Rocky Patel Grand Reserve: A Humidor Rediscovery

Even though I keep an accurate inventory of my cigars, things do get forgotten or overlooked. Recently, I added some additional Spanish cedar trays to my humidor in an effort to make organization easier. Doing so meant removing the cigars before placing them back in the trays. Not surprisingly, I picked up more than one cigar and thought, “I should smoke that.”

One such cigar was the Rocky Patel Grand Reserve. I still had a few Robustos left from a purchase back in August 2024.

The Grand Reserve was first released in 2018 for distribution in Europe. It proved to be very popular and was subsequently released in the U.S. in the summer of 2020. Rocky Patel does not officially disclose the tobaccos used in the blend, although the company does note that the cigars are manufactured in Honduras and incorporate aged tobaccos.

The cigar starts off with a creamy, leathery note. A mix of peanuts and toasted almonds joins in as the cigar warms. As I smoked, the flavor shifted toward an enjoyable blend of sweetness and spice, with caramel and cedar in the background. The medium-bodied smoke was never heavy or dark, maintaining a flavorful balance throughout.

I paired the Rocky Patel with an Old Fashioned made with J. H. Bards Skipper’s Select Toasted Barrel Bourbon. The bourbon has a very light toasted note when sipped neat, though that note was less apparent in the cocktail. The Old Fashioned proved to be a good complement to the cigar on a pleasant fall evening.

While enjoying the Rocky Patel Grand Reserve, I found myself thinking about other cigars I hadn’t smoked in a long time. Rearranging the humidor had brought some of them back to my attention. I may have trouble locating specific cigars in their new locations for a while, but I’ve also rediscovered plenty of overlooked cigars that I look forward to getting reacquainted with.

Cheers!