Rocky Patel Grand Reserve Toro

📌 Brand: Rocky Patel
📌 Line: Grand Reserve
📌 Size: Toro (6" × 52)
📌 Weight: 18.6 g
📌 Age: 3 years
📌 Origin: Nicaragua

Tasting Notes

• Soft Cedar – Gentle but faint

• Light Cocoa – Subtle sweetness, almost too mild

• Dry Earth – Dominant in the second half

• Toasted Grain – Faint, neutral background tone

First Impressions

The Grand Reserve Toro shows a clean wrapper with a slight sheen and tight seams. Pre-light aromas bring mild cocoa, soft cedar, and hay. Cold draw is smooth and slightly open. Everything looks promising before the flame — elegant, understated, classic Rocky-style presentation.

Smoking Experience

• First Third – Cedar and light cocoa appear softly. Burn begins to waver but still manageable. Flavor is mild and straightforward.

• Second Third – Burn issues increase; cigar becomes noticeably flat and tasteless. Dry earth and toasted grain dominate, but without depth.

• Final Third – Bitter edges appear. Burn requires another correction. Overall profile becomes thin and unengaging.

Pairings

• Alcohol – Stauning Rye Whisky - A Nordic rye with honeyed sweetness, baking spice, and a clean grain profile that adds depth where the cigar lacks it without overwhelming its mild nature.

• Tea – Nepal Kumari Gold Black Tea - Smooth, sweet, with hints of caramel and stone fruit — perfect for compensating for the cigar’s lack of sweetness and complexity.

Music Pairing

“Jerusalema” – Master KG ft. Nomcebo
Uplifting and rhythmic, giving energy to an otherwise flat smoking experience.

Final Thoughts

The Rocky Patel Grand Reserve Toro starts mild and pleasant, but burn issues quickly disrupt the experience and the second half becomes very bland and tasteless. A visually appealing cigar that delivers far less than expected once lit.

Final Score: 5/10
Why not a 10?
Burn issues, flat flavor, and a flavorless second half significantly reduced enjoyment.

Only cigars that deliver flawless draw, balance, flavour evolution, construction and satisfaction get a 10.