Rocky Patel The Edge Maduro Toro:

I am wary of cigars that have an undisclosed blend and this isn’t something I would expect from a major brand like Rocky Patel. When I looked up the blend for The Edge Maduro Toro, I found a lot of conflicting information about the tobacco used in this cigar. What I can say for certain is that the wrapper was a very dark maduro and the blend is the result of a collaboration between Rocky Patel and Nestor Plasencia.

Rich aromas of cocoa and bay leaf drifted up from the foot and a little squeeze told me that the cigar was evenly packed from head to foot. I did notice a little toothiness to the wrapper in the first third of the cigar, so I was expecting a strong, full flavoured cigar reminiscent of the LFD El Carajon. The easy cold draw hit me round the lips with even more cocoa so I slipped off the foot band and lit up.

The first inch of this cigar was, as expected, full bodied with mineral notes backed up by the cocoa and bay leaf from the aromas. The smoke itself was a bit of an enigma though. It felt almost non-existent when I rolled it around my mouth, but upon release, it was thick and voluminous, leaving lingering ribbons in the air.

After that first inch though, it lost a bit of its punch and seemed to settle down like an overexcited puppy that has grown used to its surroundings. The mineral tones were replaced by a grassiness, with a medium-well done sirloin steak and chargrilled chillies playing a supporting role. Having mixed myself a bourbon Old Fashioned during the first inch, I started to worry that this wouldn’t go with the remainder of the cigar. I was gladly proved wrong however and ended up fixing myself a second one to pair with the final third.

As I hit the middle third, all the power and feistiness that the Rocky Patel The Edge Maduro Toro had displayed disappeared with a hiss and crackle on the draw. Gone was the spice and heat, replaced with moist peat, creamy liquorice and summer leaves. It almost felt as though I was smoking the equivalent of a warm woolly jumper.

Almost the entire way through my time smoking this cigar, I experienced burn issues. At one point it canoed by half an inch, and I also caught it trying to tunnel a couple of times. Being honest, this did reduce my enjoyment of the cigar, as I was distracted by course correcting the burn rather than savouring the experience of smoking it.

When it came to the final third of the cigar, the spice and meatiness returned. First I was greeted by leather and fur which segued into a chargrilled steak. This was followed closely by the spice of a habanero chilli with a sprinkling of white pepper and cloves. The final draws on this Rocky Patel The Edge Maduro Toro gave me an earthy, moist undergrowth taste with a good dose of hops and the tailend of the flavour.

Overall I found this a very flavoursome cigar. This isn’t the first time I’ve smoked a stick from this line, but the first time I’ve really concentrated on the tastes in a more critical sense. Marketed as a cigar for the “professional cigar smoker”, I think an experienced cigar smoker could get a lot out of The Edge Maduro, but for me personally, whilst I would smoke it again, I would prefer to smoke something else.

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Rocky Patel The Edge Maduro Toro Cigar Details