This week, just about every cigar smoker with a blog is in a mad dash to get a review of the soon to be released Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary cigar posted. But for my money, the most exciting thing in the World of Rocky Patel these days is the quiet re-release of the very popular Edge Sumatra. That’s right, the Edge Sumatra is back, and all because fans of the stick kept asking for it. Kudos to Rocky for giving the customers what they want.
But the Edge Sumatra may not be around for long. The 2010 release is limited to around 2000 trays of 50. Half of them will be toros and half torpedos (both vitolas 6 x 52), for a grand total 100,000 cigars. I’m told that the reason for this is that they simply don’t have enough of the Sumatra wrapper needed to create a continuous line, so they rolled as may as they could with leaf they had available.
The big question is, how do they compare to the original release? I’ve been told they are the same, blend, primings and all, but will they taste the same? In addition describing the new Sumatra’s smoking experience, I’ll try to answer that question by burning one of the original Sumatras from my stash. Let’s see how the new one is and how it compares.
Cigar Stats:
Size: 6 x 52
Wrapper: Sumatra
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru
Smoking Time: 2 hours
Beverage: Water
Source: Purchased by reviewer
Price: MSRP $6.20
The Pre-Smoke
The first thing I noticed about the new Edge Sumatra when I picked it up was the new band. It’s still at the foot, and it’s still red, but it’s a darker shade of red with bolder, easier to read text. Once I had the new and original sticks side by side, it became clear that the color difference wasn’t limited to the band, the whole cigar is noticeably darker than the original.
Focusing on the new Sumatra, the wrapper is maduro dark, with just a touch of red, and very oily. It’s both smooth looking and smooth to the touch, which relatively few, fine veins. A quick inspection of the cigars revealed flaws in only one stick, a few small holes in the wrapper. I did notice that new sticks were not quite as firmly packed as the old Sumatra as well.
The wrapper scent on both the new and old sticks was a pretty pungent compost, and there was a similar sweet cocoa raisin flavor in the cold taste, though the old Sumatra was a tad more spicy.
The Burn
Both the new and the old Edge Sumatras burned very well, good draw, pretty even burn lines, with maybe a single touch up needed, if that. Where they diverged was in the burn speed, color and length of ash. The old Sumatra burned slower, produced lighter colored, longer ashes than the new stick. Again, neither had a bad burn, but the original Sumatra was clearly superior.
The Flavor
The new Edge Sumatra started off with a combination of dark cherry sweetness and leather that grew gradually more woody in flavor as the cigar progressed. At times the sweetness was slightly bitter and the wood took on a bit of an edge.
The occasionally sharp wood flavor continued to grow in prominence in the second third, and the leather began to diminish, appearing mostly in the finish by the end of the second third. The dark cherry sweetness lightened and faded a bit as well, but was still present in nearly every puff.
Woody flavors dominated the final third, but the leather also seemed to make a bit of a comeback. The cherry sweetness was even less of an influence, and was frequently tart in the final third.
The original release Edge Sumatra followed a similar flavor path, however, the sweetness was more syrupy in flavor and mouth feel. What comes to mind as a good way to describe the difference would be comparing a young tawny and aged one. Additionally, the wood was less aggressive, and generally speaking the all the flavors were a little more nuanced and mellow in the original. In short, it seemed very much like the difference between a new smoke and an aged cigar of the same variety.
The Price
The fact that Rocky brought back the croud-pleasing Sumatra is a good thing. That he brought it back at a price of six bucks and change is great.
The Verdict
I love the original Sumatra still, and it is a superior smoke, but I also really like the new release. I will absolutely be buying more of them. If you enjoyed the original, you’ll probably also be a fan of the new one, and at $6.20 a stick (plus your local taxes), it’s worth the money to find out for yourself.
But I can’t end the review without making a few important points on the comparisons I’ve made between the two cigars. To begin with, my comparison of the new and old Sumatras isn’t entirely fair. The original release has had the benefit of probably two years of humidor aging, while the new release just hit the shelf. That alone could account for much of the difference between the two sticks. Also there is the differences in vitolas, which may play a small part. (I didn’t have any original toros for comparison, and new torpedos weren’t available in time for this review.) And of course there is the natural difference in crops and weather from one year to the next. However, I think that if I were somehow able to magically age the new release two years, the cigars would be acceptably similar.
