For many including myself, green candela cigars may remind you of the iconic shabby detective, Lieutenant Frank Columbo, played by Peter Falk. However, candelas can be premium cigars, too!
For instance, Rocky Patel’s The Edge Candela is an example of a premium cigar and we will review it according to the following:
You can use the links above to jump ahead or scroll down to learn more.
Watch The Video Review
Overview
- Brand: Rocky Patel
- Range: The Edge
- Reviewed Vitolas: 6 x 52 Toro
- Wrapper: Habano Candela
- Binder: Not Disclosed
- Filler: Not Disclosed
- Factory: Honduras
- Handmade: Yes
- Body: Mild – Medium
- Estimated Smoking Time: 100 Minutes
- Pricing: $7.80 / Single [Shop On CigarPage]
As is often customary with Rocky Patel, little has been disclosed with regards to the tobaccos used in the blend nor where it was made. Nevertheless, as a candela cigar, the wrapper leaf was made by flash curing the tobacco in order to preserve its chlorophyll, resulting in its distinctive green colour.
Rocky Patel The Edge Candela Look & Feel
- Wrapper Hue: Olive Khaki
- Rolling Consistency: Mostly Straight
- Spring: Firm
- Aromas: Marzipan, Straw, Double Cream
First of all, the Rocky Patel The Edge Candela isn’t quite as green as you’d expect, especially with you’re familiar with cigars that are often released for St Patrick’s Day. For instance, Camacho has a yearly Candela release that has a much more vibrant colour.
Instead, the Edge Candela is more reminiscent of olive khaki. Nevertheless, its roll is consistent with no discernable soft spots and a firm spring.
Its wrapper has quite a sandy, almost coarse texture, but I wouldn’t describe it as toothy. In fact, it feels quite similar to matte craft paper. Indeed, it doesn’t glimmer in the light with many oils.
Despite the absence of visible veins, the matte paper texture does give it an overall rustic feel. Meanwhile, the aromas on the foot are very creamy with notes of marzipan, double cream, and straw.
Rocky Patel The Edge Candela Review
As per usual, the cigars were stored in a Boveda acrylic humidor that was calibrated at 69% RH and closely monitored with a Boveda Butler.
Pre-Lighting Experience
- Draw: Ideal
- Aromas: Green Tea, Custard, Cinnamon
The dry draw is ideal. However, its flavours are so mild that it borders on bland. Nevertheless, you can expect a combination of green tea, custard, and cinnamon. In fact, I’d liken this green tea note to green tea Pocky, a thin Japanese snack dipped in flavouring.
1st Third Smoking Experience
- Notes: Dried Grass, Birchwood, Charred Bay Leaf
The first third showcases the cigar’s excellent construction with a long and solid ash stack. Its flavour is about as herbaceous as you’d expect. Its mouthfeel is creamy without producing any creamy notes. It also has a surprisingly bitter quality, too.
The herbaceous component can be defined as charred bay leaf. Meanwhile, dried grass is quite prevalent too. There’s also a hint of Birchwood, which is light and fragrant.
2nd Third Smoking Experience
- Notes: Charred Bay Leaf, Charred Thyme, Birchwood
By the second third, the burn line becomes slightly wavy but the ash doesn’t develop any flakiness. The evolution in flavour is mild but you can easily identify some changes. Early in the first third, a fleeting note of caffè latte emerged but quickly subsided.
Otherwise, the second third was primarily aromatic with notes of charred bay leaf and thyme. The Birchwood has also persisted. Unfortunately, the creaminess has disappeared and the cigar has become somewhat dry.
Final Third Smoking Experience
- Notes: Birchwood, Nutmeg, Coffee Grounds
The final third is quite unexpected and a step away from the cigar’s theme in the previous thirds. It has developed a distinctive nutmeg spiciness as a well as a potent gourmand coffee ground note. Nevertheless, the Birchwood continues to persist all the way down to the nub.
Furthermore, the cigar’s body has significantly grown and is now well into medium-plus territory.
Although not a particularly complex cigar, its simplicity does offer a particular level of enjoyment. Indeed, it’s a great cigar for casual moments when doing other activities or at a barbecue as we’ll explain below.
As mentioned earlier, the mouthfeel is initially creamy but dries as you progress. Therefore, its palate stimulation is slightly unbalanced and the result is a higher level of astringency. Consequently, we suggest enjoying the cigar with a beverage.
With regard to the lifecycle, the cigar is arguably somewhat linear but this trait can be argued to be consistent. It also doesn’t have an overly long finish but the residual scent in the room is quite pleasant.
Overall Burn
- Ash Backbone: Strong
- Burn Angle: Mostly Straight
- Temperature: Mostly Cool
- Draw: Ideal Airflow
- Final Smoking Time: 100 Minutes
The cigar’s draw remains consistent throughout the whole experience and provides you with a pleasantly cool and refreshing smoke. As mentioned earlier, the burn line can become wavy but it’s straight for the most part of the cigar. Similarly, the ash backbone is excellent, leaving always lots of insulation for the cherry.
Overall Experience
Some people dislike single bands on the foot, which is understandable. You have to remove them to smoke the cigar, which takes away any ornamentation. For this reason, I always try to slip them back over the head so it can stay on the cigar.
Take care if you do it on this cigar. As the wrapper is quite coarse, the band can tug on it and break it. Furthermore, the band does have a sort of rustic design. Its pale yellow colour doesn’t quite embellish the cigar as much as it could.
The box, on the other hand, looks very stylish. It is presented with a hand-painted green finish, which results in an attractive artisanal design.
Expect to pay around $7.80 for a single The Edge Candela. Buying a box will bring the price down for the individual cigars. Indeed, a box of 20 cigars can be found for between $140 and $150.
As mentioned earlier, this is a distinctively casual cigar. Its best enjoyed as a daily smoke while doing other activities or when in the backyard with friends. It’s not really suited to special occasions. Similarly, I’d argue that it isn’t ideal for beginners as its character doesn’t really reflect the typical cigar smoking experience..
Rocky Patel The Edge Candela Pairings
Opting for aromatic dishes will extend the cigar’s herbaceous characteristics. Therefore, consider things like ratatouille or even pot au feu, a beef stew. These are cooked using a “bouquet garnis” that consists of oregano, bay leaf, and thyme. Therefore, they’re very suitable pairings.
Alternative, salads are great, especially if you’re having the cigar in the early afternoon. I would opt for something like an avocado salad as it’s fattiness will render the cigar creamier.
As for beverages, opt for something longer than the usual alcoholic spirits. Rather than rum or whisky, consider pilsner or pale ale beer. Otherwise, green tea is an excellent albeit unsurprising choices.
Similarly, a caffè latte will also marry well with the cigar flavours by bringing out additional gourmand notes as well as offsetting its dryness with additional creaminess.
Closing Thoughts
While not the most sophisticated cigar, the Rocky Patel The Edge Candela is still very pleasant with a bouquet of aromatic notes that make for a refreshing experience.
"An aromatic and intriguing journey that offers a wonderfully casual escape from the norm."
Further Reading
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