Rocky Patel Fifty Toro

September 2020: The Rocky Patel Fifty Toro is a premium cigar, selling for as much as $20 per stick in the US. That's a lot. I've tried three of this cigar over the course of the last few weeks. The best, by far, was the second of three, shown in the picture below. Note the ultra-oily wrapper. You can see the sheen on the left side of the cigar. In fact, the photo barely did justice to the oily texture. The cigar was rich and satisfying. It burned consistently and drew easily. Body was medium, finish was long, strength also medium.

 

The first one I smoked was probably a bit dry. I could feel its rib-like binder. The third one I smoked was fine, but not particularly well packed. It lasted an hour. But the body was medium; the finish was not as long as number 2. I managed an hour out of it. But I would expect a bit more for a Toro. 

Rocky Patel cigars are known for their good construction and easy draw. They also tend to bitterness, often towards the middle section. Cigardude observes this phenomenon in his review of Edge Lite:

I found the flavor of the cigar to be a little harsh once lit, with a bitter aftertaste that followed each puff. The initial taste of the smoke was good but the constant nagging of the aftertaste seemed to quickly take away from the experience.

http://www.cigarreviewdude.com/rocky-patel-edge-lite-review.htm

This flavour impairment is referred to as 'alkalinity' by a reviewer on the neptune.com website, reviewing a RP Royale Toro

 

I've smoked quite a few RPs and I've noticed quite a bit of inconsistency in quality within the same batch. When they're good, they're really good. No bitterness. Complex flavour. Rich aroma. When they disappoint they never completely disappoint. They still beckon a return in hope of rediscovering that paradigm example. The cigar in the photo above was such a paradigm.

 

October 2020 A month later: I selected one with the most oily wrapper I could find. It started well with a rich chocolatey flavour. But the flavour soon dissipated with the middle of the cigar quite bland. I have found this phenomenon frequently in RP cigars - an empty middle. Without blaming the cigar, it might be that the cigars were not stored optimally or that they are beyond their optimal smoke-by-date.  

March 18th, 2021 Five months later I ventured back to this disappointment. It was quite good. It started off as a rich, chocolatey, slightly creamy, but complex Esteli flavour. At the midpoint a blast of something dirty, which soon smoothed out and became more of a woody, leathery, slightly spicy maduro flavour. It was medium bodied throughout and quite satisfying. 85 minutes, or thereabout.

September 1st, 2021: First third: mellow and fairly tasty but light in body. The refinement resembled the Oliva Melanio but without body. Second third: flavour and body picked up a little but soon dissipated. Final third: flavour and body seeped away leaving a mere vegetal flavour. Finish was light throughout but dirty towards the end. Aroma was occasionally rich. Strength was mild. It was as though this cigar has passed its use-by date. It had its moments, but not satisfying. 65 minutes.