Rocky Patel Super Ligero

In 2014, Rocky Patel unveiled a host of new products at the IPCPR trade show, some of which caught a particular interest among craft enthusiasts. These cigars, notably the Prohibition & Super Ligero, seem to have marked a turning point for the brand’s philosophy—they’ve noticed the growing niche of boutique cigars and responded by “boutique-ifying” a small section of their lineup. This trend continued with this year’s IPCPR show, with the introduction of Tabaquero by Hamlet Paredes, an exciting cigar to watch out for this year.

Rocky Patel Super Ligero Breakdown

This cigar is, in my opinion, the most attractive looking product by Rocky Patel to date. This is a cigar that will stand out the first time you see it, even on a crowded humidor shelf. This may be due for the most part to its unique color scheme—it’s primarily red/orange, Teal green, white, and black. But it’s the interesting use of pastel shades of these colors, combined with a muted finish on the packaging that really makes it stand out! A Western/Mexican font on the Ligero adds the finishing touch, giving it a retro & modern feel at the same time. The boxes are void of any hard cedar wood, but cleverly make use of a magnet seal for the latching mechanism—a very cool presentation all-in-all.

As for the tobacco, the cigars look great. The wrapper is dark brown with a rosado hue and shines with oil on the surface. There are light but visible seams and light veins throughout. The cigar feels solid and dense, looking like a long smoke ahead.

– Click the image gallery below for higher resolution photos –

Smoking Experience

Obviously, the first thing on anyone’s mind when lighting up the Super Ligero is strength—that’s what’s advertised right on the band! After lighting up, yes there is a ligero blast of flavor. What does that mean exactly? It’s hard to explain, but it’s basically like taking any strong flavors you can imagine and combing them into a ball—alcohol burn, sharp pepper, raw nicotine, burnt toast—it’s just strength, as a flavor. This blast of dark flavor doesn’t last long, it quickly evolves to show more depth in the retro—anise, allspice, dry pepper, and a long lasting cabinet spice in the finish.

Once the cigar starts to settle into its comfort zone (1″), I’d peg it as medium body, medium strength, medium+ flavor. What’s interesting is that the flavors are not dark and overwhelming with pepper, as you may imagine – it’s quite smooth actually. There is an oily texture to the smoke, with creamy flavors of caramel syrup & milk (just like your morning Iced Macchiato), butter, and a hint of leather and BBQ pork bark.

As the smoke develops, the ash accumulates in 2″ chunks, having a firm but flakey, light gray appearance. The draw is medium/firm, possibly a tad too tight, but still manageable, and the smoke output is decent. The flavors don’t offer many complex changes throughout, in the latter half of the smoke you’ll find notes of toasted nuts, muted pepper, cherry wood, a cold, menthol-like nicotine in the retro, and continued caramel & leather flavors. Approaching the end, the body is still medium, with full strength, and medium flavor.

Would I smoke this cigar again?

Yes. Sure, I’m not going to smoke this every day, but it makes for a fun choice when I’m in the mood for  little kick of strength! Try a 5-pack to see how you handle the strength output and take it from there—new smokers be cautious on this one—experienced smokers will love this if they prefer strong cigars.

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