When I think of Rocky Patel stalwarts, three brands come to mind: The Edge, Java and Vintage. While Java might have the most loyal following, I think The Edge has a better case for putting the company on the map.
In 2004, the first version of The Edge debuted, offered in unique 100-count crates with the cigars priced around $5. It was affordable and highly rated, and it stood out for two reasons: the massive boxes and the fact that it wore only a foot band.
The 20th Anniversary version of the Edge came out in November 2022, not in 2024, which would correlate to the line’s retail debut. Officially, the story is that it represents 20 years after the company had started working on The Edge blend. I suppose for an industry that makes so many anniversary releases, it’s little surprise that each year brings at least one or two anniversary cigars without the cleanest math.
That line is the Rocky Patel The Edge Anniversary 20th. It’s a regular production line that uses a 10-year-old Ecuadorian Sumatra-seed wrapper, the same wrapper type as the original The Edge blend. While many anniversary releases are limited editions, it’s still on the company’s price list in the three vitolas in which it debuted.
In March 2023, I reviewed the toro:
Given that I don’t have any comparison to what the original The Edge tasted like, I can’t speak on how well this tastes to that. What I can say is that it’s another solid new cigar from Rocky Patel and one that is a bit unique thanks to the tartness. I am curious to see how this tastes in a few months and in particular about 9-10 months, to see if the flavors have separated from one another and gotten to open up a bit. I suspect the proverbial decanting would be quite benefital to this blend, at the moment, everything is just a tad bit too compact for the cigar’s own good. The trick will be balancing the opening up of those flavors without losing any of the fullness that the cigar offers.
- Cigar Reviewed: Rocky Patel The Edge Anniversary 20th Toro
- Country of Origin: Honduras
- Factory: El Paraiso
- Wrapper: Ecuador (Sumatra-seed)
- Binder: Honduras (Habano)
- Filler: Honduras & Panama
- Length: 6 Inches
- Ring Gauge: 52
- Shape: Round
- MSRP: $12 (Box of 20, $240)
- Release Date: November 2022
- Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
- Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 1
Of all the cigars in the Rocky Patel portfolio, I think The Edge has the most iconic packaging: a simple, printed foot band. While this is hardly my first time looking at the cigar, it’s interesting to think of why the company would abandon that for this line. The cigar I chose for this review has been stored in the box, but as soon as I grab it from the bottom row, I notice the cellophane has discolored, especially on the back side of the cigar. As for the cigar, the wrapper is quite dark, though not that oily. While it’s not littered with veins, there are a handful of very prominent ones, including one that runs from the main band to the bottom of the cigar. I don’t see a lot of oils, and touching the cigar confirms there’s not much. The wrapper has a full aroma with milk chocolate over some paprika, coconut and woodiness. The foot has a slightly more intense version of that smell, with the chocolate stronger and the paprika reduced. There’s cocoa and earth from the cold draw, but the strongest flavor reminds me of some warm, non-descript bottled water, sort of like what I’d expect if I left a bottle in my car during these 100-degree August days.
The Rocky Patel The Edge Anniversary 20th Toro starts off medium-full with thick flavors of milk chocolate, caramel, wood and minerals. Smoke is pouring off the foot of the cigar, which gives me hope that this is going to be a pretty relaxed smoking experience. Eventually, the milk chocolate fades from the profile, and instead there’s a pretty balanced mixture of earth, nuts and woods up front. Each is thick, though not the most detailed, perhaps due to the balance. While that trio emerges first, after a second or two, a sharpness is detectable behind. The two flavors are in their own lanes, coming together for an interesting textual contrast. During the finish, that sharpness transitions to more of a green pepper, while some berry sweetness and creaminess eventually emerge, both much milder. Retrohaling provides another very balanced profile, this time black pepper with Ritz crackers and some plain pasta. Not surprisingly, the pepper lingers forever. Flavor is full, body is medium-full and strength is medium-plus. While the combustion rate is pretty normal for the first inch or two, it starts to slow down, perhaps due to part of the wrapper not burning. About a half hour after I take the picture below, right as I decide it’s time to touch up the cigar. Otherwise, construction is great during the first third.
At the 90-minute mark, I have to double-check what time I started the cigar. I’m still not at the halfway mark and the combustion rate has slowed down even more. Fortunately, there’s no sign of a second combustion issue, but I do wish the cigar were burning quicker. Flavor-wise, a milk chocolate note starts to emerge. As with most of the other flavors, it’s thick but noticeably rounded, a clear sign that this cigar was not rolled 90 days ago. While the woodiness sticks around and the sharpness increases, the largest change is a heavy dose of salt, which pairs well with the chocolate. The retrohales offer a different sort of sweetness, reminding me of a powdered lemon tea mix before it gets dissolved into water. Perhaps when this cigar comes to an end, I’ll grab a cold iced tea. It’s paired with the ever-present sharpness and some new sandwich bread flavors. With the main band removed and the final third started, I notice that many puffs have a woodiness that transitions back and forth between a burnt rosemary flavor. It’s paired with some minerals, as the chocolate has left the main part of the profile. Retrohaling has red pepper, salami and salt, a nice mixture but one that is pretty aggressive. I keep waiting for some change on the finish, but it’s mostly just the saltiness lasting seemingly forever, with some creaminess coming in as a secondary note. Flavor is still full, but thinning, body is medium-plus or medium-full, and strength is medium-plus. I have to make one more touch-up, this time more for smoke production, but construction was fairly easy for the three hours and five minutes it took me to finish the cigar.
89
Overall Score
Many of the cigars we review offer more interesting flavors than what I found from the Rocky Patel The Edge Anniversary 20th Toro, but few make it as easy to taste the flavors as this cigar did. While there were plenty of times when I had to think about what exactly I was picking up, I never had to go searching for flavors, a process that involves really isolating my mind to a specific flavor or place in the palate to investigate further. Instead, this cigar just laid them all out on the proverbial table and more or less said, take it or leave it. Looking back at my original review, it’s interesting to see how many of the same flavors were present, though I’m struck by just how much fuller this cigar was. That’s especially interesting because my concern ending that review was that the cigar would get too mild with time. While the individual flavors may be less detailed than they once were, the overall profile got amped up in the humidor.
Original Score (March 2023)
89
Redux Score (August 2026)
89
El Paraiso
Honduras
Rocky Patel Premium Cigars Inc.
Rocky Patel The Edge Anniversary 20th
Rocky Patel The Edge Anniversary 20th Toro
Toro
