It’s easy to be taken by the box of the Rocky Patel Fifty. The lid glitters with amber crystals in relief against a brushed copper plaque, all set in a handsome dark wood-grain veneer. But it would all be for naught, if this weren’t such a great smoke. It came out in late 2010 to celebrate brand owner Rocky Patel’s 50th birthday, yet wasn’t rated until early 2011 when the robusto scored an impressive 91 points. And the cigar is as attractive as its box. The pressed robusto owes its good looks to the dark Ecuadoran Habano-seed Oscuro wrapper that was culled from the upper primings of the plant. Underneath, a double binder and a hearty Nicaraguan blend amounts to a very lush and satisfying smoke, full of complex fla- vors that range from coffee and coconut to blackberry and licorice. Patel created only 2,000 numbered boxes of the Robusto and the Rocky Patel 50 is the most expensive cigar line he’s ever put out, limited edition or otherwise. Much of the tobacco is provided by the famed grower and leaf broker Nestor Plasencia, long- time supplier to Rocky Patel’s myriad brands. But the Fifty is produced in Estelí, Nicaragua, at Patel’s Tabacalera Villa Cuba factory, more commonly known as Tavicusa. The facility allows Patel more hands-on control over his cigar-making operation and the Rocky Patel Fifty Robusto is a testament to what his factory is capable of producing.

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