I got five of these in a bundle from a CigarBid lot that included five each of Vibe, Reo, Vintage 1990 and Vintage 1992.
First impressions
I smoked one of these about a week after they arrived from the Devil Site. My impression was: total dog rocket. Not believing that Rocky Patel would intentionally market a bad cigar, I decided to let them rest in the humidor for another week before trying a second one. The next one was much better.
The construction was vintage Patel. A nice-looking cigar with a smooth, medium-brown wrapper. The band was fairly loose ans slipped off easily - a good thing, because it's a wide band and if you only smoked it to the band you would only smoke about two-thirds of the stick. The first couple of puffs were nothing special, then a fragrant smell like burning wood chips kicked in and lasted for about the first half of the stick. A faint sweetness lasted throughout. Past the halfway point a spicy taste kicked in - mild, barely there at first, but gradually becoming stronger. It was not a heavy pepper like a Pepin or La Flor Dominicana, but enough to let you know it was there. I don't recall tasting this in any other Patel blend.
The cigar burned smoothly and evenly until about the last quarter, when I got some mild canoeing and a slight wrapper split - nothing to put me off, though. This was a nice smoke with some cold iced tea at hand (you need that in the desert when it's 105-110 outside).
I probably wouldn't buy a box of these, but they were a nice addition to the bundle. If you buy any of these, I recommend letting them sit in your humidor for about two weeks before pulling them out. They seem to smoke much better that way.
First impressions
I smoked one of these about a week after they arrived from the Devil Site. My impression was: total dog rocket. Not believing that Rocky Patel would intentionally market a bad cigar, I decided to let them rest in the humidor for another week before trying a second one. The next one was much better.
The construction was vintage Patel. A nice-looking cigar with a smooth, medium-brown wrapper. The band was fairly loose ans slipped off easily - a good thing, because it's a wide band and if you only smoked it to the band you would only smoke about two-thirds of the stick. The first couple of puffs were nothing special, then a fragrant smell like burning wood chips kicked in and lasted for about the first half of the stick. A faint sweetness lasted throughout. Past the halfway point a spicy taste kicked in - mild, barely there at first, but gradually becoming stronger. It was not a heavy pepper like a Pepin or La Flor Dominicana, but enough to let you know it was there. I don't recall tasting this in any other Patel blend.
The cigar burned smoothly and evenly until about the last quarter, when I got some mild canoeing and a slight wrapper split - nothing to put me off, though. This was a nice smoke with some cold iced tea at hand (you need that in the desert when it's 105-110 outside).
I probably wouldn't buy a box of these, but they were a nice addition to the bundle. If you buy any of these, I recommend letting them sit in your humidor for about two weeks before pulling them out. They seem to smoke much better that way.
Last edited: