'Ligero' means 'light' in Spanish. You would imagine that 'super light' would mean super mild. Not so. According to Wikipedia,
Ligero (pronounced "lee-HAIR-oh") is a type of tobacco leaf found near the top of each tobacco plant. Slower to mature than the seco and viso leaves found at the middle of the plant or the easy-burning volado leaves at the bottom, ligero leaves are characterized by a coarse texture and produce smoke with a potent, spicy taste. Ligero leaf is selected for the manufacture of heavy, full-bodied cigars, being rolled at the very center of the filler bundle owing to its slow-burning nature. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligero
The cigar has received lots of interesting reviews.
Cigardojo:
"It’s hard to explain, but it’s basically like taking any strong flavors you can imagine and combining them into a ball—alcohol burn, sharp pepper, raw nicotine, burnt toast—it’s just strength, as a flavor. This blast of dark flavor doesn’t last long, it quickly evolves to show more depth. ... Once the cigar starts to settle into its comfort zone (1″), I’d peg it as medium body, medium strength, medium+ flavor.
… the flavors are not dark and overwhelming with pepper, as you may imagine – it’s quite smooth actually.
https://cigardojo.com/2015/07/rocky-patel-super-ligero-cigar-review/
Phil Kohn:
"Yeah, it was a spice bomb to start with. But it has branched out with some delectable flavors and complexity."
"The balance is spot on now. The spiciness is strong but I like it that way. I love the oomph that red pepper gives a blend."
"The Rocky Patel Super Ligero is cruising now. High complexity. A boat load of flavors. Great balance. And a perfect long finish."
https://kohnhed.com/2015/10/01/rocky-patel-super-ligero-cigar-review/
I agree with all of those quotes.
2. October 2020
Flavour: Good from start to finish: rich, satisfying and reminiscent of that bundle of unbranded cigars I bought a Tegucigalpa Airport in early 1985. Smoking this robusto brought back decade-old memories of a very full body, deep complexity, but without harshness. The Rocky Patel Grand Reserve approaches this quality, but is not as consistent as this specimen.Consistency: Totally consistent. No transitions to mention. Good and strong/smooth at the start and remained the same until the end.
Burn: Perfect. No retouches despite the claim the ligero burns less evenly than other leaves.
Finish: Long.
Body: Full. I guess long finish and full body go together.
Strength: Medium. I never found the cigar to be overwhelming. Of course this might be due to the age, which I have no idea of knowing. It will be interesting to see how further samples compare.
Time smoke: A generous 75 minutes
Overall: Very satisfying.
3. November 2nd. Three days later: Another stick from the batch. Flavour was a little rougher, suggesting that ageing might smooth it out, but it was still rich and enjoyable. The roughness was in the form of a little bitterness, possibly ammonia. Aroma was still rich and excellent. Strength picked up towards the end then levelled off. Draw was fine. One minor touch up required. Time was a 85 leisurely minutes, remarkable for a robusto.
4. November 11th This is becoming one of my favourites: body is full, strength is a bit less than full, complexity is full, deep and rich. It's the sort of aroma that you can enjoy while the stogies sits on the ash tray between puffs. Aroma is a quality that is under-represented in cigar reviews. But just as with wine, the aroma of a cigar is at least half of the experience.
Draw is easy with occasional resistance, ma non troppo. Burn is a little wavy, but it corrects itself well enough. There's a little ammonia on the finish, which might well benefit from storage - if I can discipline myself to store them. All three that I've smoked are good to go now. So storage will be difficult. Finish is long enough to leave the cigar for a minute or two between puffs
84 minutes
Haydn Quartets
Op. 50 no. 5, 'The Dream'
Marvellous finale
Op. 20. no. 2
Superb slow movement: Capriccio - Adagio - Cantabile: a unison introduction with a dramatic recitative, mellowing into the tuneful cantabile. It's so interesting that I listened to this movement twice to try and untangle the three sections.
The Menuet emerges nicely from the slow movement. The finale is one of Haydn's great fugues, this one in four parts which characterize op. 20. This one is a jaunty little number with a rousing, climactic ending.
Op. 20 no. 4
This is one of the finest of the 68, dramatic and profound. The first movement is marked Allegro di Molto. I'm listening to the Festics Quartet. They play more andante than allegro.
5. November 30th: Might have been the windy night, but this cigar didn't live up to the previous few. I selected one that I had removed from its cellophane wrapper on arrival. It felt somewhat lighter than the others. Unlike the previous sample, this one only lasted 60 minutes, still good for a robusto. Finish was much shorter. It was pleasant; there was strength and complexity but not as oily and rich. It tasted as though it had been aged a few years. In fact, it was only a month. It would have been better without the wind. Verdict: not satisfying.
