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| Rocky Patel Fifteenth Anniversary 6 x 60 |
The Rocky Patel Fifteenth Anniversary series made its debut back in 2010. As the cigar name indicates, it commemorates company owner Rocky Patel’s 15 years in the cigar industry. The cigar was initially released in four sizes. With the exception of a release for the TAA (Tobacconist Association of America), there hasd not been any line extensions made. A couple of months ago, Rocky Patel Premium Cigars made a decision to add a 6 x 60 vitola into the line. This is one of two 6 x 60 additions into the company’s cigar portfolio in 2013 (the other being the Edge Habano Battalion). With large ring gauges becoming an increasingly important part of the cigar market, a decision was made to add this size to the Fifteenth Anniversary line. We recently had an opportunity to revisit the Rocky Patel Fifteenth Anniversary, but with the new 60 ring size. The Rocky Patel Fifteenth Anniversary has always been a great cigar, and the 6 x 60 addition is no exception
The Rocky Patel Fifteenth Anniversary is made at Tabacalera Villa Cuba S.A, Rocky Patel’s factory in Nicaragua – and it represents one of the earlier lines of cigars in the company’s portfolio to be made at that factory. The 6 x 60 also is made at that factory. I’ve heard Patel many times refer to the Fifteenth Anniversary as one of his favorites. In fact, it’s been a favorite in our book as it was our #23 Cigar of the Year in 2010.
Without further ado, let’s break down the Rocky Patel Fifteenth Anniversary in the 6 x 60 size and see what this cigar brings to the table. As a disclaimer, this assessment is based on a single cigar smoking experience.
Blend Profile
While the Ecuadorian Habano wrapper might be the star of the show because it is a visually attractive wrapper, the company also says one of the filler leaves comes from their special farm in Esteli, Nicaragua.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Jalapa Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Vitolas Available
The addition of the 6 x 60 becomes the sixth vitola in the Rocky Patel Fifteenth Anniversary line (including the release that was made for the TAA). The 6 x 60, like all of the cigars in the line is a box-pressed vitola.
6 x 60: 6 x 60
Corona Gorda: 6 x 46
Robusto: 5 x 50
Toro: 6 1/2 x 52
Torpedo: 6 1/8 x 52
Robusto Grande: 5 1/2 x 54 (TAA Exclusive)
Appearance
The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper of the Rocky Patel Fifteenth Anniversary 6 x 60 has a nice rich chocolate color to it. While there is not a heavy amount of oil on the surface, there still is some oil in the complexion of the wrapper. There are some visible veins and some visible wrapper seams.
The banding to the Rocky Patel Fifteenth Anniversary 6 x 60 is consistent with the remainder of the rest of the line. Both bands have a unique metallic striped color with what I would call a slight blueish tint to it. The top band features the “RP” circular logo. To the left of the logo it says “ROCKY” and to the right it says “PATEL”. On the secondary band is the text “FIFTEENTH” with the text “ANNIVERSARY” in a smaller font.
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
For my cigar experience of the Rocky Patel Fifteenth Anniversary 6 x 60, I selected a straight cut to remove the cap. Once the cap was removed, I moved on to the pre-light draw. The dry draw notes yielded a combnation of cocoa and citrus spice. The citrus spice had a pleasant lingering effect on the tongue. Overall, I considered this to be a positive pre-light draw experience. At this time I was ready to light up the Fifteenth Anniversary 6 x 60 and see what the overall experience would bring to the table.
Flavor Profile
The start to the Rocky Patel Fifteenth Anniversary 6 x 60 delivered a nice shot of pepper to start. I categorized this pepper as more of an exotic spice. As the pepper subsided, it was joined by some notes of citrus, cocoa, and leather. As the cigar progressed through the first third, the cocoa notes took over as primary. The leather and pepper notes were secondary while the citrus notes were more of a tertiary note. The retro-hale took some time to develop, but by the midway point of the first third I could detect some of the exotic spice in the nasal passages.
By the midway point, the leather notes joined the cocoa as a primary flavor. The pepper had increased somewhat and definitely became more present on the after-draw. Meanwhile the citrus notes were still in a tertiary role.
In the last third, the primary flavors took on some earth notes. The pepper spice was now a primary flavor. The cocoa notes were secondary and the citrus notes remained a subtle tertiary note. This is the way the flavor profile held until the end. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.
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| Nub of the Rocky Patel Fifteenth Anniversary 6 x 60 |
Burn and Draw
The nice thing about this 6 x 60 is that it has the same high quality construction as what has been found on the rest of the Rocky Patel Fifteenth Anniversary Series. This is reflected with both the burn and draw attributes. While there was a little bit of jaggedness on the burn line, the burn line was still generally straight and did not canoe. The resulting ash had a nice salt and pepper color. There was some minor flowering of the ash along the way, but this did not prove to be a major issue. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.
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| Burn of the Rocky Patel Fifteenth Anniversary 6 x 60 |
The draw was excellent as well. It wasn’t too tight, yet not loose either. There were no issues with the big ring gauge that impacted the ability to puff on this cigar. This made for an enjoyable smoke from start to finish.
Strength and Body
The Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary 6 x 60 starts out as a medium to full-bodied smoke. The strength does increase as the cigar experience progresses. By the second half, the cigar moved into full strength range.
As for the depth of the flavors, they actually started out more medium-bodied. As the cigar moved through the first third, it rapidly progressed to full-bodied where it remained like that for the remainder of the smoking experience. For the most part, the strength and body countered each other well. The strength had a little edge early on, but by the second third, it strength and body seemed to alternate as to which had the edge.
Final Thoughts
One general observation about 60 ring gauge cigars is that when a blend is on the money, it can be a great cigar experience. The Rocky Patel Fifteenth Anniversary blend works very well in this particular blend. The Fifteenth Anniversary line by Rocky Patel has always delivered a great cigar experience. The addition of the 6 x 60 ring gauge adds another dimension to an already solid line. This is probably a cigar I’d gear more toward an experienced cigar enthusiast. This is one of those 60 ring gauge cigars I’d recommend to someone who might not normally smoke a 6 x 60. As for myself, this is an excellent cigar. Even though the Toro is my favorite vitola in this blend, the 6 x 60 is something I’d still consider a box purchase for.
Summary
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full (1st Half), Full (2nd Half)
Body: Medium to Start, later in first third accelerates to Full
Finish: Good
Assessment: Memorable
Score: 93
Source: The cigar for this assessment were supplied by Rocky Patel Premium Cigars. This request was initiated by Rocky Patel Premium Cigars in order to provide feedback. Cigar Coop is appreciative to samples provided but this plays no role in a final assessment rating and write-up.
