Been a while since I've reviewed anything, so here's a new one to me.
Rocky Patel's latest incarnation - the I-Press. It's an extreme box press stick. It's shape reminded me of a straightedge, much like a piece of designer molding. Here's some literature I found about it's make up:
I-Press is made from all aged Nicaraguan long fillers bound in a rich Honduran binder. The combination of these tobaccos brings forth a medium to full body that is complex and incredibly flavorful. The blend is completed with a dark, oily, maduro wrapper that adds a pleasant sweetness with some earthy undertones.
The wife and I enjoyed a quiet night in our porch swing. We were packing for our family vacation that starts tomorrow and I found a 5'er of these guys I had hiding in my cooler. I packed one up for the journey and took one out to enjoy tonight. I'm a big Rocky fan and have tried the vast mojority of his blends. The I-Press is consistent with Rocky-style smokes, especially the Vintage 90 and 92s.
Prelight - My what a square stick! It's the epitome of box-pressing. The feel is awesome. The wrapper is maduro and doesn't have a vein visible, much like the RyJ Viejo. The feel is silky smooth. The smell is unremarkable. It's only available in the extreme toro size of 6 x 52. Did I mention how friggin' square this stick is?
1st third - The draw is very easy, no resistance. The firmness is medium, it gives a little and it's not rock hard. It tastes like a Vintage smoke. Hardly any spice, really smooth and chocolatey. Exhaling a little through the nose is good, with a little sweet aroma.
The 2nd and 3rd thirds can go together because there wasn't a lot of change from the first. It stayed the same path. No changes I could detect. It may have gotten a little stronger near the end, but most smokes do. No spice ever developed, which is fine for me. It burned well and never had any issues.
Overall - it reminded me a lot of the Vintage sticks. If I hadn't known better, that's what I would've thought I had. It stayed consistent and never got hot or mushy. I stayed with it for 1.5 hours and left it at 3/4". I love taking photos for my reviews, but it was dark and I didn't want to ruin the wife's and my time together enjoying the frogs and warm breeze. I have 4 more to smoke and know I will enjoy them. I wouldn't pay the $10 MSRP price for them, but would pick them up from the Devil at half the cost. I give it a solid 9/10. A really good RP smoke IMHO!
Rocky Patel's latest incarnation - the I-Press. It's an extreme box press stick. It's shape reminded me of a straightedge, much like a piece of designer molding. Here's some literature I found about it's make up:
I-Press is made from all aged Nicaraguan long fillers bound in a rich Honduran binder. The combination of these tobaccos brings forth a medium to full body that is complex and incredibly flavorful. The blend is completed with a dark, oily, maduro wrapper that adds a pleasant sweetness with some earthy undertones.
The wife and I enjoyed a quiet night in our porch swing. We were packing for our family vacation that starts tomorrow and I found a 5'er of these guys I had hiding in my cooler. I packed one up for the journey and took one out to enjoy tonight. I'm a big Rocky fan and have tried the vast mojority of his blends. The I-Press is consistent with Rocky-style smokes, especially the Vintage 90 and 92s.
Prelight - My what a square stick! It's the epitome of box-pressing. The feel is awesome. The wrapper is maduro and doesn't have a vein visible, much like the RyJ Viejo. The feel is silky smooth. The smell is unremarkable. It's only available in the extreme toro size of 6 x 52. Did I mention how friggin' square this stick is?
1st third - The draw is very easy, no resistance. The firmness is medium, it gives a little and it's not rock hard. It tastes like a Vintage smoke. Hardly any spice, really smooth and chocolatey. Exhaling a little through the nose is good, with a little sweet aroma.
The 2nd and 3rd thirds can go together because there wasn't a lot of change from the first. It stayed the same path. No changes I could detect. It may have gotten a little stronger near the end, but most smokes do. No spice ever developed, which is fine for me. It burned well and never had any issues.
Overall - it reminded me a lot of the Vintage sticks. If I hadn't known better, that's what I would've thought I had. It stayed consistent and never got hot or mushy. I stayed with it for 1.5 hours and left it at 3/4". I love taking photos for my reviews, but it was dark and I didn't want to ruin the wife's and my time together enjoying the frogs and warm breeze. I have 4 more to smoke and know I will enjoy them. I wouldn't pay the $10 MSRP price for them, but would pick them up from the Devil at half the cost. I give it a solid 9/10. A really good RP smoke IMHO!
Last edited:
