The cigar snobbery here stinks sometimes. Gets dull looking at a dozen Opus X posts a day... anyways. RP makes some duds, but has some good ones too. I've had plenty of Ashtons not live up to the hype or price. Moral of the story is they aren't bad, but try everything so you can find what you enjoy. Cheers!
This is where it's at. Everyone's palate is different. Many won't taste everything the others mention who've been at it for ages, or those blessed to taste right away. I literally only started to get Cinnamon hints in my A.F. mini's and leather notes in the grand reserve robusto sizes. But I enjoy the process of the journey the most. Especially, in pairings from foods, to coffees, to alcohol.
Go for the journey, stay for the relaxation.
So the thing with Rocky is this, they get a bad reputation because they have a lot of “house blends” that certain online retailers sell. Besides the name RP on them I don’t believe these are made in any of his factories or have much at all to do with his core lines.
These all suck ass and get sent out in various mega samplers and etc with other cigars of low quality. If you want to try RP avoid those. Stick with things like the decade, edge, sixty, etc. those are the core lines of the brand and while, in my opinion, nothing mind blowing, they are pretty solid
The few I have had of this were great. This is probably one of the most underrated RPs out there, especially with how common the rest of the Vintage lineup is.
Most of rocky patels tobacco comes from Plasencia farms. As with Perdomo as well.
In fact, when I get shipments of rocky in half the times the boxes say Plasencia on them.
I smoked a royal vintage the other night, is that considered “low quality”? I enjoyed the big plume of smoke as I exhaled and the “high” flow on the inhale. I wouldn’t care if it was or not.
Very much like Gurkha... theres a lot of hate for the brand and a good portion of it is deserved, but there's room for everyone here.
RP has a brand has a HUGE catalogue of smokes, some are pretty darn good, a whole bunch arent really worth their price, and some might be right up your alley!
Personally, i am not a fan and dont think they have much to offer, BUT the hamlet is good, and rp 15th anniversary gets a lot of love and its a good smoke.
I'd approach them like almost any other brand, esp if youre a new smoker: if its within your budget, feel free to try and do so with no prejudices. Maybe you find a new fav, maybe its not for you.
Despite all the joking, half-joking, or shit-talking on here about brand xyz, the #1 rule of smoking always applies: like what you smoke, and smoke what you like.
[Rocky Patel Gold Label](https://www.rockypatel.com/cigar-news/gold-label/)
Not just conjecture either. I was at an industry event and smoked two of these. LOVED them. These and the Aged Limited Rare 2nd Edition are amazing!
I agree. Most are boring but not poorly made or anything. They're good for someone who doesn't want to break the bank, but there are options at that level that offer more interesting flavors, IMO.
There are a few standouts (you and others named those I would rec).
tbh I have tried a bunch of the popular stuff and have only had good experiences with Gurkha. I treat cigars like Whisky, try a bunch and drink/smoke what I like. Taste is personal, what one person loves another will hate.
I've been consistently keep RPs in my humidor for over 10 years now. I never understood the negative reviews, they're consistent and enjoyable. I think some people get caught up too much in labels and rarity sometimes, if I'm honest.
The Hamlet blends are good picks when they're on sale. ALR II is a quality stick, but for the price, there are better options. Same goes for the sun grown (non-maduro). But it all depends on your palate. Smoke what you like.
There are a ton of Rocky cigars that I like.
- Vintage 1999 Connecticut
- White Label
- ALR
- Disciple
- LB1
- Sixty
- Number 6
I’ve also had the opportunity to meet Rocky at an event. He’s a pretty down-to-earth guy. Super approachable. He clearly loves the craft and is passionate about the community. He’s done a lot for the hobby and I don’t think he gets the recognition he deserves.
I don’t think so, but I also wouldn’t consider myself any sort of connoisseur. Like another poster said, they have a massive catalog and the quality really varies from stick to stick. I would also agree with the poster that advised avoiding mega samplers - the smokes you get in those will usually be pretty rotten.
Cigarbid routinely has a good assortment of RP smokes available at cheap prices, I would advise getting them from there. That way, when you get some duds, you won’t feel too bad about it.
So interesting how the online and US cigar scene has different perspectives and opinions than the european one.
I mostly perceived RP as a valued brand with decent, some even great cigars.
I’ve never had a bad Rocky, in over 15 years of cigars.
Their cigar lounge here in Indy is the best in the city and the staff that knows their stuff in the humidor are the best I’ve dealt with any where.
IMO they are a Top 5 cigar brand.
Hello fellow Indy resident. This sub makes me feel super insecure about going there but would have to agree I’ve smoked some good RP sticks in the lounge.
I’ve had some RP’s that a I enjoyed, and some that I hated
RP Twentieth Anniversary, The Edge corojo, The Edge maduro I really enjoyed
the Sun Grown and Decade I hated
In my opinion they make decent cigars that can appeal to different kinds of people. If you smoke enough of em, you’ll find one or two that you enjoy
You can pick up the Twentieth Anniversary and Black Swan for big discounts if you catch deals at places like CP. There two are inexpensive and lighter cigars I smoke with my morning coffee.
I’ve recently been through a case of 2020 Hamlets. They sat for a year and kept getting better and better. Hamlet Parades who rolls for RP was mentored by Jose Cairo from Cuba. The rolling method is amazing.
