 |
| Rocky Patel Burn Naples, FL |
At the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show, Rocky Patel Premium Cigars launched six new blends to already add to a busy 2012. One of the new blends is a new addition to the “Burn” series called the Rocky Patel Burn Naples, FL. The name as described in the initial announcement is “the national brand release honoring Rocky’s unique cigar-friendly nightspot Burn Cigar Lounge.” (which is located in Naples Florida). The Burn Naples, FL should not be confused with the Rocky Patel Burn Special Reserve which was released earlier this year. The Burn Naples, FL was a cigar that really surprised me. It had a unique flavor profile and definitely ranks as one of Rocky Patel’s best releases for 2012.
There are some significant differences between the Burn Naples, FL and the Burn Special Reserve. First up, the blends are completely different. The Burn Naples, FL is a Honduran puro while the Burn Special Reserve has an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper with proprietary bunching. Secondly, the Burn Special Reserve is only sold in those shops that have Rocky Patel sponsored lounges. On the other hand, the Burn Naples, FL is a core line offering.
Let’s examine the Rocky Patel Burn Naples, FL a little closer:
Blend Profile
As mentioned the Rocky Patel Naples, FL is a Honduran puro. The initial announcement mentions a “scarce and secret” filler that contributes to the “unique flavor profile”.
Wrapper: Honduran
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Honduran (consisting of a scarce and secret filler)
Vitolas Avialble
The Burn Naples, FL is currently available in three frontmarks. The cigars are be packaged 20 to a box.
Robusto: 5 x 50
Toro 6 1/2 x 52
Torpedo: 6 1/2 x 52
Appearance
For this cigar experience of the Rocky Patel Burn Naples, FL, I selected the toro vitola. The Burn Naples, FL Toro has a medium colored brown wrapper with a slight bit of colorado red tint to it. The wrapper itself is very smooth. I would categorize the wrapper as more silky than oily. There are a couple of visible veins and the wrapper seams are well hidden. There is a sweet cedar aroma that can be detected from the foot of the cigar.
The cigar features two bands. The primary band has a orange/red, burnt orange, gold, and white color scheme to it. Most of the band’s background has a burnt orange color with some red in it. The text “BURN” is prominently displayed on that background. That text has a color that is a cross between orange and red as well as a white trim. There are also gold and white pinstripes across the top and bottom. On the back of the band, we see the circular Rocky Patel “RP” logo with an orange, white, and gold color scheme.
There is a second band on the footer. It has a similar color scheme to the primary band, but it says “NAPLES, FL” in the orange/red font with white trim.
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
For my cigar experience, I defaulted to my usual type of cut – a straight cut. After removing the cap, I started the pre-light draw. The dry draw notes gave me a combination of wood with some mild sugar cane notes. While it wasn’t the most exciting pre-light draw, it wasn’t a bad one either. In our assessments we do not factor the pre-light experience in, so there was no loss of points here. At this point, I was ready to remove the footer band of my Rocky Patel Burn Naples, FL, toast the foot, and begin the smoking experience.
Flavor Profile
The start to the Rocky Patel Burn Naples, FL treated me to some more sugar cane notes and natural tobacco flavor. The sugar cane was definitely bolder and sweeter than the pre-light draw and emerged as a primary note. This was soon followed by an exotic spice in the background. So far, the Burn Naples, FL was living up to how it was advertised – providing a unique flavor profile.
In the first ten percent, the sugar cane took on more of a mixed fruit flavor. The natural tobacco flavors also moved up as primary notes. Meanwhile the exotic spice remained a background flavor. As the cigar progressed through the first third, the mixed fruit morphed to more of a citrus flavor. There also was an increase in the spice. I still categorized the spice as a secondary note, but it was enough to create a flavor profile consisting of citrus spice and natural tobacco flavor.
The flavor profile held throughout the second third. Given the Burn Naples, FL has a lot of orange on the band, I wondered if the power of suggestion was playing on my taste buds as the spice exotic morphed into more of an autumn spice.
It was during the last third that the spice emerged as a primary flavor. As the cigar came to a close, the autumn spice presence still was there, but the Burn Naples, FL was not overly spicy. The end of the cigar provided a nice flavorful nub. The nub was ideal – cool in temperature and firm to the touch.
Burn and Draw
Like the Burn Special Reserve, I figured I would play close attention to the burn since this was the name of the cigar. The burn turned out to be stellar on the Burn Naples, FL. The burn line remained razor-sharp throughout the smoking experience requiring minimal touch-ups to keep it straight. The ash was white and tight – although there was some minor flaking from time to time. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal from start to finish.
 |
| The “burn” of the Rocky Patel Burn Naples, FL |
The draw was outstanding from start to finish. I found this cigar to rank among Rocky Patel’s best when it came to puffing on it.
Strength and Body
From a strength perspective, the Burn Naples, FL is not going to overwhelm you with nicotine. It still has enough pop to qualify this cigar as a medium strength cigar. As for the flavors, they had some nice depth to them. The Burn Naples, FL does fall a tad short of full-bodied in my book, so I assessed this to be a medium to full in terms of body. When looking at the attributes of strength and body, I give the body a slight edge here.
Final Thoughts
The Burn Naples, FL was an outstanding cigar. It’s no surprise that this cigar smokes completely different than the limited distribution Burn Special Reserve as it is a completely different blend. I’ve mentioned many times that I feel there has been a renaissance in terms of Honduran tobacco. This Honduran puro is as good as any and does deliver a unique flavor profile. With some more flashier releases at IPCPR by Rocky Patel such as the HR 500, Private Cellar, and Freedom, the Burn Naples, FL is not one to be overlooked. This is not only a cigar I can recommend to novice and experienced cigar smokers, but one I would recommend this cigar to someone who might not be a Honduran tobacco fan. As for myself, this is a cigar I would definitely smoke again.
Summary
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 92
Source: The cigars for this assessment were purchased from Burners Cigars in Huntersville, North Carolina.
