I remember getting this stick a while and thinking, hmm… this bad boy looks like it will need some age. So I put it away, forgot about it and it wasn’t until now that it began calling me from the bottom drawer of my humidor.

Now I’m a huge fan of Rocky Patel, especially of the sun grown stuff, and as the edge promised to be a cigar for the professional smoker, I had to accept the challenge. Now that I’ve brought this dark toro to its knees, not only do I feel triumphant but satisfied.

Perhaps it was the meal I had beforehand, perhaps it was my battle hardening habit of taking these beauties to the nub, whatever the case, this stick did not seem overly powerful to me. Even with some over-puffing, I didn’t really feel the power. However, I would probably still recommend this cigar to full-bodied aficionados.

The wrapper on these sticks has a very nice natural maduro color. On the nose, it reminds me of black pepper, nutmeg and sweet chili peppers. I lit this up with a cigar match and noticed that the black pepper of the wrapper translated into a perceivable spicy hot taste which I found appealing.

I particularly enjoyed the draw of this cigar. It was right where I like it and yielded a generous volume of baking-spice -scented smoke. As the smoke progressed it got a little doughy, if that’s the word. The tasting notes turned toward toasted bread, spices and maybe even some musk. The latter was certainly present in the scent as well.

A bit further and the notes, though far from actually evolving, got a little more concentrated, with the addition of a certain chewy character. Well past the half way mark I noticed a bit of an espresso note come in alongside the baking spices, which were still the central characters.

The only gripe I have about this stick is that it would have been more enjoyable had it not been for the constant attention it required from me as it continually threatened to go out. As I keep my humidity constant at 65% it is unlikely that this was due to over humidification. As a result, I probably puffed a bit more than I’d like and so a mildly acrid flavor almost jeopardized the finish.

This is an issue that may be resolved with a bit more age. However, I recommend that the cigar is smoked more slowly in general to avoid having the flavor profile going completely south in the last 2½ inches. If you do, you will enjoy a nice spicy finish.

You can get more information on this and other Rocky Patel Edge cigars at Cigars Direct where I bought this lot.