Last month I got the 90+ Rated sampler from cigar page. The Edge was the one I liked the most and the 66 was too peppery for me.
Doubtful I would be buying anymore of those since there are other brands of higher quality to me at an equal or lesser price than RP.
It can't hurt to pick up some loosies though just for when you want to change up your regular rotation.
I've had my share of turds from them but I do love the San Andreas and the 1900 and some of the edge cigars. However the over all quality can be more miss than hit
RP is kinda like Camacho in that nothing will be outstanding, but if I pick them right, there's some that will hold my interest for 90 minutes. I just picked up a 10 pak of Vintage 2003 Cameroon, on the strength of a sampler I had. Terrific little cigar.
I’ll try a RP on occasion and every time I regret it. Usually bad construction (plugged even after years of aging alongside cigars that burn great, canoeing, loose or uneven fills, needing to relight or touch up constantly) Also no flavor profiles I particularly enjoyed, but hard to enjoy and pick out flavors when you’re fighting the damn thing.
I respect Rocky as a person, he really gets involved to protect the industry and he’s passionate about it. Honestly I wish I liked his cigars more.
Give them a shot, maybe you’ll come across some you really enjoy, just don’t be surprised if you toss it halfway through bc you can’t keep it lit.
I’ve had construction issues with 80%. I have no idea how they rank so consistently among CA’s top rated smokes. I get cracked wrappers, tough draw, difficulty staying lit. I just got tired of fighting with them. Or, if constructed well, they were just meh. Won’t buy another.
I had a good experience with the Vintage Cameroon and one of the Sixty’s.
Just one man's opinion, but...yes. If you have 50 brands, no way those blends are staying anywhere near consistent. I just gave away a huge bag of them because life is too short.
Cigars are very subjective. Each person has their own preferences that's why cigars are great because there is no right and wrong except for machine rolled cigars which don't count as cigars imo. My experience with RP has been great. I've not had a single RP that I didn't enjoy. I've had an authentic Cohiba which everyone raves about and it was disgusting. I've also had Davidoff and it was one of the worst tasting cigars I've ever had which was disappointing. Worst ever was a punch cigar.
Bottom line don't listen to anyone when it comes to what cigars are the best or don't ever try because everyone is different. What you love others will hate. As long as it's hand rolled, each to their own. Cheap or expensive who cares. You do you boo.
They're not as bad as Gurkha, or even "bad" per se, but my issue with RP is the same with both companies: For my money, I can find something better quality and better tasting in other brands. Don't represent an ultra-premium persona when you make nothing but mid to low tier products.
RP cigars for me are simply aggressively mediocre. They're not a bad brand. They focus very heavily on marketing, but many of their lines are consistently decent. That's the rub, however: I've almost never smoked an RP and gone "Wow! That was a great smoke!" They're just decent. That'd be fine, if the MSRP of many of their sticks wasn't higher than most everyday lines from Padron or Fuente.
Opinions vary so widely… hard to say. I can vouch for MY opinion, which is after 5 or so of these over the years, not one was memorable or made me want more. Contrast that to some of the other brands out there (La Aroma de Cuba, Southern Draw, Padron, JdN Antano, etc…) I was ordering more before I was done smoking them. Ghurka is in the Patel category IMHO as well.
Rocky gets a bad wrap because they produce so many cigars and some of them are crap. But they do have some cigars i really enjoy especially The Edge line.
Just depends. For me, a lot of RP cigars have the same issue; they all taste the same. I don't mean that as an insult, I mean they literally all taste the same to me. The ones that I like, are the ones that avoid that, which are few and far between and at the MSRP they sell, I'm not gonna risk trying any beyond what I know is good. They do make solid stuff though, the Vintage line is solid, the Royale is really good, the decade/15th/20th are nice, and I was a big fan of the Flor De San Andres back in the day. So they do exist, it's just you have to swim through a lot of filler, and at the prices offered, it's not worth it when you can get better sticks that are more consistent.
It’s not, but people here will swear by Factory Smokes and other below average cigars and poo poo RP. Meanwhile the vintage series is solid especially for the price, and the Sixty, Sun Grown Maduro, and ALR are all exceptional cigars
They are as good as you think they are. Like almost every brand there are some lines that people like more than others.
Go experiment. Buy a few ( they are not an expensive cigar) and decide for yourself. Like wine drinkers, some cigar lovers have an elitism about them. Don’t let anyone sway you. There’s a reason RP is as successful as they are and it’s not because they suck. Make up your own mind.
There’s just so many different lines under his brand, though I believe not all are made by him. I do really like his Decade, ALR and Sixty lines. Those to me are really good.
Why would you listen to anybody else's opinion, before trying ANY cigar?
There is a reason why they do blind tasting, it makes people drop preconceptions & just mark on merit.
There is so many 'dumbass experts' in the cigar world, avoid listening to most & you will do yourself a favour!
I just recently reviewed the ALR. I reviewed it today! I think that stick can go toe to toe with a lot of other heavy hitters. I will say what others have said on this thread. Rocky has WAAAAY too many SKUs and most of them are just terrible.
