]rocky patel 1990[/sz]
Rob P
I found the Vintage 1990 robusto from RP to be OK. Good construction and draw, but the flavours did not quite do it for me.
DrFever
I have 6 sticks left over from a box of Vintage 1990 Torpedos. I imagine the blend is the same despite the different size because I’ve tried them both and enjoyed the Torpedo much better. Perhaps the harshness you experienced in the Robusto gets eased somewhat in the Torpedo but the latter was a smoother smoke with tons of smoke and some pleasing earthy and dark chocolate flavors.
However there were some bitter spots in the cigar and it does start to get bitter near the band. Age has helped mellow some of that bitterness turning it more into a dark unsweetened chocolate bitterness rather than a harsh bitterness.
I will eventually finish the ones in my humidor but won’t be buying any more anytime soon. In my view there are better smokes out there for the money.
peterb
If you can find this in a shop, and a shop that has kept it very wet, it is one of the best Patel’s around.
Cigarman007
Rocky is a rock star.Vintage 90 is one of my favs.Also,like OWR maduro.
Decade is wonderful.Best flavor,construction,aging of filler,etc…
Rocky Patel pays close attention to the finer details.I prefer 90 over the 92 Vintage.There all good cigars.Decade torpedo,yes,great flavor.OWR maduro is also extremely flavorful.Give these cigars a try.All cigars taste and smoke with better flavor if they rest in a well seasoned humidor.
Cigary
Been smoking these for years and for me anyway, they are a really good cigar. I like the churchill size and these cigars are very good with about a year on them as anything over that they lose their complexity.
DJ
I like the comment re:unavailable in Europe. Maybe we could set up a quid pro quo: RP’s for, um, you know…
Cuba Libre!
TriMarkC
This is my absolute favor RP cigar! The 1992 comes in a reasonably close 2nd! They need to sit in the humidor and rest for a bit right after purchase, but then they’re like gold! But unlike gold, they don’t stay too long !!!
tobacmon
I did not enjoy these much and need more room for improvement.
MB
This cigar wowed me. I’ve only had one size, the 60. From the pics it looks like the same one that I had. My experience was from the point the match touched the foot it was love at first draw. I’ve had a lot of cigars and most I like, there are few I like a lot and then there are those that are pure love. This RP could be one of those. The flavor was mostly of fresh tobacco and it stayed pretty consistent trough out with touches of coffee. The only complaint I would have is I wish the draw was more open.
Saint Jimbob
Rest didn’t do much for the 1990, at least for me. So I’m guessing that these are over the hill, and are likely to just get more mediocre with time.
Pity, because I liked the V92, Sun Grown, and Fusion (to a lesser extent). The construction on these are pretty good, as the Inspector noted. Maybe, as this cigar was made before RP turned into a Walmart production, rolling and QC were better.
greg
didn’t care much for this smoke on the first try, will let a few rest in the humi for 6 months and retry
wflor421
monkeydan said it best. I’ll stick to the 1992 or Sun Grown.
itsme_timd
I’ve had a couple of these and I’m not a big fan. Both were harsh and just didn’t mellow out for me. IMO there are many better sticks in the price range.
metalman
I like the 92 a bit more. Perfect draw and burn on both though. For me Rocky’s have the most consistent draw.
Kalutika
I take the 90 over the 92 personally. It’s one of the first really good cigars I ever had. I would say the flavors vary just a little too much from batch to batch. When they are on they are spotless and smooth but when they are off it’s just a good stick and nothign to write frequently about.
Jason T
The best of the vintage line. I generally keep a few around.
bsmith1977
I thoroughly enjoyed the Rocky Patel Vintage 90′. It was extremely smooth & rich with hints of cocoa & coffee which I like. I did however, enjoy the vintage 92′ a little more though that takes nothing away from this stick. This Patel goes very well with either a stout beer or a nice port or bourbon.
jpparker
I definitely like the 90’s over the 92’s. Just seem a little smoother and have a stronger finish. I like the box press finish and general look and feel of this great cigar. Not a great fan of some of RP’s other brands. Great smoke for the price.
monkeydan
I like the 1992 better.