Stogie Reviews: Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 Torpedo
Monday, February 12th, 2007Time and again, whenever I have a special occasion to celebrate – like a birthday or a good friend coming to town – I break out something from Rocky’s Vintage 1992 line. Why? Because no matter how high my expectations get before the first light, I’m never disappointed.
The Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 Torpedo is a six and ¼ inch by 52 ring gauge slice of heaven. An unblemished, well-textured, ten-year-old Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper engulfs a binder and filler that have been accumulating flavor and character for seven years.
A fresh slice off the head provides the lucky smoker-to-be with a cross-section of cigar rolling mastery. Despite tightly packed tobaccos, the draw is clear and true.
After toasting the foot, I noticed rich earthy notes of oak and almond. Oddly, despite the easy draw, each tasty puff produced relatively small tufts of smoke.
The stogie doesn’t show its true colors, however, until the second third of the smoke. Here, the aforementioned wood and nut flavors mature into notes of dark roasted coffee beans.
It’s at this point that I usually have to audibly remind myself to smoke slower; I find the flavors so enticing that only taking one or two puffs per minute is like asking a child to be patient and not bite into a Tootsie Pop.
As far as physical properties are concerned, my many experiences with these stogies have uncovered no noticeable flaws. If you can’t get an even burn, a firm ash, or an effortless draw, you’re doing something wrong (and you might want to consult our Tips).
Clocking in at about $8.75 apiece, this is obviously no cheap stick. But considering the Vintage 1992 line’s complexity, full-bodied flavors (that hands-down outmatch the Vintage 1990 line), and aging, it’s still a great bargain.
So, keeping in mind the guidelines for StogieGuys.com’s unique ratings system, I’m wholeheartedly giving the Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 Torpedo five out of five stogies.
[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]
Couldn’t agree more Patrick, although I prefer the 1990 to the 1992. This is definitely a five stogie cigar that must be smoked slowly in order to optimize the experience. If you look around auction sites, you can find these for around half the retail price. I’ve won 5 packs for 20-23 bucks. They make up the cornerstone of my humidor.
I too agree that this cigar is worthy of your heralded “five out of five stogies” rating. Simply put, it’s just an excellent smoke with a lot to offer.
Nice pic, by the way.
Yes, I agree with those above, this is a good rating for a good cigar.
By the Way, has anyone tried the RP Vintage 1999 line?
Great review I really like that cigar as well.
There’s not a lot that RP does that I don’t like in fact.
That guy knows his stogies.
Great review for a great cigar.
I’m going to have to disagree with the five out of five rating. The RP is good, great even, but I don’t see it being on par with the Siglo or Davidoff Grand Cru. Ratings, of course, are subjective but RP doesn’t seem to be THAT mind-blowing that I would savory it on a special occassion. Is it better than over-priced sticks like the Fuente God of Fire? No doubt. I see this more has a strong four. Just my $0.02.
James,
Thanks for leaving your thoughts. I’m afraid I’ll have to respectfully disagree, however. In my opinion, the Vintage 1992 line has a balance, flavor, and construction that can match almost any cigar.
Anyways, I think we can all agree that this stick is great, even for the price.
[...] Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 Torpedo [...]
[...] My first choice for our Gold Star Smokes series was an instant classic the moment I took the inaugural puff. At six and ¼ inches with a 52 ring gauge, the Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 Torpedo is a well-aged Ecuadorian masterpiece with rich notes of dark roasted coffee beans and almond. It’s certainly not cheap at $8.75, but clearly worth every penny. This has become my one go-to cigar for extra-special occasions. [...]
[...] After two huge hits with his Vintage 1990 and 1992 lines, Rocky Patel was on top of the cigar world. So how do you follow up those hits? Combine them of course! [...]
[...] Regular StogieGuys.com readers may recall my deep affinity for the Vintage ’92 line. I happen to count the Torpedo among my all-time favorite smokes, and have even said its full-bodied flavors “hands-down outmatch the Vintage 1990 line.” [...]
These are amazing! Like the review says, you have to tell yourself to slowdown. The RP 1992 was reccommended to me so I tried one and fell in love - then I purchased a box. Excellente!!
jja
[...] The G3 is a fine smoke with a big, interesting taste. I think the price, however, is a bit higher than it should be, particularly when you consider the Rocky Patel Vintage ’90s and ’92s cost about the same. [...]
I recently had the opportunity to try all three RP Vintage cigars, ‘90, ‘92 and ‘99. The ‘92 was hands down the best of the three. Nothing wrong with the other two, however I really did enjoy the flavor and flavor variances of the ‘92 throughout the smoke. I am not an cigar guru and seldom recognize the subtle differences that other guys talk about. But the ‘92 is special.
[...] Patrick A, it was the Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 Torpedo; Patrick S bestowed his honor on the El Rey Del Mundo Robusto Larga; and George E selected the [...]
[...] I would recommend pairing the Centenario with anything from the Fuente Hemingway line, perhaps a Rocky Patel ’92, or especially an Oliva Serie O – the latter being a Nicaraguan puro to match this Nicaraguan rum [...]
Great Info! Thank You !
How does this compare to the Nicaraguan Puro?
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