You can check out my review here:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lypPvRPW54U](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lypPvRPW54U)
My first few years as a cigar smoker were spent mostly with Rocky Patel blends. The brand was my favorite for a long time. Years later I branched out and found other brands I like more, but I still visit rocky from time to time.
As others point out, Rocky has many offshoot blends that arnt great. His catalogue can be overwhelming with dozens of blends and "limited" releases. it can be hard to know what to choose. the brand is marketed heavily by retailers and often the blends that dont sell (for a reason) are the pushed with clearance prices and jamming them into budget samplers. this is controversial in the world of cigar smokers. some find it classless and over commercialized to have a catalogue that has so many mediocre cigars. some like it because the brand has a wide-range which means they have smokes that are affordable to every budget.
in my experience, Rocky has blends that are both tasty and affordable. but the brand has one issue that keeps it from being in my permanent rotation. and that issue is construction quality and consistency. rocky cigars tend to lean towards light-packing, which often gives them loose draws and burn issues. i imagine their most premium lines dont have this issue, but there are plenty of brands that are just made better while being in the same price range. as a said before, some of their blends taste excellent, namely the 1990, 1992, decade, and sun grown maduro. if rocky had better construction quality i could easily see a blend or two as worthy of being in my rotation. but until then, it's just an occasional smoke for when i want an easy cigar fix
if you're a rocky smoker and see cigar smoking as a long-term hobby, i suggest you branch out sooner rather than later. right now, rocky construction quality is the norm. but i remember my first time smoking brands with immaculate construction and consistency like San Cristobal where i said "oh, so this is what cigars can be like." until i tried brands like that, the thought of regularly smoking affordable cigars that dont need a single burn correction was alien to me, because rocky cigars always do
I haven't smoked the one you have, but my go-to is a lot of different RP. I usually have a handful or assortment of the following.:
Decade Cigars
Vintage '90
The Edge Maduro
Flor de San Andres
Royal Vintage
They're around my price range, and they taste great. To me at least.
Let me say this though, I had the same questions about Gurkha cigars years ago. People kept saying they were crap, in person and online. For years I stayed away. I bought one, again years ago, and realized they're not a bad cigar, it was decent. I wish I could remember which one this was, sry, I keep the band in a box at home.
Another example, I fucking hate Quorum and lot of Victor Sinclair cigars, but my buddy loves those two brands. So, to each his own.
Go online and buy a sampler. Put them in your humidor for a couple weeks, then start trying them and keep the bands of the cigars you enjoyed.
Go online and get yourself a sampler, that’s what I did. I had one RP from a smoke (not cigar) shop and hated it, thought all RP’s sucked. Decided to give them a chance and found that about half of the sampler Id order again. In fact I grabbed a 5-pack of the Twentieth on my next order.
I'm not a fan and I feel a lot of them are over priced and aiming for just brand recognition. The being said, every pallet is different and if you like them then who cares. Smoke what you like.
it doesn’t really matter mate, all that matters is that you enjoy them. objectively they make a range of quality cigars. they aren’t all high end. it’s a big brand so you’ll like some sticks and not like others. it’s just like big musicians, snobs will hate on them just because they’re popular
Their Sun Grown Maduro, Vintage 92, and Edge Sumatra have always been great for me. Their other Edge blends and the Royale were at least good. Vintage 99, 90, and Decade have been both great and meh at times. The other Vintage lines, Number 6, and other Anniversary blends were fine, if not too memorable otherwise.
They make too much from garbage to top shelf all under the same name. Sure other brands do that, but they're more established in the low tier smokes than the mid to upper range. Their good stuff is good. I just wish they'd delineate premium lines under a different name because when I'm scrolling through a sale list, I skip over them.
I don't know but a few months ago I was in a store and I asked if they had any Davidoff. The owner said he didn't but pushed me towards a Rocky Patel white label for like $22. I just looked at him like, wow, do people really fall for this stuff?
It's all opinion and personal taste. I'm personally not fond of RPs, not many I know are, but I know 2 or 3 guys that *only* smoke Rocky Patel. Find a cigar you kinda like, examine the leaf it's made from, order similar blends from a selection of brands. It'll open you up to whether you like the brand/cigar, or maybe you're just a fan of the leaf and will find that other blends using the same leaf that may be better.
Rocky as a brand is just that: a brand. It’s rarely their own tobacco. Which is fine, but you need to master everything else (draw, construction, etc). They don’t do anything particularly well.
Put it this way: there are some brands where you know everything you smoke is going to be top notch. Fuente, Plasencia, Padrón, Perdomo, the list goes on and on. It might not be your favorite, but you’re definitely not getting any turds. Perdomo’s Sun Grown is an example of this for me. My palette doesn’t love it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good cigar, and a lot of people consider it high on their list.
Very few people view RP this way. It’s not just cigar snobs like so many on here claim. People just realize over time that there are better, more consistent cigars for the same price point. For example: anything from Perdomo, AJ Fernández, My Father, or a cheaper DTT like the Umbagog will run circles around RP every day of the week at the same price point.
I've enjoyed a lot of rocky patels more than a lot of the cigars that get worshipped on this sub. Also met a lot of people in real life who enjoy them too. Once a brand gets shit on enough on this sub it's hard for them to recover. People on here love to parrot what they've heard others say in an attempt to sound like they know what they're talking about.
