Rocky Patel Edge Torpedo Corojo

As club members know, Rocky Patel is well known for making some of the best stogies today including his Vintage and Edge lines, all of which have received 90+ ratings from Cigar Aficionado magazine. The band at the foot accentuates the stogie’s length and beauty, if not strength, so get your favorite smoking chair ready. You’re about to experience the Edge, a well-aged powerhouse from Rocky Patel. The blend is a dazzling array of superior, aged premium tobaccos including ample Ligero. This cigar is a testament to the blending and cigar-making skills of famed duo Rocky Patel and Nestor Plasencia. Heads-up: ads for the cigar say ‘for professional smokers only’—the Edge is no doubt one of the stronger cigars on the market. However, the power of this full-bodied stick is controlled, its strength extraordinarily well-balanced and its flavor extremely smooth—all significant achievements for any blender crafting such a full-tilt blend. Trust you won’t be overpowered by a potent blow to the palate. Instead the Edge’s crisp flavors mature and coalesce at just the right moment, allowing you to gradually appreciate its complexity and strength. In the end, you’re left with a full-flavored blast of spicy, well-rounded accents that fully engage the most experienced palates. The construction is nothing short of flawless; the draw even. The wrapper is a spicy, mucho-robust Corojo leaf. Expect voluminous clouds of smoke. From the very first puff the Edge is incredibly smooth. The flavor is rich and leathery—with notes of caramel and cocoa—but without bite. A few inches into the cigar its complexity really begins—the variations in the flavor are what set this cigar apart from countless others. The finish is dry and long with a hint of pepper. It’s easy to see why Rocky Patel’s cigars are held in such high regard and score ratings in the stratosphere. After a rich, satisfying dinner, smoke this with a bourbon.

The Nicaraguan cigar industry originated when Cuban cigar makers escaped the revolution and re-established their livelihood in Nicaragua with Cuban-seed tobacco. Blessed with dark, rich soil, their new home was ideal for tobacco cultivation and Nicaragua quickly became known for cigars that rivaled Cuban quality. Unfortunately, revolution and war came to Nicaragua in the 1980s and devastated the industry, but it’s rebounded dramatically and is once again producing tobacco considered by many to be the finest in the world.

The Esteli Valley is in many ways the heart of Nicaraguan production and is known for its very powerful and spicy tobacco. The Jalapa Valley produces arguably the finest tobacco in the country: somewhat sweeter and less intense than Esteli, but extremely complex. The tobacco of the Condega Valley is often described as a blend of the other two regions.