The Rocky Patel Decade Cameroon is a cigar that made its debut at the 2014 IPCPR Trade Show. It was ten years ago when Rocky Patel Premium Cigars introduced its Rocky Patel Decade – which proved to be one of the most successful cigars in the history of the company. The Rocky Patel Cameroon came about when the company was testing a new crop of Cameroon wrapper. The company wanted to test it with a known quantity, so they replaced the Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper with the Cameroon wrapper. The company was very satisfied with the results, so they decided to release the blend as the Rocky Patel Decade Cameroon. Recently I’ve had an opportunity to smoke the Rocky Patel Decade Cameroon in the Robusto format. Overall, I found this to be an outstanding cigar and a standout cigar in the Rocky Patel portfolio.

The Rocky Patel Decade Cameroon becomes the third wrapper to be used on the Decade blend. The original Rocky Patel Decade uses an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. The company has also introduced a limited edition tweaked version of the Decade with a Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper known as the Rocky Patel Decade Edicion Limitada.

This is also not the first regular production Cameroon release by Rocky Patel Premium Cigars. In 2011, the company introduced the Rocky Patel Vintage 2003 Cameroon.

Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the Rocky Patel Decade Cameroon and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

In addition to a Cameroon wrapper, the Rocky Patel Decade Cameroon features a Nicaraguan binder and filler. The cigars are produced at the El Paraiso factory in Honduras.

Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Honduras (El Paraiso)

Vitolas Available

The Rocky Patel Decade Cameroon comes in three sizes. The cigars are packaged in 20 count boxes.

Robusto: 5 x 50
Toro: 6 x 52
Torpedo: 6 1/4 x 52

 

Appearance

The Cameroon wrapper of the Rocky Patel Decade Cameroon Robusto has a medium brown color. There is a tint to the wrapper that almost matches the copper font on the band. Upon closer examination, there is also some darker marbling on the wrapper. The wrapper itself has a slight coating of oil. I found the wrapper had a sandy feel to it. At the same time the wrapper was almost void of veins and had very thin wrapper seams.

There are two bands on the Rocky Patel Decade Cameroon. The primary band is black in color with a watermark-like print design in the background. On the center of the band is the the circular “RP” logo in copper. To the left of the logo is the text “Rocky” in cursive copper font. To the right of logo is the text “Patel” – also in cursive copper font.

The secondary band rests just below the primary band. It is also is black in color with the watermark print design in the background. The text “DECADE” is featured in copper font. Just below that text is the text “CAMEROON” in smaller copper font with a thin stripe above and below the text.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

Prior to lighting up the Rocky Patel Decade Cameroon Robusto,I went with my usual choice of a straight cut to remove the cap. Once the cap was clipped, I moved on to the pre-light draw. The cold draw provided a mix of mixed fruit, caramel, and a slight cedar note. Overall I considered this to be an excellent pre-light draw. At this point I was ready to light up my Rocky Patel Decade Cameroon  Robusto and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Flavor Profile

The flavors of the Rocky Patel Decade Cameroon Robusto picked up where the pre-light draw left off as I got notes of mixed fruit and caramel sweetness. These notes weren’t a “dessert flavor” as both very much had a tobacco tasting component to it. I found there were notes of red pepper in the background and also notes of red pepper on the retro-hale.

During the first half, I found the caramel and mixed fruit notes alternated within the forefront as to what was the primary note. While the red pepper was a constant in the background, I slowly noticed an increase in the red pepper notes.

By the second half of the Rocky Patel Decade Cameroon, the caramel notes were still primary, but I had found the red pepper notes were now pretty much in the forefront. The mixed fruit was still providing some additional sweetness, but it was now more of a secondary note. While the pepper was in the forefront, it was not overpowering.  This is the way the flavor profile held until the end.  The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

Overall I found the burn to score very nicely on the Rocky Patel to score very well. The burn path remained straight. I also found the burn line was relatively straight. This was a cigar that didn’t require an abnormal amount of touch-ups. The resulting ash was nearly white in color. I found the ash to be on the firmer side and come off the cigar in clean chunks. The burn rate and burn rate were both ideal.

 

The draw of the Rocky Patel Decade Cameroon performed quite well. It was not too loose, nor it was too tight. Overall I found this was a cigar that was very easy to derive flavors from.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength and body, I found the Rocky Patel Decade Cameroon to be a bolder, but not an overpowering smoke. Overall I assessed this cigar to be a medium to full strength cigar from start to finish. As for the body, these notes had some nice depth on the palate making this cigar a nice full-bodied smoke. When it came to strength versus body, I gave the edge to the body.

Final Thoughts

Back in 2011, I thought the release of the Rocky Patel Vintage 2003 Cameroon established Rocky Patel Premium Cigars as a company that can release an excellent Cameroon wrapped cigar. Now three years later, Rocky Patel released another winner with the Decade Cameroon.  This was quite an impressive cigar. I didn’t find it to be an overly complex cigar, but I did find this was a cigar that delivered some amazing flavor from start to finish. Given this is a fuller cigar, it probably is one I would gear to a more seasoned cigar enthusiast.  Because there are some nice sweet notes and not an overpowering spice, this is a good cigar for a novice to graduate to something a little more fuller. As for myself, this is a cigar I’d smoke again – and it’s easily a box worthy cigar in my book.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Full
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: 4.0-Box Worthy
Score: 92

References

News: Rocky Patel Decade Cameroon
Price: $9.75
Source: Purchased
Stogie Geeks Podcast: Episode 141, Episode 161
Stogie Feed: Rocky Patel Decade Cameroon Robusto