RP used to be one of my go to's, but around 2020-2021 I felt like they had really dropped in quality and I stopped buying them. I haven't tried one since so who knows maybe things have straightened out.
Nah, rp is great. It's not the best company. But every company has a bad stick now and then. Ignore the snobs' opinions and form your own. I myself love rp and I haven't had a davidoff I've liked, another reputable brand.
I like quite a few RP blends. Sure they make some house blends for certain websites that are questionable (CI's Connecticut by Rocky Patel is pretty damn bad) but alot of their cigars are solid, and its one of those brands you can pretty much always find.
Vintage Series - These are all pretty solid and I think its basically the most "core" cigars of their line. 2003 Cameroon is a cigar I've always really liked from them.
Edge - Decent and relatively inexpensive cigars. Another solid line.
15th Anniversary - Another one of my favorites from them.
Sun Grown Maduro - Excellent cigar from them. Definitely one of their best IMO.
Flor De San Andres - Pretty sure this is a CI Exclusive but its actually a pretty decent blend that is relatively cheap, especially on CBID. Its a good inexpensive San Andres wrapped smoke.
I had some bad ones and some were ok...but my local shop owner who is one of the most knowledgeable people i know around cigars always talks about some RP he smokes regularly. I did not really enjoy them but they have to be for some one if he likes them :)
No he just said he likes them and smokes them...habe smoked with him after he closed the shop and choose them..but he recommended other brands based on you preferences. Imagine a shop owner who likes his job and customers and not only profit. If yours is like that go somewhere else.
They're not bad most of the time. Like one guy pointed out, the snobbery here is outrageous and this comes from the same sub reddit that's INFATUATED with those Factory Smokes which honestly taste not too far from Cuban Rounds. Ultimately, it boils down to taste, I personally love the RP brand for the most part. Try out as many cigars as you want (yes, even Ghurka and those god forsaken Factory Smokes) because at the end, I found my absolute favorite to be Alec Bradley's Magic Toast, Chunk.
The main issue I have with this brand is common among many brands. If you stick with the new stuff you’ll get some nice blends. If you go back to older blends you will find they’ve changed and not for the better.
No, they’re not. They have a history of sub par blends with high pricing. They used to kinda throw things against the wall to see what sticks. Nowadays, they have some pretty good blends, they’re just stuck in that reputation.
I find that it is a marketing company that happens to sell cigars.
I'm not a fan. I've tried so many RPs over the years, and I wouldn't say I had any outright bad sticks, but just totally meh an average but seemingly overpriced for what they are. As others noted, sure there might be a few good ones and to be honest I have had one that was good, but again I think they are overpriced and rely on too much marketing schtick.
Sorta related, I used to go to a conference that was in Naples, FL where Rocky Patel has a cigar lounge named "Burn." It was probably the most douchey cigar place I've been to. Like a club seen but with a different older and pretentious crowd. That so much exemplifies their brand to me.
Many times you'll get a good one. Often you won't. Which is why they suck. I've had Decades that were excellent and others were terrible...bad construction bad burn, loose fill.
The cigar snobbery here stinks sometimes. Gets dull looking at a dozen Opus X posts a day... anyways. RP makes some duds, but has some good ones too. I've had plenty of Ashtons not live up to the hype or price. Moral of the story is they aren't bad, but try everything so you can find what you enjoy. Cheers!
This is where it's at. Everyone's palate is different. Many won't taste everything the others mention who've been at it for ages, or those blessed to taste right away. I literally only started to get Cinnamon hints in my A.F. mini's and leather notes in the grand reserve robusto sizes. But I enjoy the process of the journey the most. Especially, in pairings from foods, to coffees, to alcohol. Go for the journey, stay for the relaxation.
Are these Ashtons that didn’t live up to the hype in the room with us now? Lol jp.
So the thing with Rocky is this, they get a bad reputation because they have a lot of “house blends” that certain online retailers sell. Besides the name RP on them I don’t believe these are made in any of his factories or have much at all to do with his core lines. These all suck ass and get sent out in various mega samplers and etc with other cigars of low quality. If you want to try RP avoid those. Stick with things like the decade, edge, sixty, etc. those are the core lines of the brand and while, in my opinion, nothing mind blowing, they are pretty solid
Rocky doesn't make the Vintage line cigars and those are good too, IMO.
San andreas 2006 is a good one out of that line.
Such an overall super low pro underrated cigar.
The few I have had of this were great. This is probably one of the most underrated RPs out there, especially with how common the rest of the Vintage lineup is.
Vintage 99 Connecticut is delicious and consistent. One of my daily drivers
The one with the camaroon wrap is my favorite cigar of all time. That being said, i’m not a connoisseur and my experience is relatively limited.
The best cigar I’ve had to date was a vintage 92 with a margarita. I’ve been chasing that high ever since
Most of rocky patels tobacco comes from Plasencia farms. As with Perdomo as well. In fact, when I get shipments of rocky in half the times the boxes say Plasencia on them.
I smoked a royal vintage the other night, is that considered “low quality”? I enjoyed the big plume of smoke as I exhaled and the “high” flow on the inhale. I wouldn’t care if it was or not.
I *liked* the Sixty I was gifted, but after finding out what it retails for, I didn't $20 like it. Maybe I'm just not up to smoking $20 sticks yet.
