First Review - Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 Petit Corona

[NakedYoga]

Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 Petit Corona

So this is my first review and “true” smoking experience since becoming a compulsive lurker and then actual member of CS. This smoke was a reward smoke, as today I finished my last law school exam of the semester (only 1 more semester to go). I had already decided I wanted to walk over one of the B&Ms in town, which happens to be only about 3 blocks from the law school, after my exam was over at 11:00 and pick something up. I walk over to the B&M, introduce myself to the co-owner, and begin a slow lap around the inside of the walk-in humidor to select a stick. I had originally planned to only buy 1, since I was awaiting shipment of a humidor and didn’t have a sufficient place to store any extras. Lo and behold, as I’m looking at the selection of Punch cigars, I get an email on my BlackBerry informing me that a FedEx delivery had arrived at my house. Of course, it was the humidor I had ordered from Cheaphumidors.com, so I figured in that case I’d buy a couple more and let them sit in a Tupperware container in my closet while the humidor is being seasoned. I finally selected 3 sticks to try: a Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 petit corona, a Romeo y Julieta 1875 Anniversario robusto, and a Punch Rare Corojo double corona. I made my way back home, quickly set up the humidor for seasoning (the waiting is already killing me and it's barely been 3 hours), put the RyJ and Punch in their temporary Tupperware home, and turned my attention to the Rocky Patel.


The pre-light draw didn't really yield a lot of flavor. It had a sort of creaminess to it, but nothing to dwell on. So I grabbed my cup of coffee, splashed in a little Dewar's (yes, I realize it was barely noon, but I just finished my last exam -- give me a break!), and went outside to toast it.

First Third : I've got to say, I was a little underwhelmed by the (lack of) flavor. I was getting a good draw, but only hints of flavor were coming through... mostly a slight espresso taste. As the stick burned into the second third, the flavors started to pick up.

Second Third : Here I began to get bursts of what I'd describe as a cedar taste. It was a little odd at first, but I truly began to like it after a couple of minutes. Not too strong, almost "refreshing" in a way. The cedar seemed almost tinged with pepper, and it stuck to the tip of my tongue after I exhaled. Unfortunately, this interesting flavor was inconsistent, as it began to fade in and out after only about 5 minutes.

Final Third : During the final third, she began to sputter and actually went completely out at one point. Begrudgingly, I got out another match and rekindled the flame. The burn had become uneven a couple minutes prior, but it looked like it was correcting itself. Oh well, there was no ash taste to it. During the end of the stick, I lost all of the cedar/pepper flavor... it just went away. The espresso flavor seemed to struggle to make an appearance, but it was merely a cameo.

Verdict: I wasn't incredibly impressed, especially given the rave reviews this line of sticks seems to get. I was surprised that the flavors weren't a little more forceful, but I have to say I really did enjoy the smoothness. I'll probably smoke one again, likely in a different size, but I want to try some other lines first.

Total Smoking Time : ~40 minutes.

Price: $5.50

All in all, it was a good experience to truly think about the flavors I was feeling from the stick. I'm definitely glad I finally joined CS, and I think this was the beginning of a great journey... it looks like there's some sort of a slope ahead... Hopefully I'll get to enjoy some other quality smokes over the holidays, money and time permitting. If for no other reason, I might go through the 3 local B&Ms just so I can fill up my humidor after it's seasoned. I've got a 75-count box with only 2 sticks to put in it!

[madurolover]

Nice review brother. I actually find these to be hit or miss.

[Cigary]

Good review for a 'noob',,,try a bigger RG on this cigar and I think you will get more taste and a better smoke.

[LegalEagle]

Originally Posted by NakedYoga

[ . . . ]I finished my last law school exam of the semester

Thanks for the review! And congrats on being done! Which law school?