It’s good to have you back, Edge Sumatra.
Liked It: Yes, box-worthy. Perhaps even tray-worthy.
Buy It Again: Yes
Recommend It: Yes
Tower of Burn
Here for your viewing pleasure is my trademark Tower of Burn.
I would also be curious how these compare to the sumatras that a handful of shops have been carrying consistently. From my understanding they aren’t old stock just done in small batches.
I assumed that the shops that still had Edge Sumatras only had them because they stockpiled them while they were available, or bought up all the remaining stock held back in the warehouse for the purpose of replacing damaged product. Of course, it’s possible that Rocky has been making small batches for some select retailers right along.
If he has been doing that, he’s been keeping it quiet, because one local retailer who is pretty tight with Rocky told me he couldn’t get them anymore when I asked about them a year or so ago.
this is exciting news…..
I thought I remembered hearing that the Renaissance was a replacement for the Edge Sumatra. Could be mistaken, I guess. Can’t remember ever smoking the Edge Sumatra, but I’ve had a few Renaissance and just don’t find them all that exciting. If this is appreciably different, I’d give it a try.
I also remember the same thing. The reasoning was the sumantra leaf was to expensive and Rocky didn’t want to raise the price of the sumantra seperate from the other Edges so he made a seperate line.
Great review. I stocpiled a bunch of there when they first came out. Still have 40 or so left. Gonna have to pick some of the new ones up too.
They came in yesterday; smoked one right away and one at the end of the evening. Great smoke. Never had a chance to smoke original but if your review is on, I think we have a winner here.
I just had one of these about a week ago. I thought it was a little closer to the original than you did.
It was a pretty good stick.
nice review!
Thanks schedel, I’m actually glad to hear that. I made a point of remaining skeptical to about similarities I noticed to be sure it wasn’t just my wishful thinking or the subconscious influence of the band and name. As a result the review is a little biased toward finding differences over detecting similarities. But they are very much alike, and I really enjoy both.
Nice. Can’t wait to try these.
I am a fan of the Sumatra. I’ll be stalking some shops for these sticks!
Had one of the new ones last week and had a smiliar experience as yours. I still have a few of the originals left too, but will be buying more of the new ones.
I love the original Edge Sumatra. I have not been this excited to try a cigar in some time. Thanks for the review.
I’m looking forward to trying these, thanks for the comparative review!
I managed to score some of the originals a few months ago, and think they are not only the best Edge, but one of Rocky’s best sticks period (right up there with an aged Decade and an OWR maddie). Lots of that dried cherry-sweet flavor … so good! I’m hoping these will go on special somewhere so I can store a 10-pack or so.
cherry sweet bitter chocolate indeed. spicy too. gary merenstein
I was wondering wen these would come out! I mentioned to Rocky at an event in 2009 that I had heard great things and always wanted to try it and he said it was being rereleased… but I seriously spent hours searching and couldn’t find any info on it online! Hope to do a side-by-side review, and then try a new one later with thw same age as the original.
Luck would have it that one of my regular local shops has the new sumatra in torpedo and I definitely think it’s a winner. I never had the original so I can’t say if they are similar but I’m sure that was a great stick also. My tobacconist said that he wasn’t even supposed to get these cigars but one of the other shops didn’t want their box so he snatched it up. Good move on his part. Great review btw!
I was just able to finally find a source for a couple of these stick locally. Really looking forward to smoking a couple as the original Sumatra release was hands-down my favorite RP cigar, I’ll chime in again when I’ve smoked a couple.
CD
I picked one of these up at a local shop a couple weeks ago, as it was the first time I’ve seen an Edge Sumatra. I’m already a fan of Rocky’s Edge line, and I favor the Battalion vitola. All I can say about this stick is WOW! It knocked my socks off with deliciousness. If you can find it, buy it.
*Cigars are like women.*
Love this stick,one of my favorites,did I say love this stick!!!
I have never been a Rocky fan. I know, call me crazy and call in the white suited men. That was all until recently. First it was the recomendation of my local cigar dealer that I try the Renaissnce. YUM! I have since stocked up on them. Now I am fully a Sumatra fan. They will be my next large purchase. Some for now, more for later.
One of my favs… at Binny;s (Chicago area) the Toro and Torpedo are available. Very nice cigar indeed.
Good review Brian.