Rocky Patel Fusion

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Size: 5.75×56, Salomon

Wrapper: Two wrappers, Habano (outside) and Ecuadorian Connecticut (inside, binder)

Filler: Mix of Nicaraguan, Honduran, and Cameroon

Strength: Medium-Full

Price: $7.25, single; $119, box

Grade: 8.8

I would put Rocky Patel’s Vintage line up against just about any line of cigars out there. The 1990, 1992, and 1999 Connecticut are three of my favorite smokes. So, when Rocky released the Fusion, a mixture of the fillers used to comprise the ’90 and the ’92, I was excited to fire one up. On a spending freeze with a new baby, it took me a bit longer than I expected to grab one but Jed was nice enough to slide one my way.

The uniqueness of this stick lies in its use of a double wrapper; combining a Habano exterior with an Ecuadorian Connecticut interior wrapper, used as the binder, promises to create some unique and powerful flavors. The filler mix has also received nice praise.

Appearance, 1.9:
The Salomon is a very unique roll; it has a Torpedo head with a funneled or tailed foot. This is a fun roll that also creates a unique ash and a bit of conversation. The Habano wrapper is very clean and smooth with minimal veins. As with most Rocky Patel’s, the Fusion is elegantly double banded. The stick has a great weight to it as well, with the 56 ring gauge. The only exterior defect is a slight wrapper gap toward the foot, where it appears the roll fell short.

The aroma on this stick is very nice and unique; it is quite sweet but also has a peppery scent that burns the nose. The mixture of sweetness and pepper is most closely described as roasted peppers or salsa. The pre-light draw is excellent and the cut is very clean.

Burn, 1.8:
The pre-light draw was excellent and the smoke certainly reflects this with billows of thick smoke. The ash created by the uniquely shaped Salomon foot created a very clean and arrowed ash. The ash stacked well, except for a slight flaking in the first inch, and was a very clean whitish grey. The transition from the tailed foot into the body of the smoke was smooth, which I was a little worried about before lighting. The smoke was very thick and burned very cool throughout. The only issue I had with the burn was after the first ash, in which the cigar’s draw tightened and eventually went out. It re-lit with no issues however and burned very well throughout, with no harshness in the re-light.

Flavor/taste, 2.7:
There is a very strong pepper in the first 5 puffs or so, announcing well the medium-full body, which eventually fades into a very mellow, hay-like flavor. This continues throughout the first third of the smoke, with minimal flavor profiles. In the second third of the smoke, the pepper forcefully returns and is nicely complemented by a creaminess; these two flavors alongside each other resembles the roasted pepper detected in the pre-light draw and aroma. The final third maintains solid body and remains creamy and the pepper is replaced by the return of barnyard flavors. Overall, this was a stick with several transitions, each of which interested my palate.

Overall, 2.4:
I struggled a bit with this cigar because I love the flavor profiles and complexity found in Rocky’s cigars but I also prefer a Medium bodied smoke and the Fusion, along with the large Salomon size, was a bit much for my strength preference; I actually began to sweat a bit during this one! There was a deduction based on the value of this smoke and the overall enjoyment and desire to buy again. I would definitely purchase another Fusion, in a smaller size, but I would not consider a box purchase, even if it dropped to around $80-90.

(Total: 8.8)

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A Guide to Maduro Wrapper (from cigar.com)

This article originally appeared in the Cigar.com Newsletter, found here.

Maduro cigars are the industry’s biggest misconception. Although many individuals do not prefer a maduro as their everyday cigar, most enjoy them as an occasional change of pace. Storing away a nice supply of dark, oily maduros is a great move, as they tend to age extremely well. Whether it be for everyday or as a special treat, maduros certainly deserve a spot in your rotation.

So, what makes a cigar a maduro and how many different varieties exist? One reason many aficionados are not daily maduro fans lies in their unfamiliarity with the entire creation process and the cigar’s unique taste. Find a good maduro and you’ll enjoy it everyday!

The word maduro literally translates to “ripe” in Spanish. After tobacco leaves are harvested from the plants, they are taken into the curing barn where over a 45 day period they change from green to brown. From there, the leaves ferment in large “pilones” or piles for up to three years. During fermentation, the leaves change from light to dark brown as the sugars extract and the leaves become less tannic. How long a leaf needs to ferment depends on the leaf’s thickness and nutrient content, which is determined by many factors including seed type, growing region and the priming on the plant. For a tobacco leaf to naturally ripen into a true maduro, it can take three to five years of fermentation and requires a very hefty, thick leaf. For this reason, many seeds and tobacco types can never become true maduros because they spawn thin, delicate leaves. The 3+ years of fermentation required to naturally darken each leaf can be so destructive that these varieties ultimately fall apart and almost disintegrate before they achieve the sweetness and dark oily color associated with a true maduro. For example, Cameroon, Sumatra, and Connecticut-seed tobacco produces thin leaves and cannot be fermented into maduro wrappers. So which seeds and tobacco varieties are ideal? I’m glad you asked. The following is a quick guide to some of the most popular varieties.

