I recently ordered a collection of cigars from one of my favorite Long Island cigar shops – Maxis Cigar Lounge in Franklin Square, NY as part of the Stogie Press 2020 mission to KEEP THE LIGHTS ON. My friend, brother of the leaf and shop owner, Jack Joshi hoked me up well. As part of my order, I picked up the 2020 Rocky Patel Winter Collection limited edition toro, along with a number of other fine cigars which I will be getting to this month.
The original Winter Collection was introduced in 2008. This year, Rocky Patel revamped the blend with the most significant change being the wrapper. The company went from a Pennsylvania broadleaf to a Mexican San Andrés maduro. The full blend is described as:
- Wrapper – Mexican San Andrés maduro
- Binder – Nicaraguan
- Filler – Honduran and Nicaraguan
The 2020 Rocky Patel Winter Collection is expressed in four vitolas and come packaged in the same 20-count boxes as the original 2008 version less the date.
- Corona (5 ½ x 42) – MSRP $8.50
- Robusto (5 ½ x 50) – MSRP $10.50
- Toro (6 ½ x 52) – MSRP $11.50
- Sixty (6 x 60) – MSRP $12.50
For this review I sampled two 2020 Rocky Patel Winter Collection Toros that I purchased.
Pre-Light Examination
The 2020 Rocky Patel Winter Collection has a slightly toothy, dark brown wrapper, that has some noticeable veins running through the barrel. It is firm to the touch and well packed. It nicely triple capped to finish the presentation.
Two bands adorn the cigar. The primary band uses a silver and blue motif that proudly displays the company’s logo in the center. A secondary band is placed just below the primary and declares it as the “WINTER COLLECTION”.
Running the barrel along the nose, I picked up a lightly pungent barrel along with cream and fruit notes off the foot.
I sliced the cap straight across the shoulder and proceeded to give it some cold draw puffs that offered an earthy note with a hint of pepper and fruit.
With the preliminary exam out of the way, it was time to fire it up and see where the Winter Collection journey takes me. I used my double flame torch to gently warm the foot and drew in the first puffs of peppery and earthy smoke. Follow along as I burn this one to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- First puffs were a tad harsh but evolves into the earthy and pepper notes I tasted on the cold draw
- White ash forms on a thin wavy char line
- Natural sweetness joins the early profile
- Sweet nutty aroma starts to waft off the foot
- Mild spice fills out the first third
- Ash fell in good chunk revealing a decent burn cone
- Aroma shifts to maple syrup
- Sweetness increases moving through the second third
- Earthy nuances enter
- Flavors get harsh as it burned through the final with a touch of sweetness at the end
- Burned hot to the touch in the final
- Medium strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 40 minutes
Overall, the Rocky Patel Winter Collection 2020, though not overly complex, was a fairly enjoyable cigar that took me on a pleasant journey of shifting flavors and aromas through most of the burn. The development slowed moving through second third with a increased sweetness and hint of earth. The final third started to get harsh with a touch of sweetness. You may want to check one out, I rated this an 89.
Point Deductions: (-1) Harshness in the the end; (-1) Wavy Burn; (-2) Burned hot to the touch in final; (-1) Check one out
