Rocky Patel Sun Grown Maduro

Got to chat with one of my best friends this morning. Only ever got to hang out with her twice, but we clicked almost right away and keep in regular touch, despite being pretty far apart (she's in Guam, I'm in Hawaii; it's a 4-hour time difference, and across the IDL, so she's almost a full day ahead). She said she had wanted to send a cigar and a card out my way, but I told her not to worry about it; but we agreed my next one would be for her, and that I'd post it with “#melissa” (already up on my IG).

I was going to have an evening herf with one of my buddies here on island, but then this place decided to rain us out, so here I am burning this one down on my own, waiting patiently for the trip I'm planning to go back and visit Guam again, this time on my time, rather than the Navy's time.

So here we go: Sun Grown Sunday, with a Rocky Patel Sun Grown Maduro!

Cigar: Rocky Patel Sun Grown Maduro

Vitola: Toro (6 1/2” x 52)

Price: ~$9.50/stick

Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: USA Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium

Rating (out of 10): 9.5

Appearance:
This box-pressed Toro has a dark, reddish-brown complexion to it, with invisible seems and slightly rugged veins, and is absolutely gleaming with oils. It sports a primarily white band, with a red “RP” emblem, and elegant gold filligree.

Construction:
Nicely packed, even throughout. Cap looks a little loose, though. I'm not going to take any chances with a guillotine cut on this one; going to hit it with a punch cut just to be safe.

Aroma:
I get a mix of coffee and cedar from the barrel of the cigar, and some fruit and cocoa at the foot.

First Third:
The cold draw offers up notes of cedar and sweet dark chocolate. Slight hint of coffee creeps in after lighting. Nice mocha blend going on here early on.

The burn is off to a surprisingly even start, for a box press. Normally, I've come to expect Bps to have a bit more trouble maintaining an even burn, but this one is nearly razor-sharp!

Some sweet raisin notes about an inch or so down.

There's a lot of flavor to this, but the smoke itself is pretty light. I'm not entirely sure whether to call this a mild, or a medium body.

There's a nice, creamy, chocolate aftertaste lingering on the lips and the tip of the tongue.

Burn continues to be nearly-perfect. Nice, solid, near-white ash column, too.

Second Third:
I think I'm picking up the slightest bit of a spicy kick on the finish as it burns down into the second third.

I'm amazed by the burn on this. Not a single touchup yet. I'm not used to box-pressed sticks burning this well.

Even the cap, which was loose at the start, is still intact and not suddenly peeling off mid-smoke.

About halfway down, maybe a little farther, the burn begins to waver a bit. Not enough for a touchup, but losing its razor sharp burn line.

Final Third:
Still plenty of sweetness from this thing rolling into the last third. Primarily mocha, but heavier on the chocolate side of things, with subtle hints of raisin, pepper, and cedar.
Slight increase in spiciness as the final third progresses.

The cap is still a bit loose, and the edges are separating from the shoulder of the cigar, but it's still remaining in place, so not a huge issue.

Had to do my first touchup on the burn in the last third.

The cap is peeling a little bit more near the end, but is still hanging on.

Closing Thoughts:
I'm glad this one ended up doing so well for me, since it was kind of at the request of such a good friend of mine. I'll have to make sure I have a few more of these in my travel humidor when I go out and visit Guam again in a few months!