The Rocky Patel Decade Toro smokes like a birthday cake for your humidor - this 6.5"x52 Nicaraguan puro comes box-pressed with 20 sticks per bundle at $257.40. Celebrating the brand's 10th anniversary, the toro flexes its Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper like patent leather shoes, hiding secret binder/filler blends from Nicaragua's prime fields. First lit in 2008, it's kept collectors happy through three CA Top 25 appearances and multiple 90+ ratings. Construction feels like shaking hands with a lumberjack - firm grip, rough around the edges, but dependable as sunrise.
Cold Draw: Raisin sweetness through tight draw. Tip tastes like licking a bourbon barrel stave.
Earthquake of charred oak with coffee grounds intensity. Black pepper sneaks up your nostrils in the retrohale. Smoke production feels like a small campfire - steady but never overwhelming. Ash holds strong like concrete pillar.
Sweetness emerges like dawn breaking - molasses swirls with baking spices (nutmeg/cinnamon). Coffee notes shift from espresso to mocha. Draw opens up revealing cured leather undertones. Watch for nicotine kick - pairs better with sweet tea than empty stomach.
Cocoa powder dominates as tar starts whispering at the nub. Retrohale brings chili heat warning of impending nicotine wall. Savvy smokers tap out here - newbies risk couchlock. Last puffs throw bitter dark chocolate curveball.
Rest these at 65% RH minimum - that Sumatra wrapper cracks easier than grandma's china when dry. Box date matters - 2013/2018 production years smoke like velvet compared to fresh rolls.
