Rocky Patel 'Fire' Torpedo

Rocky Patel 'Fire' Torpedo. 6x52. Nice construction. Darker brown wrap, straight lines, some pronounced leaf ends. Cut and lit very well. Hard-medium draw pre-light, a touch easier into the first third. First half tastes of black pepper, dark wood, emerging herbal notes, particularly in the exhale. Second half is strong leaf, bready, pungent spice, bitter herbal. 

Ash is clean, light gray, grainy. First drop was promptly at an inch. Second and third drops were a good two inches, suggesting an inconsistent packing. Burn was mostly even but did need my attention at a few points.

Draw closed slightly toward the mid point, becoming an effort to smoke. I found myself straining each puff despite the wide angled cut I made on the torpedo crown. A slight bite made for an easy draw, suggesting a packing that was a bit too tight. Not a deal breaker, but noteworthy.

This is a good cigar with some build issues. The first half was fine, with several good points, but the second half was a struggle. Two recuts was not enough, forcing me to chomp down on it if I had any hopes of smoking the second half. That was the bad news. The good news is that the chomping worked, and the flavor was pleasing, even if a little more bitter than I'd like. I'm going to try this cigar again, crediting the midpoint issues to a fluke in construction. Rocky Patel normally crafts quality at every price point, so I'm focusing here on the strengths over the weakness. Recommended.

From the company:

"Blended by the legendary cigar master Rocky Patel, Fire has a triple-fermented Ecuador Habano wrapper leaf covering the finest aged long-filler tobaccos. Immediately upon lighting, a blast of strong pepper offers quite the wake up call before quickly giving way to the most enjoyable notes of toast, cinnamon, exotic spice, and sweet molasses. Not for the faint of heart (or palate), the Rocky Patel Fire is an awesome, full-bodied smoke and a noteworthy edition to this Patel's ever-expanding portfolio of high-rated cigars."

[source: jrcigars.com]