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| Rocky Patel Prohibition Broadleaf |
At the 2014 IPCPR Trade Show, Rocky Patel Premium Cigars launched four new cigar lines. One of those lines is called the Rocky Patel Prohibition. For the past few years, company President Rocky Patel has invested many time and resources in the crusade to defend cigar rights. The name of this cigar is a reference to the real threat of regulation now staring the cigar industry in the face. The Prohibition line consists of two distinct blends – one containing a Connecticut Broadleaf and another containing a San Andres Mexican. Back in September, we took a look at the pre-release of the Rocky Patel Prohibition San Andres. With both cigars now on retailer shelves, we turn our attention to the Rocky Patel Prohibition Broadleaf. The Prohibition San Andres had proved to be a very good cigar in this author’s mind. In the case of the Rocky Pael Prohibition Broadleaf it also proves to be another very good cigar.
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| Rocky Patel Prohibition San Andres (Top), Rocky Patel Prohibition Broadleaf (Bottom) |
The company has incorporated the Prohibition theme into the packaging of this cigar. For both the Rocky Patel Prohibition in the Connecticut Broadleaf and San Andres version, the cigars are packaged with loose tobacco in Rocky Patel branded mason jars reminiscent of the Prohibition-era moonshine made by bootleggers. The jars are also packaged in crates reminiscent of the Prohibition era. This is believed to be Rocky Patel’s first jar release.
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| Packaging of the Rocky Patel Prohibiton (Prohibition San Andres Front, Prohibition Broadleaf Back) (Cigar Coop IPCPR 2014 Photo) |
This past November, I participated in a collaborative unbanded cigar review of the Rocky Patel Prohibition Broadleaf with fellow Cigar Media Association member Blind Man’s Puff. That review was based on a pre-release sample. Overall, I found some parallels and also some differences. It is worth noting the blind review was based on a single cigar experience.
Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the Rocky Patel Prohibition Broadleaf and see what this cigar brings to the table.
Blend Profile
For completeness we list both blends of Prohibition. These cigars are a product of the vertical integration happening at Rocky Patel Premium Cigars. The binder and filler incorporate Nicaraguan tobacco grown on the Rocky Patel farms. The cigars are also being made at Rocky Patel’s Tabacalera Villa Cuba S.A (TAVICUSA) factory.
Prohibition (Connecticut Broadleaf)
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua (Tabacalera Villa Cuba S.A)
Prohibition (San Andres)
Wrapper: San Andres Mexican
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua (Tabacalera Villa Cuba S.A)
Vitolas Available
Both cigars are only available in a single size – a 6 1/2 x 52 toro. The cigars are packaged 16 cigars per jar.
Appearance
The Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper of the Rocky Patel Prohibtion Broadleaf has a chocolate bar color to it (it is worth noting that the pre-release from Blind Man’s Puff seemed to have a slight colorado red tint to it) The wrapper was coated with a sheen of oil on it. The surface of the wrapper was slightly bumpy. There were some thin visible veins, but most of the wrapper seams were well hidden.
The Prohibition Broadleaf has a brown wood-grain colored band. There are white pinstripes going across the top and bottom of the band. On the center of the band is the text “PROHIBITION” in white font. To the right is the circular Rocky Patel “RP” logo in white.
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
Prior to lighting up my Rocky Patel Prohibtion Broadleaf, I went with a straight cut. Once the cap was removed, I proceeded with the pre-light draw. The dry draw provided notes of unsweetened chocolate and earth. These notes were jazzed up by a slight amount of pepper and a slight amount of cherry sweetness. Overall I considered this to be a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point I was ready to light up the Rocky Patel Prohibition Broadleaf and see what the smoking phase would have in store.
Flavor Profile
The Rocky Patel Prohibition Broadleaf started out with a powerful blast of red and white pepper. This was something I had detected on the unbanded review as well. This surprised me back then as well as now because there was not much spice on the pre-light. As the pepper subsided, I got more notes of unsweetened chocolate and earth similar to what I got on the pre-light draw. With the chocolate, earth, and pepper in the forefront, a slight cherry sweetness emerged in the background. Meanwhile the retro-hale also produced some of the pepper spices.
By the later part of the first third, a pattern with the earth and chocolate notes alternating as to which was the dominant flavor took place. For the first two thirds, I gave a slight edge to the chocolate notes. Meanwhile the pepper spices were now a background note on the tongue, but more prominent on the retro-hale. The cherry sweetness dissipated and now the sweetness had transferred to the chocolate and earth notes.
By the last third, the earth notes were the dominant flavor. There was a slight sharp pepper quality on the tongue and the chocolate notes were secondary. This is the way the flavor profile held until the end. The resulting nub was cool in temperature, but slightly soft to the touch.
Burn and Draw
Overall I found the Rocky Patel Prohibition Broadleaf to be a well-constructed cigar and the burn and draw reflected this nicely. There was a slight curvature to the burn line along the way, but overall the actual burn path remained relatively straight. The resulting ash was a light charcoal gray. The ash itself was on the firm side and came off the cigar in nice clean chunks. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.
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| Burn of the Rocky Patel Prohibition Broadleaf |
Overall the draw was solid. I found the draw to not be too tight, yet not too loose. When I smoked the Blind Man’s Puff unbanded sample it did produce quite a bit of smoke. The final production versions seemed to produce less smoke.
Strength and Body
When I smoked the unbanded cigar back, I had found this cigar to be quite a powerhouse. The production versions of the Rocky Patel Prohibition Broadleaf still had plenty of strength, but was a notch dialed-back. This time I found this to be a cigar that was on the upper end of medium to full in terms of strength. As for the body, the flavors still delivered plenty of weight on the palate. I assessed this as being a full-bodied smoke from start. When comparing strength versus body, I gave a slight edge to the body.
Final Thoughts
After smoking pre-releases of the Rocky Patel Prohibition Broadleaf and Rocky Patel Prohibition San Andres, I had given a slight edge to the San Andres. The final release of the Prohibition Broadleaf hasn’t changed that perception, however that should not be a knock on this cigar. I still found this to be a very nice cigar. I felt this cigar got better along the way as some of the sweetness from the earth and chocolate notes surfaced. While the Prohibition San Andres is a cigar I’d recommend to a novice or experienced cigar enthusiast, I still think the Broadleaf might be a little too much punch for the newbie. As for myself, this is a cigar I would smoke again – and it’s one that is still worthy of a box split.
Summary
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Full
Finish: Good
Assessment: 3.5 – Box Split
Score: 89
References
News: Rocky Patel Prohibition
Price: $8.00
Source: Purchased
Stogie Geeks Episode: Episode 120
Stogie Feed: Rocky Patel Prohibition Broadleaf – Pre-Release
External (Blind Man’s Puff): Blind Cigar Review: Rocky Patel | Prohibition Broadleaf Toro (Prerelease)
