The Rocky Patel 1865 Project is a special cigar release by the company. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of them will benefit the The Juneteenth Foundation, a 501(c)3 charity that seeks to not only celebrate the federal holiday of Juneteenth but also help Black Americans in other ways through events, scholarships and other programs. The charity is a reference to the date when the U.S. Army general proclaimed to slaves in south Texas that they were free. The day, June 19, 1865, is celebrated as the time in which the last slaves were informed of their freedom. Last year, President Joe Biden signed into law a bill marking June 19th an official federal holiday.
The blend of the Rocky Patel 1865 Project Juneteenth is described by the company as:
- Wrapper – Mexican San Andrés
- Binder – Honduras and Nicaragua (dual)
- Filler – Nicaragua
The 1865 Project Juneteenth is expressed in 3 vitolas, each packaged in 20-count boxes:
- Robusto – MSRP $12.00
- Toro — $13.00
- Sixty — $14.00
They are rolled at the company’s Tabacalera Villa Cuba S.A. factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.
For this review I sampled two of the toros, which I purchased at my local brick & mortar – Executive Cigar Shop & Lounge in Melbourne, FL.
Pre-Light Examination
The Rocky Patel 1865 Project Juneteenth exhibits a dark reddish-brown wrapper with just a slight oily sheen and some noticeable veins. It has a number of bumps along the barrel. The cigar is firm to the touch but has a peculiar finish on the foot as it seems to taper down toward the foot and the foot has a square pressing. A well applied triple cap finishes the presentation.
Three bands adorn the cigar. The primary band uses a gold, white, and black motif and proudly displays the 1865 Project logo in the center, identifying it as the Inaugural Edition. It has quite a bit of ornate scrolls running around the band. The secondary band is white with gold print and is the standard Rocky Patel logo while the third is a gold footer band and brands this as the Juneteenth Foundation cigar.
Running the cigar along the nose there was not much aroma along the barrel but the foot exudes mild pungent barnyard and fruit notes.
Using my CigarMedics Baller cutter, I opened the cap perfectly and moved on to give it some cold draw puffs that I found to be excellent in the draw and offered notes of raisin and spicy pepper especially on the lips.
My single flame torch was adequate to start the journey as I warmed the foot to an even orange glow and drew in the first puffs of spicy notes to begin the journey. Follow along as I burn this one to ash.
For this review, I sampled two of the Rocky Patel 1865 Project Juneteenth Toros that I purchased at my local brick & mortar – Executive Cigar Shop & Lounge in Melbourne, FL.
Cigar Review Notes
- Easy draw with a very light spice notes to start
- White ash with a touch of flakiness forms on top of a wavy char line
- Tangy Fruit notes join the early profile along with an earthy component
- Light cream notes lay in the background
- Ash fell in a decent chunk revealing a flat but centered burn cone
- Increased fruit notes
- Caramel notes
- Hint of coffee
- Strength ratchets up midway
- Fruit is more citrusy moving toward midway
- Dark Chocolate nuances along with a buildup of spice notes
- Saltiness adds to the profile
- Medium to Full in Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 45 Minutes
Final Analysis
I found the Rocky Patel 1865 Project Juneteenth to be a decent cigar and considering a portion of the proceeds will go to a charitable cause it is certainly worth picking up a few. It did find it to be more on the one-dimensional side with the early tangy fruit notes that morphed into citrus and stayed with the blend through the whole journey, sometimes dominating the profile. Even 30 minutes after finishing the cigar, my palate could still taste the lingering citrus notes. It did have an occasional nuance here and there but other than perhaps the late spice it was all about the citrus. As far as burn and construction it was pretty much error free with just a small jag in the burn and a flat but centered burn cone. I rate this a 90
Point Deductions: (-1) Flat but Centered Burn Cone; (-1) Mild jag in in burn; (-1) One Dimensional; (-1) Overly Tangy
