Rocky Patel Vintage 1990
Size: 7.0 x 60 ("The Sixty")
Tobacco: Honduras (wrapper), DR, and Nicaraguan Ligero
Price: $11.64

This cigar coincided with one of those penultimate smoking experiences that only stogie-lovers can relate to. I enjoyed it at The Tobacco Merchant in Columbia, SC while I was there on business last week. I struck up a conversation with another BOTL who was studying to become a Jewish chaplain in the Army. Over nearly two hours, we had a great conversation about Judaism, Christianity, politics, history, racism... one of those discussions that a man can only have with his closest friends or complete strangers he knows he will never meet again.

The cigar itself, while extremely good compared to 90% of what I smoke, underwhelmed me all the same. It was a smooth, slow-smoking medium-bodied cigar with a nice flavor of spice throughout. However, at this price point I guess I was expecting something that really floored me like the Fuente Hemingway, the CAO Black, or the Padron 1926. The RP Vintage was more on the level of a good $5 cigar; but I don't think I'd choose it over a Padron 6000 or a LGC Serie R.

Two nights later, I tried RP Edge... and I was truly astounded. The Edge was far superior to the RP Vintage in taste and price.