Rocky Patel Vintage 99 Review

This morning I rolled out of bed not feeling rested at all from my night’s sleep and brewed a cup of coffee to help get my day started. I strolled over to my humidor and grabbed this Rocky Patel Vintage 99 Connecticut that my friend Ed in D.C. had gifted me recently. What a nicely rolled cigar! I have to admit something…I’m a Rocky Patel fanboy without a doubt. Everything that man creates I tend to enjoy, aside from maybe the Fusion (blue label).

I headed outside and couldn’t believe how nice the weather was. It’s been really rainy here lately. If it hasn’t rained it’s been scorching hot. So anyway, let me tell you a little bit about this cigar!

The RP Vintage 99 has a Nicaraguan binder, Dominican and Nicaraguan long filler, and an awesome Connecticut wrapper. I’ve always been a fan of the RP Connecticut wrappers, but this one is a star!

The construction of this cigar was just amazing. The pre-light draw was extremely loose. I typically enjoy a tighter draw but I wasn’t too worried about it. My fears of smoking this cigar too quickly diminished as I got into the first third with a fantastically even burn.  I was picking up subtle hints of toasty flavors and just a nice, clean mild tobacco taste.

There’s just about nothing better than sitting outside in beautiful weather in the morning, drinking a fresh cup of coffee and enjoying a fine cigar. As I got into the second third of the cigar, the burn was continuing its consistant razor-sharp line. The flavors started getting more interesting too, similar to how the Vintage 90 and/or 92 perform.  A somewhat buttery, smooth flavor started presenting itself. Maybe not “buttery” in the sense of buttered toast, but more like a thick, creamy mouth feel with a really nice taste.

During the final third of this smoke, I needed to relight a single time due to a short phone call from my dad. Aside from that minor glitch, this cigar definitely has climbed up my “favorites” list. I’ve always been a fan of the RP Connecticut, but this one is strong competition.

As far as my overall opinion of this cigar, I would definitely pick more of these up, and would even consider a box purchase. Thanks again to my buddy Ed in D.C. for gifting these to me.

Highlights

• Fantastic morning smoke (mild)
• Great flavors for a Connecticut wrapper
• Construction was flawless
• Consistent
• Burn line was spot-on