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Intro I've always enjoyed Rocky Patel's The Edge series, though I had only tried the Habano, Sumatra and Corojo versions, and would often stock up my humidor with them. You can usually tell them apart from the bottom label color, as Habano is blue, Sumatra is burgundy, and Corojo is beige, but it was weird when I realized the Maduro uses the same color band as the Corojo. The fact remains that The Edge Maduro has been around since roughly 2006; originally produced without the secondary band, it still features a filler leaf labeled simply as "Proprietary", which remains a closely guarded secret. While "proprietary" implies the leaf comes from their own estate, in some circles, the term is synonymous with flavored tobacco. Appearance It strikes me that the area around the cap is much lighter than the rest of the cigar, which is excessively dark, a feature that serves to hide the abundance of veins. The aroma profile, however, is neither varied nor rich; the wrapper offers only faint notes of hay and must, while the cold draw reveals subtle notes chocolate, leather, wood, and nuts, along with what promises to be a somewhat tight draw. I remove the lower band and notice an inscription on the inside warning against imitations; I don't recall any other The Edge cigars featuring such a message. As I begin to wonder if the The Edge cigars I’ve smoked in the past had this, I realize it doesn't really matter; it's time to light it up. First Third The Edge Maduro gets off to an interesting start. The draw is uneven /the only think I don't like) but there are abundant notes of wood and leather, along with some pepper, dark chocolate, and plum, and a retrohale reminiscent of "Christmas cake." A little research reveals that the wrapper is of Honduran origin, which is undoubtedly part of the reason the flavors aren't as aggressive as those found with wrappers from other regions. Toward the end of the first third, the chocolate flavors intensify, matching the strength of the wood and leather notes. Regarding construction, the burn line is mostly straight but tends to waver, and the ash doesn't hold for very long. The draw remains inconsistent. Second Third There are no particularly significant changes as I enter the second third, aside from the emergence of creamy notes around the cigar's midpoint and a very subtle hint of black licorice, though it could simply be anise, and given the cigar's coloring, I’m interpreting it as that. The pepper note softens a bit, causing the cigar to lose some strength as well; I’d rate it as medium intensity and medium-low strength. However, the inconsistent draw fluctuates between being relatively loose and tight, forcing me to adjust it with my teeth. Still, at least it doesn't go out (though I do give it a touch-up), and the burn line remains very decent. Last Third The pepper disappears completely in the final third, yet the cigar maintains its nuances of chocolate, leather, wood, dried peach (which emerged after the halfway mark), and sweet notes. However, the drop in intensity brings it down to a low-medium level, plus the the uneven draw, prevented the quality of these flavors from being fully appreciated in every puff. The burn line went completely off-track in the final third, reaching a point where holding the cigar became uncomfortable, so I set it aside. The draw was inconsistent and irregular throughout, though it took me an hour and 35 minutes to smoke the entire cigar. Conclusion When I first saw that this cigar was a "The Edge" and assumed it was a Corojo, I placed it in the long-term storage section of my humidor. After examining it more closely and discovering it was actually a Maduro rather than a Corojo, I moved it to the "next up for review" section; however, it sat there for a couple of weeks before I finally lit it up. That said, these are handmade products, so it is inevitable that a small percentage won't draw well, though the failure rate is lower than that of cigars from other regions. Even so, I expected more from this cigar; while many criticize Rocky Patel for producing unimaginative, repetitive cigars, I have had very few negative experiences with the brand. This The Edge Maduro, however, is not one I would cite to defend that positive stance. Made by: N/A Brand: Rocky Patel Line: The Edge Maduro Size: 6 x 52 Vitola: Toro Origin: Honduras Wrapper: Honduras (Maduro) Binder: Mexico Filler: Nicaragua, Panama MSRP: $6,50 Score: 76 Many people believe that the higher the score, the better the cigar, and it makes perfect sense. But this logic tends to imply that any score less than x automatically means the cigar is crap. That's what I want to avoid because there are cigars for different occasions, and not all of them aim to be the best of the best. Additionally, let's keep in mind that my tastes are my own. There's a cigar that you might think is excellent, and maybe I smoke it, and it doesn't seem that way to me. Likewise, one that I gave a high score and recommend buying by the box, and you smoke it, and it seems all sorts of different to you. These are my opinions. Take them as you wish. 0-25 You have nothing to look for here 26-49 You're bound to get cursed, even if you use it in a tribal rite 50-59 A good cigar to quit smoking 60-69 Give as a gift, especially if you don't want to be asked to gift cigars again 70-74 Good for a smoke where you don't care what you're smoking 75-79 Still a decent smoke, but forgettable 80-84 A good smoke, the kind you'll buy 5-packs of every once in a while 85-89 Excellent smoke and a cigar you'll want to keep regularly in your humidor 90-94 Permanent part of the humidor 95-98 The best of the best. Boxworthy 99-100 Consider selling body parts online to buy this I usually post in Spanish on my networks, so if this review seems translated, it's because it is. Blog Instagram YouTube
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