My Weekend Cigar: Rocky Patel Sun Grown Torpedo

By Gary Korb

Since it rained in the Lehigh Valley on Sunday, I'm glad it was nice enough on Saturday to enjoy at least one cigar over the weekend. It was a real doozy, too. A Rocky Patel Sun Grown Selection Torpedo. I happened to smoke it sort of by accident. Or, you could say I was in the right place at the right time.

When I was at RTDA in Houston a few weeks ago, I spoke to Christopher Mey (sales rep for Rocky Patel Cigars) about a trip he was planning to visit the Famous Smoke Shop retail store in Easton, PA on August 18. Chris was going to be on vacation that week and would be bringing a friend with him from New Jersey to introduce him to the shop. We decided that while Chris was in the shop I'd shoot some videos of him talking about some of the Rocky Patel exclusives that Famous carries, which include the Rocky Patel Rosado, Cuban Blend, American Market Selection and Honduran Classic.

Chris didn't come empty-handed. He brought some Rocky Patel Sun Grown Torpedos with him. After we shot the videos, he offered me one of the cigars. My past experience with this blend has been that they're a bit much for me, which is why I prefer the more medium-bodied Rosado blend. But for some reason, in the wider ring sizes the Sun Grown seem to really turn the trick for me.

At 6¼" long, fanning out to a 52-ring, the smoke was rich, smooth, perfectly-balanced, nicely spicy, and not overpowering in the least. The empirical evidence for my "wide ring theory" comes from having also smoked the Rocky Patel Sun Grown "Sixty," which I also find to be an exceptional smoke. Come to think of it, the Sun Grown Toro is mighty fine, also. Hmmm…I guess I have a greater appreciation for the Sun Grown line than I thought. And so it goes.

Thanks Chris for taking time out to do the videos, and for that very enjoyable cigar.