Rocky Patel Disciple Toro

At the 2021 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, one of the higher profile releases was the Sixty by Rocky Patel. As the name indicates the cigar commemorated the 60th birthday of company founder Rocky Patel that had been celebrated earlier in the year. The Sixty would feature a Mexican San Andres wrapper on it, a wrapper that has been quite successful both commercially and critically for the company. At the same time, there was a second Mexican San Andres release that came out at the PCA Trade Show that flew under the radar because of Sixty and that cigar is the Rocky Patel Disciple. Today we take a closer look at the Rocky Patel Disciple in the Toro size.

Since 2000, there have been several San Andres wrapper releases from Rocky Patel Premium Cigars. The following have been some of the key (nationally available) San Andres releases since 2019. This includes the 2021 Cigar Coop #1 Cigar of the Year with the Rocky Patel Winter Collection.

Rocky Patel A.L.R. Second Edition Toro (2019)
Rocky Patel Cigar Smoking World Championship Mareva (2020)
Rocky Patel Quarter Century (2020)
Rocky Patel Winter Collection (2020)
Sixty by Rocky Patel (2021)
Rocky Patel Disciple (2021)

As for the name, the Rocky Patel Premium Cigars’ website, says, “In all of our years creating world-class cigars, we’ve never produced anything that more rigorously adheres to our high standards and dedication to quality. We call it: The Disciple, and it’s anything but a follower.”

Without further ado, let’s break down the Rocky Patel Disciple Toro and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

In addition to the Mexican San Andres wrapper, the Rocky Patel Disciple uses Nicaraguan tobaccos for the binder and filler. The Nicaraguan tobaccos are from Rocky Patel’s farms in Condega and Estelí. Production also comes from Rocky Patel’s TAVICUSA factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

Wrapper: San Andres Mexican
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera Villa Cuba S.A. (TAVICUSA)

Vitolas Offered

The Rocky Patel Disciple is offered in five sizes – each is presented in 20-count boxes.

Half Corona: 3 1/2 x 46
Robusto: 5 1/2 x 50
Toro: 6 x 52
Bala: 5 3/4 x 58/50
Sixty: 6 x 60

Packaging for the Rocky Patel Disciple

Appearance

The Mexican San Andres wrapper of the Rocky Patel Disciple Toro had a dark brown color resembling a chocolate bar. There was not much in the way of oil on the surface. There were some visible veins, but the dark color of the wrapper did a good job of hiding the wrapper seams.

Rocky Patel Disciple Toro (Sleeve removed)

The Rocky Patel Disciple features an embellished copper-colored band with a black stripe going horizontal through the middle. On the center of the upper portion of the band is the text “ROCKY PATEL” in black font arranged in a curved style. On the center of the lower portion of the band is a black Rocky Patel “RP” circulus logo. Where the black stripe runs through the center of the band is the text “Disciple” in a classic copper font surrounded by copper design elements.

There is a black sleeve that goes about halfway up from the footer of the Toro vitola. On the sleeve is a pseudo footer band that matches the embellished copper background of the primary band. On the black-colored portion of the sleeve is a copper Rocky Patel “RP” circulus logo.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light draw

Before placing a cut into the Rocky Patel Disciple Toro, the sleeve covering the cigar was removed. From that point, it was time to place a cut into the cigar and commence the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered notes of mocha, dried fruit, and earth. I use the term mocha to describe a fusion of coffee and chocolate notes. Overall this proved to be an excellent pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to toast up the footer of the Rocky Patel Disciple Toro and move on to the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The Rocky Patel Disciple Toro kicked off with more notes of mocha, dried fruit, and earth. The mocha notes moved to the forefront while notes of cedar joined the dried fruit and earth in the background. The retro-hale delivered notes of cedar and some mixed pepper. As the cigar experience moved through the first third, some mixed pepper notes also emerged on the tongue.

During the second third of the Rocky Patel Disciple Toro, the mocha notes remained planted in the forefront. The fusion of the chocolate and coffee present in the mocha remained intact. There was an increase in both the pepper, cedar, and earth notes during this phase of the smoking experience. The dried fruit notes still remained in the more distant background.

By the final third, the mocha notes were still in the forefront with the chocolate/coffee fusion intact. The pepper and cedar notes were the most prominent background notes. Notes of dried fruit and earth remained and still contributed to the overall profile. This is the way the Rocky Patel Disciple Toro came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

There was some jaggedness on the burn line and a slight amount of meandering on the burn path. This resulted in some touch-ups needed to keep the burn on track. The resulting ash was light gray in color. This wasn’t the firmest ash, but it wasn’t loose or flaky. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both were ideal.

Burn of the Rocky Patel Disciple Toro

Draw

The draw to the Rocky Patel Disciple Toro was open. Normally I prefer a draw with a little more in the way of resistance to it. There were no adverse effects on the smoking experience with the open draw.

Strength and Body

As the smoking experience of the Rocky Patel Disciple Toro commenced, I was expecting more in the way of boldness. Instead, I was treated to a smoking experience with mild to medium strength and mild to medium-bodied flavors. The intensity of both the strength and body increased in a gradual linear fashion. By the midway point, the cigar was delivering medium strength and medium body. The increase in strength and body continued until the final third where things leveled off.

In terms of strength versus body, the body maintained a slight edge throughout the whole cigar experience.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

Once again, Rocky Patel delivers with a San Andres-wrapped cigar. While the Rocky Patel Disciple flew under the radar at the 2021 PCA Trade Show, it should definitely not be ignored. Flavor is the most important component when assessing a cigar and the Rocky Patel Disciple Toro excels in this category – especially during the first two-thirds. This is a cigar I would recommend to an experienced cigar enthusiast. It’s definitely a cigar I would not discourage the novice from trying. As for myself, this is a cigar I would buy and smoke again. It’s a cigar that has me wanting to smoke the other vitolas in the line. Coming in at 90 points, the Rocky Patel Disciple Toro has reached the threshold for the Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence

Summary

Key Flavors: Cocoa, Cedar, Earth, Fruit, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Mild to Medium (1st Half), Medium (2nd Half)
Body: Mild to Medium (1st Half), Medium (2nd Half)
Finish: Very Good