6. 6th December 2020: After a less than satisfying experience with this cigar a week ago, I decided to ramp up the humidity in my humidor a few percentage points. I selected a stogie from the same batch as the disappointment of November 30th. What a difference a bit more humidity made: the rich, powerful body returned with a vengeance. Perhaps the extra humidity was a bit too much; the burn was irregular and the first two thirds were a bit too strong with a touch of acridity. But the final third was a dream; smooth, creamy and full bodied. The aroma throughout was first rate complexity. So this would appear to be a cigar that needs a little more humidity. But not too much. Perhaps it would benefit from a little more age. Definitely a power house at the right humidity. 90 minutes. Verdict: strong, lush and satisfying
Burn and ash were a little uneven and flaky. A few touch-ups corrected the irregularities.
8. March 2nd 2021: Similar to the cigar of January 22, above but only 60 minutes burn: a little earthier, maduro flavour with sometimes a hint of vegetal quality that might benefit from ageing. Again, a bit disappointing that the complexity of the samples from October, last year, did not manifest. Still, quite an enjoyable smoke.
9. March 31st, 2021: This was an excellent specimen. It was oily, it was fragrant pre-lighting, it was firm and moist. Flavour and body were most agreeable. There was nothing vegetal. It was very satisfying to the nub. I'm not sure how long I took to smoke it. I was sitting by the courtyard in U Sathorn, in Bangkok, after an excellent recital of the Schubert String Quintet.
10. April 23rd: This cigar was not as oily or fragrant as that of March 31st, but nonetheless rich and complex. There was a hint of bitterness and bitter, vegetal flavour, but nothing unpleasant, suggesting that more ageing will benefit this cigar. I doubt I can restrain myself from finishing the box before that optimal period, as these are one of my favourite full bodied cigars. 70 minutes listening to Megan Kelly, Alan Dershowitz and other lawyers discussing the Chauvin case.
11. May 10th: Strong, full bodied throughout, long finish, deep, rich flavour with still a hint of bitterness, deep rich, complex aroma, one or two touch-ups, strong throughout. The long finish was remarkable: oily and rich, perhaps a bit tarry. I can still feel a lingering residue the day after. Aroma touched on very complex.
I've read the bitter tinge described as the flavour of sweet tea. I wouldn't say 'sweet', but the bitter aftertaste resembles the aftertaste of black tea. This cigar was a little on the heavy side. Over the course of 11 entries, it is apparent that this is a cigar that varies quite a bit from stick to stick. It is also apparent that it's one of my favourites and I have ordered a box of the Toro size. Although I'm a bit concerned that I have bitten off more than I can chew, as the robusto is quite a handful. This one came in at 80 minutes.
12. September 15th, 2021: The first few puffs were full of characteristic pepper. After the spice calmed down the cigar became surprisingly mellow; full bodied, dark roast, but the pepper dissipated. Finish was long but a bit dirty. Strength was medium. Burn was all over the place. A touch up was required around the mid point. After that, no burn issues.
By the second half, the dark roast had transformed to burnt roast, or burnt toast. Still no memorable spice. But strength began to ramp up, compensating for the dissipation of flavour. I began sweating mildly. The cigar was still enjoyable, in its rough way.
Complexity throughout was lacking. This is probably the greatest disappointment of the cigar. It is somewhat mono-dimensional: dark roast coffee to burnt toast with a dirty aftertaste.
Just towards the nub the cigar became more interesting. Spice returned, burnt toast reverted to dark roast albeit with a dirty aftertaste. It was most enjoyable. However, after 70 minutes I had had enough of this dirty little morsel. Overall, quite satisfying.
13. December 21st, 2021: Much like the cigar above: full bodied, dark roast, mellow with a slightly dirty finish in the second half. Burn, however, was fine; no touch up required. The second half did not transform to burnt toast. It remained dark roast. There was no noticeable strength buildup. Unlike the September sample, this cigar was quite complex, with a much more refined flavour profile; dirt was minimal. 68 minutes. Quite satisfying.
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| Sharp burn, solid cigar yet easy draw |
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| After one hour: quite delicious, complex dark roast with a slightly dirty aftertaste |
June 15th, 2022: This little powerhouse started with flush of bitter, dark roast, burnt flavour but soon mellowed out to a much smoother, more balanced complexity. Aroma was deep and rich; probably the most satisfying component of the package. The final third returned to the bitter burnt toast, but was still quite palatable. Given the intensity of the cigar, it lasted a good 90 minutes. Quite satisfying.
September 22nd, 2023: What a flavour bomb: totally smooth, yet full body and dark roast espresso - as dark as you can get. Aroma was rich and intense. Around 60 minutes. Very satisfying.
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