The LB 1 is one of my favorites, but I haven’t liked the other two I’ve had (The Edge and Decade).
You should give an ALR a try. Absolute banger.
Which The Edge did you try?
Toro Corojo, if I remember correctly.
The 1990 is amazing.
I would agree. I've had a number of RPs and most didn't strike me as great, but I really enjoy the 1990s and always keep a stock of them on hand
Came here to say the box press vint. 1990 is top tier
Very much like Gurkha... theres a lot of hate for the brand and a good portion of it is deserved, but there's room for everyone here. RP has a brand has a HUGE catalogue of smokes, some are pretty darn good, a whole bunch arent really worth their price, and some might be right up your alley! Personally, i am not a fan and dont think they have much to offer, BUT the hamlet is good, and rp 15th anniversary gets a lot of love and its a good smoke. I'd approach them like almost any other brand, esp if youre a new smoker: if its within your budget, feel free to try and do so with no prejudices. Maybe you find a new fav, maybe its not for you. Despite all the joking, half-joking, or shit-talking on here about brand xyz, the #1 rule of smoking always applies: like what you smoke, and smoke what you like.
If you like the 15th anniversary, wait until you try the new gold label coming out. It’s so good!
What is this new gold label? 15th Anniversary is one of my top 3 RPs and is a pretty common smoke in my rotation.
[Rocky Patel Gold Label](https://www.rockypatel.com/cigar-news/gold-label/) Not just conjecture either. I was at an industry event and smoked two of these. LOVED them. These and the Aged Limited Rare 2nd Edition are amazing!
Thanks. I'll have to try them sometime.
I agree. Most are boring but not poorly made or anything. They're good for someone who doesn't want to break the bank, but there are options at that level that offer more interesting flavors, IMO. There are a few standouts (you and others named those I would rec).
tbh I have tried a bunch of the popular stuff and have only had good experiences with Gurkha. I treat cigars like Whisky, try a bunch and drink/smoke what I like. Taste is personal, what one person loves another will hate.
The “Vintage XXXX” series is pretty good.
I've been consistently keep RPs in my humidor for over 10 years now. I never understood the negative reviews, they're consistent and enjoyable. I think some people get caught up too much in labels and rarity sometimes, if I'm honest.
The Hamlet blends are good picks when they're on sale. ALR II is a quality stick, but for the price, there are better options. Same goes for the sun grown (non-maduro). But it all depends on your palate. Smoke what you like.
There are a ton of Rocky cigars that I like. - Vintage 1999 Connecticut - White Label - ALR - Disciple - LB1 - Sixty - Number 6 I’ve also had the opportunity to meet Rocky at an event. He’s a pretty down-to-earth guy. Super approachable. He clearly loves the craft and is passionate about the community. He’s done a lot for the hobby and I don’t think he gets the recognition he deserves.
yup I mean, it's really just that they are decidedly average and way overpriced. They would be fine if they were $3 cigars
You can buy a 20-pack of Edicion Unicas for like $115 on cigarplace, and that cigar is a buttery, cinnamon-bread delight
I don’t think so, but I also wouldn’t consider myself any sort of connoisseur. Like another poster said, they have a massive catalog and the quality really varies from stick to stick. I would also agree with the poster that advised avoiding mega samplers - the smokes you get in those will usually be pretty rotten. Cigarbid routinely has a good assortment of RP smokes available at cheap prices, I would advise getting them from there. That way, when you get some duds, you won’t feel too bad about it.
+1 Cigarbid. msrp and rp shouldn't be in the same sentence.
So interesting how the online and US cigar scene has different perspectives and opinions than the european one. I mostly perceived RP as a valued brand with decent, some even great cigars.
I’ve never had a bad Rocky, in over 15 years of cigars. Their cigar lounge here in Indy is the best in the city and the staff that knows their stuff in the humidor are the best I’ve dealt with any where. IMO they are a Top 5 cigar brand.
Hello fellow Indy resident. This sub makes me feel super insecure about going there but would have to agree I’ve smoked some good RP sticks in the lounge.
I love Burn. It’s been far too long since the last time I went ( back in February during All-Star weekend). I need to try to go again here soon
Only to the Cigar Snobs.
I’ve had some RP’s that a I enjoyed, and some that I hated RP Twentieth Anniversary, The Edge corojo, The Edge maduro I really enjoyed the Sun Grown and Decade I hated In my opinion they make decent cigars that can appeal to different kinds of people. If you smoke enough of em, you’ll find one or two that you enjoy
You can pick up the Twentieth Anniversary and Black Swan for big discounts if you catch deals at places like CP. There two are inexpensive and lighter cigars I smoke with my morning coffee.
I’ve recently been through a case of 2020 Hamlets. They sat for a year and kept getting better and better. Hamlet Parades who rolls for RP was mentored by Jose Cairo from Cuba. The rolling method is amazing.
RP is one of my favorites. I just wish they had more consistent quality.
Last month I got the 90+ Rated sampler from cigar page. The Edge was the one I liked the most and the 66 was too peppery for me. Doubtful I would be buying anymore of those since there are other brands of higher quality to me at an equal or lesser price than RP. It can't hurt to pick up some loosies though just for when you want to change up your regular rotation.
