Size: 44 × 140 (5.5")
Shape: Corona
Filler: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Pennsylvania Broadleaf
Smoking Time: 1 hour
Beverage: Anarchist Amber Ale
The Patel Bros. line is a collaboration between Rocky and his brother Nish to create a full-bodied Nicaraguan cigar. I've read that the blend of this cigar is related to the 2008 Winter Blend but it's not entirely clear on the interweb whether the relationship is that they share a wrapper from Pennsylvania or there are more substantial similarities. Either way, this corona came in a sampler we purchased a few months ago.
This corona was very firm and densely packed, with no soft spots at all. The wrapper was very dark (it may be a maduro) and somewhat toothy, and I tasted tobacco and coffee on the cold draw. The draw was perfect and let loose a good deal of smoke, imparting strong and full-bodied flavours of caramel, wheat, and a little spice in the first few puffs. The burn required one small touch-up about half way through, but otherwise the draw and burn was great. Some interesting notes of leather and sweetness crept in and out, and the spice waxed and waned throughout the second third. Near the end, the cigar picked up some faint bitterness, perhaps due to the building strength, but this wasn't entirely bad and made the cigar even more interesting. The draw remained perfect throughout with plenty of smoke produced all the way to the end, but near the final third the flavours became too intense to distinguish from one another, so I set it down to extinguish with dignity.
Overall, I liked the Patel Bros. corona, and its flavours and body kept me interested for most of the hour that it took to smoke it. However, it seemed to lack a certain level of balance and finesse that I tend to prefer, especially in the final third. All things considered, I give the Patel Bros. corona a respectable three Fidels out of five.
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