US Broadleaf: Grown throughout the Northeastern United States, most prominently in Pennsylvania and Connecticut. The Connecticut variety creates a nice subtle and smooth sweetness while the Pennsylvania grown broadleaf tends to have a richer, spicier quality mixed with underlying sweet notes (Examples: Connecticut – Macanudo Maduro, Pennsylvania – Diesel).

Habano: Usually described as Criollo, Habano-seed, and at times Corojo, Cuban-seed wrapper is most often grown in the heartiest varieties throughout Nicaragua and Honduras making Habano wrapper from these regions ideal for a rich, earthy and semi-sweet wrapper (Example: Carlos Toraño Exodus Gold).

San Andres: Cuban-seed tobacco harvested in Mexico’s San Andres region, San Andres wrapper comes in a variety of shades but is noted for its smooth and toasty qualities accompanying a sweetness you find in almost every maduro. This wrapper pairs well with most any filler making it a prime choice for blenders. (Example: Nica Libre and Padron Anniversary).

Jaltepec: The same Cuban-seed tobacco grown in San Andres only harvested in Costa Rica. This wrapper has many of the San Andres qualities but is decidedly sweeter due to the nutrient rich soil in Costa Rica. (Example: 5 Vegas Series ‘A’ and Graycliff 1666).

Arapiraca: Grown in Brazil, this seed sprouts a very strong, thick, and healthy plant in most tropical environments. The wrapper is exceptionally dark and sweet with leathery undertones. (Example: Cigar.com Brazilian Label).

Mata Fina: Grown in Brazil’s Bahia region, Mata Fina is a marbleized looking wrapper with some color inconsistencies but delivers big time on flavor, which is both sweet and spicy. (Example: CAO Brazilia).

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Perdomo Reserve, 10th Anniversary Champagne

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Size: Robusto, 5×54

Wrapper: Triple fermented Connecticut

Filler: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan blend

Strength: Mild-Medium

Price: Box of 25, $124; 5 pack, $26

Grade: 8.5

I am a very big fan of Perdomo—bias announced. I love the Lot 23 and I also had a good experience with the ESV ’91. Jed and Chris, who both review here, love the Habano line from Perdomo…we are fans. So, when my dad received a Perdomo sampler from a box purchase, I quickly snagged the Reserve 10^th Anniversary Champagne. This is the same stick in the Reserve line of Perdomo, just repackaged to be a part of the Anniversary line. This shape however, the 5×54 Robusto, is unique to the Anniversary line. It sat in my humidor for about three weeks and I fired it up on a nice, cool night (by Georgia summer standards—high 80s).

Appearance, 1.6:

My biggest deduction came in the appearance department—the wrapper unfortunately contradicted the gorgeous label, which covered my entire pinky and 1/3 of the Robusto. This slightly dirty Connecticut has a pretty smooth roll with no bumps. Along the veins and parts of the roll, however, there were 3-4 green spots that were a real sore to the eye. The Robusto had excellent weight with a nicely packed foot and few veins. The pre-light aroma was of wheat and grass (I heard a reviewer recently refer to this as barnyard). The pre-light draw was perfect.

Burn, 1.8:

This is the best draw I’ve had in a stick that didn’t turn out to be loosely rolled—it was perfect, producing a thick cloud of smoke from the first light. I used matches, which usually make it a bit more difficult to get a solid ring burning, but the Perdomo handled in perfectly. The ash was very clean and white though it seemed to be just a slight bit loose and flaky, which accounts for the only deduction in this category. At about 2/3 the ash began to v up the side just a bit and a re-light was required at 2/3, which I didn’t entirely mind because this was not a consistent problem that was bothersome. Otherwise, excellent!

Flavor, 2.6:

The flavor profile had such a good mixture of complexity that the shifts actually contributed to the consistency of the smoke—it was consistently shifty. Bits of harshness arrived in each 1/3 of the smoke but for no longer than 3-4 draws and purging the smoke did seem to help this past. The first 1/3 had a surprising bit of pepper, which I initially confused as harshness since I wasn’t expecting this profile from a milder stick. For the most part, the smoke matched the pre-light aroma—grassy. Though this is listed as mild, due to the profiles and the brief appearances of strength, I’d say this is more in the mild-medium range.

Overall, 2.5:

The overall value of this smoke is pretty decent; though if I was going to light a mid-range mild stick this likely would not be my first choice—I’d probably go with a Macanudo or 5 Vegas Gold, perhaps even a Cu-Avana before grabbing this one. The smoking experience was very good due to the excellent draw and surprising flavor profiles. I would smoke this again, but not before a few others were unavailable—in my opinion, not box worthy.

(Total:  8.5)

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