Rocky Patel is a household name in the cigar business. Every cigar connoisseur has an opinion about Rocky Patel. And why not?

This formidable company has for years made “in your face” cigars that simply cannot be ignored. Rocky Patel, the founder of Rocky Patel Premium Cigars Inc., is a powerhouse of a person and a cigar visionary. He built his company against all odds clawing his way to the “big boys” table. I am a big fan of Rocky Patel, the smokes, and the man behind the name. For some perspective, here is a little history.

About Rocky Patel Premium Cigars

Rocky Patel cigars are exquisite blends of deliciously aged tobacco rocking wrappers and binders from different countries. The founder, Rocky Patel, has on many occasions been referred to as the hardest working man in the biz. He is constantly on the road meeting tobacco purveyors and interacting with his consumers to ensure that his brand maintains presence, quality, and consistency.

Aside from complexity and stark flavour transitions, Rocky Patel stogies are the epitome of construction, draw, and burn standards in the cigar industry. Despite their extensive portfolio of smokes, you will be hard-pressed to find a single Rocky Patel with burn or draw issues.

Incidentally, Rocky Patel is not particularly fond of puros (cigars that feature tobacco from the same region or country). For this reason, he is always looking to create new blends by incorporating tobacco from as many areas as possible. Among Rocky Patel’s most successful cigars is the Rocky Patel Sun Grown Cigar released in 2004. In 2015, Rocky Patel released a befitting follow up, the Rocky Patel Sun Grown Maduro.
Today we will review both of these stogies. Usually, I don’t review two cigars in the same article. But there’s always a first. Let’s begin with the Rocky Patel Sun Grown.

Rocky Patel Sun Grown Natural Review

The Rocky Patel Sun Grown cigar is a true homage to the glorious pre-embargo Cuban smokes. In other words, this baby is all vintage. For one, the fillers are aged for 7 years. Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua all fly their respective flags in the fillers.

This whole recipe gets together under a Nicaraguan binder. And finally, the entire shebang is swathed in a beautiful dark-chocolate Ecuadorian Sun Grown Rosado leaf aged for 5 years. Even though all the talk nowadays rotates around the Sun Grown Maduro, this stogie was the original RP Sun Grown to garner 90+ ratings. In fact, the Rocky Patel Sun Grown cigar is among the Top 50 cigars in the world garnering a 91 Rating from Cigar Aficionado as recently as 2016. Rocky Patel Sun Grown is rolled at the El Paraiso factory in Danli, Honduras. It comes in five sizes; Petite Corona (4.5x44), Robusto (5.5x60), Sixty (6.0x60), Torpedo (6.1x52), and Toro (6.5x52)

Tasting Notes

For my review, I decided to go with a Toro. Truthfully, I can’t tell you how many of these I have smoked over the years. And the consistency has always been spot-on.

Prelight

My RP Sun Grown Toro presents with a densely packed, dark brown, slightly oily, silky sheen. It’s a little toothy. Overall, the construction is rock solid with no soft spots and the perfect level of give. Prelight notes are redolent of sweet earthy notes, a bit of hay, and subtle peanut butter nuances. The cold draw is perfect introducing sweet grassy notes (kinda like a barnyard in summer) and fleeting dashes of dried prunes; or was it raisins?

First Half

Upon lighting, my palate is greeted with delicious creamy mocha and roasted assorted nuts. All the while, oily peppery notes dance at the back of my throat. There is an underlying smooth sweet tobacco base with a little spicy heat. Retrohale is a bit of black pepper, infused with deep earthy notes and an implicit ginger-ale disposition.

Right off the bat, the strength hovers around the medium mark. The draw is incredible, as is the burn and smoke output. Close to the half-way mark, the flavors transition. Leather comes into the picture.

But it is not the new car kind of leather; rather, the old beaten kind of aroma. The leather, fused with strong nutty notes, come in on the finish. Roasted nuts morph into a smooth, decadent dry wood essence while peppery notes inch towards the front of the palate. At this point, strength is as close to full as ever. Smoke output is phenomenal, and the burn line is razor-sharp.

Final Half

Past the half-way mark, my palate is accosted by semi-sweet roasted coffee backed by a pinch of baking spice. Leather and evocative oak notes come in strong. Retrohale presents red pepper notes (maybe paprika) and fleeting nutty nuances. The creamy chocolatey notes get thicker and sweeter as I approach the nub. Smoke output is phenomenal, and the burn is outstanding.

