Hello there! I guess a quick introduction is in order. This is Brian Hewitt of Brian’s Random (Cigar) Thoughts and I’m filling in for Jerry while he’s away tending to the new edition to his family, the wee lil torpedo! I also should give Walt and Jerry a quick thanks for maintaining such an essential blog for all cigar smokers, and for giving me a chance to add to it. (Is it weird to thank them for their blog on their blog?)
At the moment the video equipment I do have is in an unusable state, so this review will be all text, and with a little luck, some decent pictures.
For this week, I’ve selected the Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 torpedo. It’s a cigar I’ve been smoking quite a bit of recently, and one I’ve been making hollow threats about reviewing on my own blog for at least a month. Well my procrastination has paid off, it left me in a perfect position to write my first review on Stogie Review.
Cigar Stats:
Size: 6 1/4 x 52
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Mexico
Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
Price: $9.99
Smoking Time: 1 1/2 to 1 1/4 hours
Beverage: Water
The Pre-Smoke
My first impression of the Vintage 1992 is that it really is an attractive, sophisticated looking cigar. The double band looks great on the dark maduro sun-grown wrapper without being really over-the-top. The box-pressed shape is a nice touch and makes it very easy to hold. Upon closer inspection, I found the wrapper to be smooth with a slight oily sheen and free of obvious imperfections. The cigar was also pleasingly and consistently firm throughout.
I clipped the end with my flamboyantly-red Xicar and immediately saw the problem that has plagued my experiences with this cigar. Almost immediately the wrapper leaf forming part of the remaining cap began to lift away. I’ve experimented with different clipping depths in the other ’92’s I’ve smoked so far and only one of them didn’t have this problem. So it was disappointing, but expected.
Before lighting it I took a sniff of the wrapper and noted a rich chocolate scent. In the cold taste I also detected this chocolate flavor, with a hint of either a sweet berry or cherry. (I fully expect somebody to tell me I’m nuts on this, but I swear, man, I swear!)
The Burn
This cigar burns very evenly and has a beautifully solid light gray ash. The first ash made it to around two inches before landing solidly and completely intact in the ashtray. The burn line was nearly perfect until hit the part of the wrapper I clumsily damaged when removing the bands. But in spite of it, the cigar continued to burn pretty evenly.
One thing I have to note about the burn is the amount of resting smoke given off by this cigar. Smoke literally rolls off the cigar. Constantly. So much so that in my collected notes from different smokes I’ve written things like “it burns like a grass fire”, “it smokes like a chimney” and “it reminds me of an incense stick”. I don’t find those to be bad points (the smoke has a good rich aroma that I enjoy), but it’s definitely noteworthy. Even more interesting is that with all the smoke this cigar gives off, I only got an average amount of smoke in a given draw.
The Flavor
One of my favorite parts of this cigar is the earlier part of the first third. In it, the chocolate flavors seem to come out most strongly and that slight berry/cherry flavor I detected in the cold taste make a brief appearance as does a sweet almond flavor. Throughout the duration of the cigar, the most dominant flavor seemed to be creamy coffee flavor, with chocolate reappearing throughout the smoke. In this most recent cigar, I also noticed some cinnamon notes in the final third that I don’t think I noticed previously.
One thing Walt has brought up in past reviews is a dryness in the flavor of a cigar. And I definitely got that from this cigar. In earlier smokes, I did have it with some red wines that probably contributed to this dry mouth feel, but it was still present in this water-only smoke. I don’t mind it, and sometimes find that to be a good thing in a cigar. I this case it didn’t add or detract from the experience for me.
The Price
The price I’ve noted above seems to be the going rate at the B&M’s in my area. The going rate from online cigar retailers puts them down around $7.85 a cigar if you buy a box. And that strikes me as a very reasonable price for this cigar.
The Verdict
I really like this cigar in spite of the issues I seem to have with the wrapper. I’ve also found it to be very popular with my casual smoking friends. (Casual meaning they are happy to smoke a cigar if I offer them one.) I find it goes very nicely with my perennial beer favorite Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber or a good porter or stout. Either one really brings out the chocolate flavors in the cigar and make for a great smoking experience.
Liked It: YES
Buy It Again: YES (And I have.)
Recommend It: YES
The Cigar In Action
ohhh, you picked one of my favorite cigars!!!! This maduro is a gem!! It’s price puts it above what I like to pay but it’s in my elegant sophisticated and tasty cigar class.
I have made a point to have them in my humidors for those moments when I want to relax in the evening and smoke a nice Maduro. Only Maduro I like better would be the Gloria Cubana Series R.
