Origin : Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
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: 
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: 
The construction of this cigar is OK, I was pretty much satisfied by the burn and the draw.
Flavor : Rating:
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:
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 : Overall Rating:
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 :)
This post was written by Denis aka Inspector, who founded CigarInspector.com back in 2007. Click here for his latest articles and more information.