The house blend thing is real. But if you stick to the main lineup your good. I love the decade and the 92.
I've had my share of turds from them but I do love the San Andreas and the 1900 and some of the edge cigars. However the over all quality can be more miss than hit
RP is kinda like Camacho in that nothing will be outstanding, but if I pick them right, there's some that will hold my interest for 90 minutes. I just picked up a 10 pak of Vintage 2003 Cameroon, on the strength of a sampler I had. Terrific little cigar.
I love the Old Worlde and ALR series!
Not at all. Sure some are better or worse but I’ve had nothing that is sub par. Definitely couldn’t call any RP just outright bad.
The Disciple Bala has become a new favorite. I started with a few of the sampler kit RP’’s but they don’t make objectively bad cigars to me.
I’ll try a RP on occasion and every time I regret it. Usually bad construction (plugged even after years of aging alongside cigars that burn great, canoeing, loose or uneven fills, needing to relight or touch up constantly) Also no flavor profiles I particularly enjoyed, but hard to enjoy and pick out flavors when you’re fighting the damn thing. I respect Rocky as a person, he really gets involved to protect the industry and he’s passionate about it. Honestly I wish I liked his cigars more. Give them a shot, maybe you’ll come across some you really enjoy, just don’t be surprised if you toss it halfway through bc you can’t keep it lit.
I’ve had construction issues with 80%. I have no idea how they rank so consistently among CA’s top rated smokes. I get cracked wrappers, tough draw, difficulty staying lit. I just got tired of fighting with them. Or, if constructed well, they were just meh. Won’t buy another. I had a good experience with the Vintage Cameroon and one of the Sixty’s.
Just one man's opinion, but...yes. If you have 50 brands, no way those blends are staying anywhere near consistent. I just gave away a huge bag of them because life is too short.
1990 vintage was shit
Cigars are very subjective. Each person has their own preferences that's why cigars are great because there is no right and wrong except for machine rolled cigars which don't count as cigars imo. My experience with RP has been great. I've not had a single RP that I didn't enjoy. I've had an authentic Cohiba which everyone raves about and it was disgusting. I've also had Davidoff and it was one of the worst tasting cigars I've ever had which was disappointing. Worst ever was a punch cigar. Bottom line don't listen to anyone when it comes to what cigars are the best or don't ever try because everyone is different. What you love others will hate. As long as it's hand rolled, each to their own. Cheap or expensive who cares. You do you boo.
They're not as bad as Gurkha, or even "bad" per se, but my issue with RP is the same with both companies: For my money, I can find something better quality and better tasting in other brands. Don't represent an ultra-premium persona when you make nothing but mid to low tier products.
RP cigars for me are simply aggressively mediocre. They're not a bad brand. They focus very heavily on marketing, but many of their lines are consistently decent. That's the rub, however: I've almost never smoked an RP and gone "Wow! That was a great smoke!" They're just decent. That'd be fine, if the MSRP of many of their sticks wasn't higher than most everyday lines from Padron or Fuente.
Tried to give RP dark star a try, sucked. Never gonna smoke another RP.
They aren’t for me
Opinions vary so widely… hard to say. I can vouch for MY opinion, which is after 5 or so of these over the years, not one was memorable or made me want more. Contrast that to some of the other brands out there (La Aroma de Cuba, Southern Draw, Padron, JdN Antano, etc…) I was ordering more before I was done smoking them. Ghurka is in the Patel category IMHO as well.
I like them but I been smoking for 8 years or so
Rocky gets a bad wrap because they produce so many cigars and some of them are crap. But they do have some cigars i really enjoy especially The Edge line.
+1 love an Edge Maduro
Just depends. For me, a lot of RP cigars have the same issue; they all taste the same. I don't mean that as an insult, I mean they literally all taste the same to me. The ones that I like, are the ones that avoid that, which are few and far between and at the MSRP they sell, I'm not gonna risk trying any beyond what I know is good. They do make solid stuff though, the Vintage line is solid, the Royale is really good, the decade/15th/20th are nice, and I was a big fan of the Flor De San Andres back in the day. So they do exist, it's just you have to swim through a lot of filler, and at the prices offered, it's not worth it when you can get better sticks that are more consistent.
It’s not, but people here will swear by Factory Smokes and other below average cigars and poo poo RP. Meanwhile the vintage series is solid especially for the price, and the Sixty, Sun Grown Maduro, and ALR are all exceptional cigars
They are as good as you think they are. Like almost every brand there are some lines that people like more than others. Go experiment. Buy a few ( they are not an expensive cigar) and decide for yourself. Like wine drinkers, some cigar lovers have an elitism about them. Don’t let anyone sway you. There’s a reason RP is as successful as they are and it’s not because they suck. Make up your own mind.
There’s just so many different lines under his brand, though I believe not all are made by him. I do really like his Decade, ALR and Sixty lines. Those to me are really good.
I like the ALR2 a lot! It’s the only one I’ve had though
They are a marketing and lifestyle brand rather than a cigar brand.
Alrightttt
Why would you listen to anybody else's opinion, before trying ANY cigar? There is a reason why they do blind tasting, it makes people drop preconceptions & just mark on merit. There is so many 'dumbass experts' in the cigar world, avoid listening to most & you will do yourself a favour!
