Today, we review the Rocky Patel Thirtieth in the Toro size from Rocky Patel Premium Cigars. In 1995, an entertainment lawyer named Rocky Patel, along with Phil Zanghi, would found a company called Indian Tabac. Eventually, Patel and Zanghi would go their separate ways. Patel would rename the company Rocky Patel Premium Cigars, and the rest would be history. Patel would go on to become one of the leaders in the cigar industry. Last year, Rocky Patel Premium Cigars commemorated 30 years since Patel got into the cigar business. As a result, a commemorative cigar, the Rocky Patel Thirtieth,r was released for the occasion.
The Thirtieth has been described as a limited release. In addition, there is a Rocky Patel Thirtieth Limited Edition that is a different blend (and a more ultra-premium offering). The Thirtieth Limited Edition is said to be “more limited” than the previous editions. For completeness, we list the major milestone releases for Rocky Patel Premium Cigars. These include anniversary cigars as well as the birthday cigars for Rocky Patel himself.
Rocky Patel Milestone Cigars
For now, we turn our attention to the Thirtieth Toro and see what this cigar brings to the table.
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Origin
The Thirtieth is produced at Rocky Patel’s TAVICUSA factory located in Estelí, Nicaragua. In addition to a San Andres wrapper, it features a double Nicaraguan binder and a blend of Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers. The leaves used for the binder are aged a minimum of seven years.
- Wrapper: San Andres Mexican
- Binder: Nicaraguan (Double – Aged min 7 years)
- Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran (Aged min 5 years)
- County of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: Tabacalera Villa Cuba S.A. (TAVICUSA)
Vitolas Offered
These are the three sizes included in the Thirtieth line. Each comes in 20-count boxes
- Robusto: 5 1/2 x 52
- Toro: 6 1/2 x 52
- Sixty: 6 x 60
Appearance (*)
The Thirtieth Toro features a San Andres wrapper and a box-press shape that resembles a chocolate bar. The dark wrapper shows slight mottling on its surface, with some visible veins and seams. Additionally, the box-press is very firm and sharp, showing no significant rounding.
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw
A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Thirtieth Toro. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered a mix of mocha (that I term a fusion of cocoa and chocolate), earth, and a slight pepper note. Overall, this was a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to remove the footer band, toast up the foot, and head into the smoking phase.
Tasting Notes
The Thirtieth Toro opened up where the pre-light draw left off. There were more notes of mocha, earth, and black pepper. The mocha notes went immediately to the forefront. The earth and black pepper settled in the background, joined by a hint of mixed-fruit sweetness. Meanwhile, there was an additional layer of black pepper on the retro-hale.
As the Thirtieth Toro moved through the second third, the black coffee component slowly became more prominent in the chocolate of the mocha. Meanwhile, a caramel note emerged in the background, joining the fruit, earth, and pepper notes. For a while, the caramel was the most prominent of the secondary notes. Later in the second third, the sweetness from the caramel and fruit diminished. Concurrently, by the end of the second third, the black coffee completely displaced the cocoa in the mocha component and now was the primary note.
The final third saw the black coffee as the primary note. The black pepper was the most prominent secondary note. Meanwhile, there were residual notes of earth, fruit, and caramel present. This is the way the Thirtieth Toro came to a close. The resulting nub was soft and cool to the touch.
Burn
The Thirtieth Toro maintained a straight burn path and a slightly wavy burn line. To keep this burn on track, it required frequent touchup. The touchups certainly did their job, but more were required than I would have expected. The resulting ash was mostly light gray with a slight silver effect. This wasn’t a tight ash, but it wasn’t a loose one. At times, the ash was prone to minor flaking. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature maintained ideal levels.
Draw
The draw of the Thirtieth Toro performed extremely well. Normally, a box-press could produce too loose a draw for my liking. As many know, I like a touch of resistance on my draw – and that is exactly what the Thirtieth Toro delivers. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.
Strength and Body
There is some boldness to the Thirtieth Toro. The cigar starts with medium strength and medium-bodied notes. By the second third, both attributes progressed to medium to full, where they remained for the duration of the smoking experience. At the same time, both the strength and body balanced each other nicely,y with neither attribute overshadowing the other.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)
When it comes to excellent packaging, Rocky Patel is up there with the best of them. The presentation on the Thirtieth is great. The seafoam color on the box and footer band contrasts nicely with the black on the box and primary band. The packaging also features a gold-toned version of the Rocky Patel Circulus logo. This is a much cleaner and more modern look for that logo, and it works extremely well.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
If you like quintessential Rocky Patel flavors of coffee, caramel, and pepper, the Thirtieth Toro is going to deliver those notes. The first two-thirds of this cigar were quite enjoyable. The last third brought a little more bitterness and less sweetness, and didn’t quite perform at the same level. I’ve always believed that Rocky Patel excels at using the San Andres wrapper. While I enjoyed the Thirtieth Toro, I did find one issue with it: the price point. Although the cigar features aged tobaccos, I felt that $19.00 was a bit steep. Ultimately, while this cigar was personally satisfying for me, I would recommend trying a sample first to see if you like it.
Summary
- Key Flavors: Mocha (Coffee, Cocoa), Earth, Fruit, Caramel, Pepper
- Burn: Very Good
- Draw: Excellent
- Complexity: Medium
- Strength: Medium (1st Third), Medium to Full (Remainder)
- Body: Medium (1st Third), Medium to Full (Remainder)
- Finish: Very Good
Rating
Value: Try a Sample
Score: 89
REFERENCES
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
(*) Indicates this is not factored into the score or value rating