As I put my RP Sun Grown down, I delight in the fact that it was yet another flawless smoking experience. Clean on the palate and absolutely sapid.

Rocky Patel Sun Grown Maduro Review

The RP Sun Grown Maduro was the perfect follow up to the original RP Sun Grown. It is defiantly full-bodied, and may just knock you out. Cigar connoisseurs could not say enough about this hearty concoction of flavor and complexity. Cigar Aficionado gave this bad boy a coveted 95 Rating and the #2 slot in the Top 25 Cigars of the Year 2016. In 2015, this RP SG Maduro got a 93 Rating from Cigar Snob and the #8 slot in their Top 25 Cigars of the Year. That same year it was #9 on Cigar Dojo’s Top 10 Cigars of the Year while Cigar Journal gave it a 94 Rating.That is quite a rep.

There’s always something about a box-pressed Maduro, wouldn’t you say? The RP Sun Grown Maduro carries Nicaraguan fillers, a Nicaraguan Duel Binder from Esteli and a flavorous USA Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. It is rolled at Patel’s TaviCusa factory in Nicaragua. The RP Sun Grown Maduro comes in five sizes; Robusto (5x50), Toro (6x52), Panatela (7.5x38), Petite Belicoso (5.5x52), and Gordo (6x60).

Tasting Notes

For this review, I went with the Toro. Toro is a large Vitola. I figured I might as well go for a longer smoking experience. Perhaps by the end of it all, I will agree with Cigar Aficionado’s 95 Rating.

Prelight

My Maduro Toro presents with a toothy oily sheen and that devilishly dark tan. From the wrapper, I get a whiff of dark cocoa, good ol’ barnyard, and a little savory spice. The construction, as expected, is densely packed; no soft spots and perfect give. Even though the cigar is densely bunched, the draw is impeccable. Shy notes of cocoa and a little spice was all I got from the cold draw.

The first draw was like a sucker punch of pepper to the back of my throat-though, not in a bad way. This baby packs a punch; I can tell you that for sure. The strength started at a strong medium. Behind the pepper bomb are clean notes of creamy chocolate and cedar with a long deliciously rich finish. Retrohale is a symphony of sweet caramel, dashes of pepper, and a deep cider nuance.

Towards the middle, the flavors transitioned. The creamy finish morphs into a briny beefy overtone pitching camp at the back of the palate. Dark cocoa takes the place of the creamy chocolate. But the finish remains long and piquant brimming with sweet and spicy hot chocolate zing. The burn is excellently sharp, and smoke output is phenomenal. By now, the strength is a brazen full with a full-body to boot.
I am pretty sure I may not survive this one. Do Not, I repeat, Do Not take on this smoke on an empty stomach. It will smack the temples off your head.

Final Half

As I draw closer to the final half, subtle creamy notes make their return. Sweet caramel and gentle cream take over the front of the palate while deep earthy notes and roasted nuts hold down the fort. My RP Sun Grown Toro is undeniably full of spellbinding flavors. At this point, the strength is gobsmackingly archaic.

That notwithstanding, all the flavors converge in a perfect balance of larger than life decadence. Down to the nub, the spice takes a back seat as the creamy, chocolatey and nutty flavors comingle with hearty woody nuances on a luxurious tobacco setting. The retro is all implicit sweetness and spice with hot chocolate with a creamy finish.

My RP Sun Grown Maduro smoked for almost two hours. Still, I was sad to put it down. Overall, the burn was outstanding, as was the smoke output. This baby will definitely become a permanent resident in my humidor.

Why is Rocky Patel Sun Grown the Best Sun Grown Cigar in the Market?

Rocky Patel, as a brand, produces outstanding cigars, and this is how the brand grew from nowhere to one of the top premium brands. Aside from quality and flavour, Rocky Patel cigars are always reasonably priced. The RP Sun Grown goes for between $6 and $9 depending on the Vitola while the RP SG Maduro comes in at between $8 to $11.

You can never go wrong with a Rocky Patel Sun Grown cigar. Even after being on the market for years, cigar aficionados still swear by this stogie. Its consistency and striking construction are a testimony to Rocky Patel’s unwavering commitment to quality.

Wrapping Up

A Rocky Patel smoking experience is unlike any other. And with such an extensive portfolio you will be spoilt for choice. Perhaps its time to get a bigger humidor.

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