04-07-2009, 10:25 PM
After a bit of a frustrating day, I thought a nice smoke in the backyard at dusk would be just the thing to wind down. Not giving much thought to a proper review at the time, I made a quick perusal of my humi, hoping for something to catch my eye.
Down near the bottom I spotted a small grouping of 4 loose sticks that I recognized as the leftovers from a box of RP Sungrowns. Remembering that these were pretty strong sticks when I first got them, I wondered how they had held up in the two to three years since I purchased them. Grabbing one, I nonchalantly clipped the end, stuck it in my craw, donned my smoking jacket (an old brown bomber jacket that has seen many a stogie) and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge on my way to the backyard.
I was a bit worried upon lighting... I had managed to light it with a nice "I" shape right in the center. While I could place blame on the wind and the ever-growing cloud cover, I came to the realization that I was just out of practice. I figured any correction lighting would do more harm than good, so I alternately puffed and blew through the stick a few times. After about five minutes it was burning even... and a slight spicy tickle had developed on my tongue. I smiled as I remembered that this was a bit of a spice bomb, but surely it had mellowed while it was sleeping.
By the first third, I had been proven wrong. While not the kick-in-the-teeth that it once was, the spice had become more rounded and full, and was accompanied by pleasant cedar and leather notes. I was glad I had grabbed only water for this stogie, as it demanded my full attention... a perfect cigar to review, I thought.
Halfway through the spice was still coming, but the leather taste had fallen back to be replaced by more cedar. I was calm and content as I strolled my backyard, watching the light dim as the sky steadily became an overcast canvas of pink and orange, interrupted only by the occaisional puff of grey smoke.
The last third was indeed a grand finale. Every characteristic of the cigar had seemed to increase in intensity. The cedar had grown in prominence, the leather was back, and a tinge of peppermint titilated my lips. I was on my second bottle of water, taking a sip after every few puffs or so to cool the succubi of spices. My head had become one with the sky, seemingly desperate to reach the bright moon that peeked through the clouds. One day perhaps, I thought, as I ceremoniously tossed the nub into the garden so it may return to the earth.
Technical traits:
Rocky Patel Sungrown Toro
Age: 2-3 years
Body: Medium to Full
Strength: Full
Profiles: Large spice content with cedar accompaniment (most likely from humidor aging). Backnote of leather through majority. Mint at 2 1/2" point from "tar" (I would assume combo of steam, saliva, and tobacco oils). High nicotine content.
Overall: Still a powerhouse after all this time, but more rounded. I see great aging potential in this.
Rating: 8/10
Down near the bottom I spotted a small grouping of 4 loose sticks that I recognized as the leftovers from a box of RP Sungrowns. Remembering that these were pretty strong sticks when I first got them, I wondered how they had held up in the two to three years since I purchased them. Grabbing one, I nonchalantly clipped the end, stuck it in my craw, donned my smoking jacket (an old brown bomber jacket that has seen many a stogie) and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge on my way to the backyard.
I was a bit worried upon lighting... I had managed to light it with a nice "I" shape right in the center. While I could place blame on the wind and the ever-growing cloud cover, I came to the realization that I was just out of practice. I figured any correction lighting would do more harm than good, so I alternately puffed and blew through the stick a few times. After about five minutes it was burning even... and a slight spicy tickle had developed on my tongue. I smiled as I remembered that this was a bit of a spice bomb, but surely it had mellowed while it was sleeping.
By the first third, I had been proven wrong. While not the kick-in-the-teeth that it once was, the spice had become more rounded and full, and was accompanied by pleasant cedar and leather notes. I was glad I had grabbed only water for this stogie, as it demanded my full attention... a perfect cigar to review, I thought.
Halfway through the spice was still coming, but the leather taste had fallen back to be replaced by more cedar. I was calm and content as I strolled my backyard, watching the light dim as the sky steadily became an overcast canvas of pink and orange, interrupted only by the occaisional puff of grey smoke.
The last third was indeed a grand finale. Every characteristic of the cigar had seemed to increase in intensity. The cedar had grown in prominence, the leather was back, and a tinge of peppermint titilated my lips. I was on my second bottle of water, taking a sip after every few puffs or so to cool the succubi of spices. My head had become one with the sky, seemingly desperate to reach the bright moon that peeked through the clouds. One day perhaps, I thought, as I ceremoniously tossed the nub into the garden so it may return to the earth.
Technical traits:
Rocky Patel Sungrown Toro
Age: 2-3 years
Body: Medium to Full
Strength: Full
Profiles: Large spice content with cedar accompaniment (most likely from humidor aging). Backnote of leather through majority. Mint at 2 1/2" point from "tar" (I would assume combo of steam, saliva, and tobacco oils). High nicotine content.
Overall: Still a powerhouse after all this time, but more rounded. I see great aging potential in this.
Rating: 8/10