Wow. It’s rare when I find a truly great cigar for under $10 a stick. And it’s like finding a unicorn when I find one under six bucks.
But I found one. The Rocky Patel Nicaraguan Torpedo.
My dealer, Famous Smoke Shop, sells them. They go for – get this $5.20 a stick individually, and you can get a pack of 5 for $21.95 as of this writing. And they’re awesome.
The first thing I noticed when I opened the pack was their construction. It was absolutely beautiful. Perfectly rolled, firm to the feel, and a gorgeous wrapper. I had to check the label to make sure they were the right cigars. They’re listed as a natural wrapper, but they were so dark they looked like maduros.
In this era of mass produced “premium†cigars I often find that the smoking end of torpedoes are wrapped sloppily, and that makes clipping them a challenge so they don’t unroll. Not these. Each one in the five pack was wrapped perfectly with no extra wrapper bunched up and no gaps in the wrapping. Clipping them was a breeze.
My fascination with their construction was exceeded by how well they smoked. Each one in the pack was fabulous. They all burned perfectly evenly, produced a nice long ash, and not a single one of them needed a second light, even though I took my time with them.
What I also find with torpedoes is that they can get soft in the tip when I’m a little more than half way through them. These didn’t. They stayed firm through the entire smoke. Quite an accomplishment through about an hour and 45 minutes per cigar.
Taste
I really enjoyed this cigar. It’s billed as full-bodied, but I found that the full bodied flavor didn’t kick in until about half way through, which was a nice contrast to the first half. I give them a 97/100. It was a great compliment to my Macallan 12, and easily kept up with it in terms of taste. It had a clean finish as well, and I didn’t end up tasting them all evening afterward.
Construction and Draw
As I mentioned, their construction was first rate. They have a smooth wrapper and firm construction, and maintained it throughout the smoke. I experimented by clipping different amounts off the end, because I like to have a more concentrated flavor sometimes. But no matter how shallow I clipped, the draw was excellent. I give them a 98/100 in this category.
Consistency and Appearance
In terms of appearance these cigars are beautiful. In terms of consistency, all of them were very enjoyable and smoked the same. They demonstrated a consistency that I never find in a cigar under $6. I give them a 96/100.
Burn
The burn was a complete non-issue for the entire five pack, again which is surprising for such an inexpensive smoke. Not a single one needed a second light, and each of them burned damn near perfectly even all the way to the end. I didn’t get the monster ash with these that I had with the Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente Sun Grown Queen B cigars, but on the one I let go I did get almost half way before it dropped off. I give them an 97/100.
Overall my rating on this cigar is a 96.25.
The “X†factor for this cigar is what I call the “wife factorâ€. As I mentioned in a prior review, my wife loves to buy me cigars for every occasion, and she generally spends about $10 a stick. She loves the smell of a good cigar, and she gave up the fight and started buying me good cigars after she had experienced some of my “budget†smokes. So now she notices immediately when I have smoked my golf or lawn cigars, and she lets me know, if you get my drift. She loved the smell of these however. Which is unbelievable based on how inexpensive they are.
I highly recommend these cigars. If you’re looking for something that’s a great smoke, fits your budget, and passes the wife test, then give these a try! You’ll love them as much as I did.
Get these perfectly rolled Rocky Patel cigars from Famous Smoke Shop!
The Details:
ROCKY PATEL NICARAGUAN TORPEDO
Strength: Full
Shape: Torpedo
Size: 6 x 52
Country: Nicaragua
Wrapper Color: Natural
Wrapper Origin: Nicaraguan
Wrapper Leaf: Habano