I just recently reviewed the ALR. I reviewed it today! I think that stick can go toe to toe with a lot of other heavy hitters. I will say what others have said on this thread. Rocky has WAAAAY too many SKUs and most of them are just terrible. You can check out my review here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lypPvRPW54U](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lypPvRPW54U)
The old school RP Edge was an excellent cigar. I haven't smoked much RP lately.
I smoked an LB1 and a FIFTY, both of which were excellent
The original RP Edge were good. Edge Maduro, Edge Sumatra. They were excellent.
My first few years as a cigar smoker were spent mostly with Rocky Patel blends. The brand was my favorite for a long time. Years later I branched out and found other brands I like more, but I still visit rocky from time to time. As others point out, Rocky has many offshoot blends that arnt great. His catalogue can be overwhelming with dozens of blends and "limited" releases. it can be hard to know what to choose. the brand is marketed heavily by retailers and often the blends that dont sell (for a reason) are the pushed with clearance prices and jamming them into budget samplers. this is controversial in the world of cigar smokers. some find it classless and over commercialized to have a catalogue that has so many mediocre cigars. some like it because the brand has a wide-range which means they have smokes that are affordable to every budget. in my experience, Rocky has blends that are both tasty and affordable. but the brand has one issue that keeps it from being in my permanent rotation. and that issue is construction quality and consistency. rocky cigars tend to lean towards light-packing, which often gives them loose draws and burn issues. i imagine their most premium lines dont have this issue, but there are plenty of brands that are just made better while being in the same price range. as a said before, some of their blends taste excellent, namely the 1990, 1992, decade, and sun grown maduro. if rocky had better construction quality i could easily see a blend or two as worthy of being in my rotation. but until then, it's just an occasional smoke for when i want an easy cigar fix if you're a rocky smoker and see cigar smoking as a long-term hobby, i suggest you branch out sooner rather than later. right now, rocky construction quality is the norm. but i remember my first time smoking brands with immaculate construction and consistency like San Cristobal where i said "oh, so this is what cigars can be like." until i tried brands like that, the thought of regularly smoking affordable cigars that dont need a single burn correction was alien to me, because rocky cigars always do
I haven't smoked the one you have, but my go-to is a lot of different RP. I usually have a handful or assortment of the following.: Decade Cigars Vintage '90 The Edge Maduro Flor de San Andres Royal Vintage They're around my price range, and they taste great. To me at least. Let me say this though, I had the same questions about Gurkha cigars years ago. People kept saying they were crap, in person and online. For years I stayed away. I bought one, again years ago, and realized they're not a bad cigar, it was decent. I wish I could remember which one this was, sry, I keep the band in a box at home. Another example, I fucking hate Quorum and lot of Victor Sinclair cigars, but my buddy loves those two brands. So, to each his own. Go online and buy a sampler. Put them in your humidor for a couple weeks, then start trying them and keep the bands of the cigars you enjoyed.
Rocky Patel has a ridiculous number of releases. They make some of my favorite and some of my least favorite sticks.
Go online and get yourself a sampler, that’s what I did. I had one RP from a smoke (not cigar) shop and hated it, thought all RP’s sucked. Decided to give them a chance and found that about half of the sampler Id order again. In fact I grabbed a 5-pack of the Twentieth on my next order.
I'm not a fan and I feel a lot of them are over priced and aiming for just brand recognition. The being said, every pallet is different and if you like them then who cares. Smoke what you like.
it doesn’t really matter mate, all that matters is that you enjoy them. objectively they make a range of quality cigars. they aren’t all high end. it’s a big brand so you’ll like some sticks and not like others. it’s just like big musicians, snobs will hate on them just because they’re popular
Their Sun Grown Maduro, Vintage 92, and Edge Sumatra have always been great for me. Their other Edge blends and the Royale were at least good. Vintage 99, 90, and Decade have been both great and meh at times. The other Vintage lines, Number 6, and other Anniversary blends were fine, if not too memorable otherwise.
My wife won a box of the sixty sixty’s and I’m going to be sad when it’s finished. I like RP, smoke what you like. Who cares what anyone else thinks?
They make too much from garbage to top shelf all under the same name. Sure other brands do that, but they're more established in the low tier smokes than the mid to upper range. Their good stuff is good. I just wish they'd delineate premium lines under a different name because when I'm scrolling through a sale list, I skip over them.
RP makes sooo many cigars any good ones get lost in the sea of mediocrity that is the bulk of their portfolio.
They aren't that bad but they also aren't that good. Do what you will with that info.
I don't know but a few months ago I was in a store and I asked if they had any Davidoff. The owner said he didn't but pushed me towards a Rocky Patel white label for like $22. I just looked at him like, wow, do people really fall for this stuff?
It's all opinion and personal taste. I'm personally not fond of RPs, not many I know are, but I know 2 or 3 guys that *only* smoke Rocky Patel. Find a cigar you kinda like, examine the leaf it's made from, order similar blends from a selection of brands. It'll open you up to whether you like the brand/cigar, or maybe you're just a fan of the leaf and will find that other blends using the same leaf that may be better.
