Patina Anniversary

In 2023, Patina Cigars would celebrate its fifth anniversary. As is common with many companies, a commemorative release was done to mark the occasion. When a commemorative anniversary cigar is done, sometimes the anniversary cigar is incorporated as an ongoing regular production line. In other cases, a limited edition of cigars is done. In the case of Patina Cigars, they opted to go the limited edition route and released a cigar appropriately titled Patina Anniversary. While this cigar marked a milestone in terms of tenure for the company, it would also mark a couple of other milestones for Patina Cigars. It would be the company’s first limited edition cigar, and it would mark the company’s first cigar to utilize a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. Today, we will take a closer look at the Patina Anniversary cigar.

Mo Maali founded Patina Cigars, and he owns and operates the company. When Maali launched Patina Cigars, he worked closely with Mombacho Cigars – including utilizing the company’s Casa Favilli in Grenada. Maali had a dual role during that time, also serving as Mombacho’s National Sales Manager. In 2019, Maali split from Mombacho and moved his production to the NACSA (Nicaragua American Cigars S.A.) factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

In addition to the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, the Patina Anniversary also incorporates a Mexican San Andres binder and a combination of Nicaraguan and U.S. fillers.

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Mexico San Andres
Filler: U.S., Nicaragua
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Nicaragua American Cigars SA (NACSA)

Vitolas Offered

The Patina Anniversary is offered in one size – a 6 x 52 Toro. The cigars are presented in 20-count individually numbered boxes. According to Patina Cigars, the production run of the Patina Anniversary was 500 boxes.

Appearance

The Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper of the Patina Anniversary had a roasted coffee bean look. There was a light coating of oil on it. Upon closer examination, a slight amount of mottling was present on the wrapper. There were some visible veins and some visible wrapper seams.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

Before lighting up the Patina Anniversary, a straight cut removed the cap from the cigar. After the cap was detached, it was on to the pre-light draw stage. The cold draw delivered a mix of black coffee, red, and a slight amount of floral notes. While I’m never a fan of floral notes, in this case, it didn’t hurt the pre-light draw experience – which, in my book, was a satisfying one. At this point, it was time to toast up the footer of the Patina Anniversary and move on to the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The coffee and cedar notes from the pre-light draw were also present on the initial draw of the Patina Anniversary. Notes of earth, mineral, and a slight natural tobacco note joined these. The natural tobacco imparted a slight amount of sweetness into the equation. Early on, the coffee notes moved into the forefront. The cedar, earth, mineral, and natural tobacco settled in the background. Meanwhile, there was an additional combination of cedar and coffee on the retro-hale.

Later, in the first third of the Patina Anniversary, some white pepper notes surfaced on the tongue. This was followed by some mixed pepper notes joining the coffee and cedar on their retro-hale. The coffee notes remained grounded in the forefront as the cigar progressed through the second third. At the same time, both the pepper and mineral notes increased in intensity. The cedar and natural tobacco notes remained in the background.

By the final third, the pepper notes made their way into the forefront, joining the coffee notes. The flavor profile now had a more significant spice component. The mineral, cedar, and natural tobacco notes remained in the background. As the cigar experience of the Patina Anniversary ended, the cigar finished with a soft and cool nub.

Burn

On each of the samples of the Patina Anniversary, the burn started out straight, but as the cigar experience progressed, the burn began to meander off the path, requiring more touch-ups than I prefer. A similar thing happened with the ash. The ash started out firm on each sample, but as the cigar progressed, the ash got looser. This ash had a salt and pepper color. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature both maintained ideal levels.

Burn of the Patina Anniversary

Draw

The draw to the Patina Anniversary was ideal. This was a draw with a touch of resistance to it – which I like. At the same time, this was a cigar that produced ample amounts of smoke.

Strength and Body

The Patina Anniversary started out medium in both strength and body. Both attributes gradually increased in intensity. By the second third, the strength moved into medium to full territory, and by the midway point, the flavors were medium to full-bodied.

The strength held the edge regarding strength versus body – particularly in the second half.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

The Patina Anniversary features two bands. The primary band is the standard white, copper, and green Patina band. There is a matching secondary band with the same color scheme. This is a color scheme I have liked on Patina Cigars. The cigars are packaged in elegant-style white boxes – which I also found aesthetically pleasing.

Photo Credit: Patina Cigars

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

Over the past five years, I have enjoyed what Patina has done with its core lines. Although I personally have been down on much of the limited edition market, I was excited to see what Patina could do here. Add the fact that this was the company’s first Broadleaf, and NACSA has an excellent reputation for working with that wrapper; it raised my expectation level. The first half of this cigar lived up to my expectations. The spices that emerged later in this cigar weren’t to my liking. In fact, by the last third, I found the balance of the flavor profile to be off. There was nothing harsh about the end of the cigar – I just didn’t like how the spices were kicking in. The meandering burn also was a bit of a nuisance.

Ultimately, the Patina Anniversary carries a hefty price point of $20.00. While there were still enough positives to earn a solid 88-point score, I hoped for higher. The second half, and especially the last third, didn’t wow me for a cigar priced in that range. My advice is to see if you can try a sample of this first before deciding whether to move forward with this cigar.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Earth, Mineral, Cedar, Pepper
Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium (1st Third), Medium to Full (Remainder)
Body: Medium (1st Third), Medium to Full (Remainder)
Finish: Very Good