Another Maduro you might like to try is the Bucanero Full Sail. I’d be curious to see your thoughts in comparing that with this cigar.
As a side note, I would almost swear the resting aroma was akin to the smell I remember of that green whacky tobacco that the elderly sick cancerous folks smoke here in California. So I’d say I’m way more crazy then you when you taste cherry notes heh.
Great review albiet savant the video. But what the heck, great pictures.
Dave
I felt the same way about the flavor. I absolutely tasted chocolate or berry. This actually turned me off to this cigar. You were also right about the draw, I found it to have a real hard draw. I could say i had a bad experience with this Rocky.
I also had a problem with the cap as it started to unravel itself 10min into the smoke.
Not for me.
Get the video equipment in gear! If your videos are half as good as your written review then you will fit right in! Great job! Just when you think SR couldn’t get any better! Way to go guys!
Great way to break down a review. I enjoyed reading it and will definetly pick up a RPV 92 . Also, the pics came out great. I would like to have seen the cap after you cut it to see the result of the cut though. All in all, job well done and look forward to future reviews.
Dave,
Thanks! It really is a great cigar, isn’t it? I have some of the Gloria Cubanas waiting for me in the humidor right now, and I’m really interested in trying the Bucanero Full Sail. If I can track a couple of them down, and if Jerry decides to milk it for a bit longer (who loves ya, Jerry?) I’ll be happy to review one here!
Vic,
Thanks, very kind of you. The truth is that I’m just too dang pretty and have been forbidden from doing video reviews. The other guys are afraid I’ll take all the Stogie Review groupie girls. LOL! Seriously though, after RTDA I’ll redouble my efforts to get that video gear together and working.
Matt,
Great point on the cap picture. I don’t know why that didn’t occur to me! Glad you enjoyed the format and the review. And do treat yourself to a RP 92. đ
Hey Brian, nice review. Now I’m kind of eager to smoke the one sitting in my humidor I bought from a local B&M about a month ago.
Do you slightly moisten the cap before you use your cutter?
Nice written review. What a team here at SR. Personally I keep a stash of RP 90 and 92’s on hand. I have noticed the flaws you pointed out from time to time though. Not sure what’s up with that.
Thanks Charles,
No, I haven’t tried that. Do you find it helps? I guess it couldn’t hurt… I did wet and re-wet the wrapper while I was smoking to keep it in line, which is why it wasn’t very apparent in most of the pictures.
Thanks Tom,
The RP Vintages are an important part of this balanced humidor. Speaking of, I still haven’t tried the ’99. I need to fix that.
The 99’s are pretty mild, I prefer them in the morning with a good coffee, but that’s just me. Oh, and I do wet the tip before clipping all my stogies. I still have the problem from time to time with the vintage line, but not as often as you describe. Maybe Charles is right.
I also tend to use a punch with the vintages, which can help in the unraveling problem. I use a larger diamer punch for better draw, but again, that’s just me.
Happy smoking.
doh, it dawned on me that you were smoking a torpedo. A punch obviously would have done you no good in this case đ
Nice review, Brian.
Hi Brian, yes this is your tolerant & loving wife, who had to sit through the painful experience of breathing in second- hand smoke. But unlike cigarette smoke, this didn’t smart one’s eyes. It had a really pleasant smell & aroma. And it didn’t stink the house down, either.
Love
Wife
There you have it guys, the wifeâs thumbs up. She also took a couple of puffs and said âOh! Thatâs nice!â đ
Tom,
I knew what you were driving at. I think I have some toros somewhere in my humidor, so I may go the punch route with those.
And as long as itâs flavorful, I wonât hold mildness against a cigar. Itâs good to have a morning coffee cigar.
Daniel,
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
i believe the wrapper on the 92 is a sun grown, not a maduro
Right you are Mike! My bad, good catch! đ
Hey Brian,
I just recently found SR while watching a JR video of their humidor and I have to say this site is fantastic! Anyways, as I’m writing this, I am puffing on a RPV1992 toro and I just wanted to thank you for reviewing this cigar. I was having a bit of trouble pin-pointing some of the flavors I was receiving and your write up helped me a great deal. Keep up the great work, and again – thank you!
Thanks Aaron,
That’s the best compliment you can get for a cigar review! I love that the review helped you out. The great thing about cigar reviews is that no matter when you write them or how old they get, they stay relevant as long as the cigar you reviewed is still out there in somebody’s humidor!
We’ll keep it up, keep checking back!
I know this comment is a few years too late. But before lighting I do get a berry flavor. Your not that crazy. Wecome to the nut house.