Rocky Patel Burn 'Special Reserve' Robusto

Rocky Patel is the Johnnie Walker of cigar brands: Sure, there are some pedestrian blends, all fairly serviceable, but there are also some spectacular blends to be had. The Burn 'Special Reserve' would be the Green Label blend.

Rocky Patel Burn 'Special Reserve'

Rocky's 'Burn' is as much a command as it is a name. Like the treats of 'Alice in Wonderland', just the appearance of the cigar says 'Burn Me'. The chocolate-brown Ecuador Sumatra wrapper is toothy enough to take the remaining paint off that picnic table. I'd  guess it to be a PA or CT broadleaf rather than Sumatra. It's pretty, but there's a loose, loose draw through the Nicaraguan fillers, inspiring comparison to the working girls of Tijuana.

The party really starts when I follow the one-word instruction on the band. Tart, fruity leather and wood flavors with a spice that starts strong, ends strong, and is pretty present through the whole smoke. I also get occasional hay and coffee notes, but through all the subtle variations the spice really puts this cigar over the top. This is a solid medium-bodied cigar that doesn't quit.

Special Reserve is no lie; this is a special blend, but I'm not going to reserve any of these for very long. Smoke if you got 'em!

H. Upmann Legacy Corona

Yeah, I know that some guys look on Altadis (and General Cigar) lines like they might Budweiser or Wonderbread; mass-produced units with little personality. Hard to call them cigars, right? Well, not every beer is a Shiner Bock and not every cigar is a Tatuaje Verite. Contrary to a connoisseur's position, I actually enjoy some of the Altadis and General Cigar marcas. Not all of them, mind you, but some.

H. Upmann is one of those disputed Cuban brands that Altadis claims, and they make a decent enough non-Habana cigar. Even before we get to the cigar itself, the Legacy's branding is nauseating. The bands at both head and foot are printed with a color scheme stolen from the Thanksgiving display at a Hallmark store. I guess that's what happens when you let straight men do the decor.

H. Upmann Legacy

Fillers are a blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos, wrapped with Nicaraguan binder and jacketed in a shady Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. The promo pap from the official website promises a "myriad of subtle and complex flavors" from the hallowed tobaccos of 2008. Okay, don't just sing it. Bring it.

Ignition brings bold flavors of wood and coffee, with a subtle savory spice for the first 1/2 inch or so. The blend settles down to a nice dance of the wood and coffee, with a little bitter cocoa. The spice comes back in for the last inch as a nice farewell. The draw was about perfect, and overall construction what you would expect from the well-practiced torcedores at the Flor de Copan factory in Honduras.

I like H. Upmann's Vintage Cameroon line, but would agree that they are fairly light-duty. The Legacy promises a more robust flavor profile and definitely delivers. I'll buy more, especially at the reasonable $7 shelf price, but I'm taking off those hideous bands as soon as I get home.