Monday, August 23 2010
This weekend Rocky Patel showed up at Famous Smoke Shop headquarters for an in-store event on Saturday. By the time I got there the place was pretty packed; most of the customers were seated outside. Rocky was his usual gracious self, shaking hands, schmoozing with fans, and signing boxes.
Knowing I was going to stop by to pay my respects, I brought with me a Cargo, a new Rocky Patel cigar Hal had passed on to me from the IPCPR show. It was a 6" x 58 monster with the coolest-looking red, retro band. It immediately reminded me of a Havana cigar you might have bought at the neighborhood cigar store during the 1940's and 50's (see the photos). It doesn't say by Rocky Patel on it, but then, it doesn't have to.
Mark Weissenberger, who works with Rocky, told me Cargo's core consists of Nicaraguan leaf longfiller, plus short fillers from the rich-tasting Nicaraguan leaves used in the
Rocky Patel 1961 and newly released Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary cigars. Because of the mixed filler
blend, Cargo uses a dual
binder. The
wrapper is an Ecuadorian Connecticut similar to that found on the
Rocky Patel American Market Selection cigars by maybe a shade or two darker. Both Mark and Rocky were quick to point out that Cargo sells for under $5 stick. There are two sizes: The Super
Toro (a/k/a the "Toro Grande"), my sample, and the Toro which is 6" x 52. (
If you want to know more about how the cigars are being merchandised, check out this video by Don "Cruz"ado at Stogie Review taken at the recent IPCPR show.)
I've been avoiding extra-wide-ring cigars of late. They just don’t feel comfortable to me anymore. (Maybe as we get older, our mouths begin shrinking.) But the cigar was more comfortable than I expected. That said, the prelight was distinctly sweet tobacco with anisette. I left it in my mouth for a while before I lit up. I wanted to get a bead on those flavors.
Once lit, the cigar drew nicely, had a nice chewiness about it, and burned with virtually no problems. The smoke was devoid of anisette, however. The flavors were a little more nutty, woody and with more espresso winding its way in. The smoke was medium to full, well-balanced, and exceptionally creamy. I also give it points for aroma.
The smoke was pretty consistent throughout. It didn't really change up until just under the last two inches, when it went from malted espresso milkshake to sour ball. In fairness, I was hitting on the cigar a little too often in the last third. But let's be realistic. Considering the dimensions of the cigar, it's gonna get juicy in there. I'd venture that I got about $5 worth of cigar for my hour and 10 minutes or so. But then, I c
an't fairly say, since my sample was gratis. It's up to Rocky's audience to decide Cargo's fate.
Cargo is not a complex, high-brow cigar. It's a really good smoke at a very fair price. You really can't ask for more than that these days. The 6 x 58 Super Toro that I smoked retails for $4.95. There are a lot of other comparable cigars out there for about the same or less. Nonetheless, I think people will be talking about Cargo in a positive light.
Learn more about Cargo by Rocky Patel cigars.
* * *