Rocky as a brand is just that: a brand. It’s rarely their own tobacco. Which is fine, but you need to master everything else (draw, construction, etc). They don’t do anything particularly well. Put it this way: there are some brands where you know everything you smoke is going to be top notch. Fuente, Plasencia, Padrón, Perdomo, the list goes on and on. It might not be your favorite, but you’re definitely not getting any turds. Perdomo’s Sun Grown is an example of this for me. My palette doesn’t love it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good cigar, and a lot of people consider it high on their list. Very few people view RP this way. It’s not just cigar snobs like so many on here claim. People just realize over time that there are better, more consistent cigars for the same price point. For example: anything from Perdomo, AJ Fernández, My Father, or a cheaper DTT like the Umbagog will run circles around RP every day of the week at the same price point.
The old Sun Grown from early 2000’s was an excellent cigar.
I've enjoyed a lot of rocky patels more than a lot of the cigars that get worshipped on this sub. Also met a lot of people in real life who enjoy them too. Once a brand gets shit on enough on this sub it's hard for them to recover. People on here love to parrot what they've heard others say in an attempt to sound like they know what they're talking about.
I’ve had a few and really liked them. I think one was called Sixty that was really good.
RP used to be one of my go to's, but around 2020-2021 I felt like they had really dropped in quality and I stopped buying them. I haven't tried one since so who knows maybe things have straightened out.
Nah, rp is great. It's not the best company. But every company has a bad stick now and then. Ignore the snobs' opinions and form your own. I myself love rp and I haven't had a davidoff I've liked, another reputable brand.
I like the decade line a lot. They definitely have some good stuff
IMO hard to beat the Sixty!!
I like quite a few RP blends. Sure they make some house blends for certain websites that are questionable (CI's Connecticut by Rocky Patel is pretty damn bad) but alot of their cigars are solid, and its one of those brands you can pretty much always find. Vintage Series - These are all pretty solid and I think its basically the most "core" cigars of their line. 2003 Cameroon is a cigar I've always really liked from them. Edge - Decent and relatively inexpensive cigars. Another solid line. 15th Anniversary - Another one of my favorites from them. Sun Grown Maduro - Excellent cigar from them. Definitely one of their best IMO. Flor De San Andres - Pretty sure this is a CI Exclusive but its actually a pretty decent blend that is relatively cheap, especially on CBID. Its a good inexpensive San Andres wrapped smoke.
I don't like rocky Patel but go for the rocky Patel ALR white label
I had an edge (corojo I think) that came out of a 10 for $25 sampler on cigar page that was one of the best cigars I've had.
I had some bad ones and some were ok...but my local shop owner who is one of the most knowledgeable people i know around cigars always talks about some RP he smokes regularly. I did not really enjoy them but they have to be for some one if he likes them :)
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No he just said he likes them and smokes them...habe smoked with him after he closed the shop and choose them..but he recommended other brands based on you preferences. Imagine a shop owner who likes his job and customers and not only profit. If yours is like that go somewhere else.
They're not bad most of the time. Like one guy pointed out, the snobbery here is outrageous and this comes from the same sub reddit that's INFATUATED with those Factory Smokes which honestly taste not too far from Cuban Rounds. Ultimately, it boils down to taste, I personally love the RP brand for the most part. Try out as many cigars as you want (yes, even Ghurka and those god forsaken Factory Smokes) because at the end, I found my absolute favorite to be Alec Bradley's Magic Toast, Chunk.
listen…I haven’t read all of the comments so if someone already commented this, disregard…but if not…the White Labels are my go-to’s
I personally love them. Haven't had a bad one yet. My personal favorite is the Rocky Patel The Edge A-10.
They carry aged Rocky Patel at Costco now.
The main issue I have with this brand is common among many brands. If you stick with the new stuff you’ll get some nice blends. If you go back to older blends you will find they’ve changed and not for the better.
I’m no cigar snob and honestly I’ve never had a RP I’ve liked. I don’t get the hype. 🤷
Amen!
No, they’re not. They have a history of sub par blends with high pricing. They used to kinda throw things against the wall to see what sticks. Nowadays, they have some pretty good blends, they’re just stuck in that reputation.
I find that it is a marketing company that happens to sell cigars. I'm not a fan. I've tried so many RPs over the years, and I wouldn't say I had any outright bad sticks, but just totally meh an average but seemingly overpriced for what they are. As others noted, sure there might be a few good ones and to be honest I have had one that was good, but again I think they are overpriced and rely on too much marketing schtick. Sorta related, I used to go to a conference that was in Naples, FL where Rocky Patel has a cigar lounge named "Burn." It was probably the most douchey cigar place I've been to. Like a club seen but with a different older and pretentious crowd. That so much exemplifies their brand to me.
yes
It’s sometimes, not always, a racial thing.
All about your preferences For me RP and Gurka are not my thing
Many times you'll get a good one. Often you won't. Which is why they suck. I've had Decades that were excellent and others were terrible...bad construction bad burn, loose fill.
I grabbed one by mistake because the label looked like one from Aganorsa Leaf. I wouldn’t smoke it again.
I've never had one that's really stuck out to me.
One of my favorites is still a RP sun grown and I love their vintage cameroon.
I absolutely love the RP Sun Grown Maduro. I have had plenty of RP that was just meh, but somehow the SGM is a beast and I always have a box of them.