Rocky Patel Sixty Toro

Rocky Patel created the Sixty line to commemorate his 60th birthday, developing a blend designed around maturity and extended aging. Handmade in Nicaragua, the 6.5 x 52 Toro features a Mexican San Andrés wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos, with the finished cigars aged for a minimum of two additional years after rolling. Rocky Patel lists the blend as medium in strength, and the line received a 96-point rating from Cigar Aficionado. The combination produces a dense, polished profile with dark chocolate, espresso, earth, leather, nuts, and warm spice developing through the smoke. Pair it with El Tequileño Reposado Rare Tequila. An aged reposado brings cooked agave, vanilla, oak, and gentle baking spice, which complement the cigar’s darker San Andrés character without burying it. The tequila’s natural sweetness is especially effective against the cigar’s cocoa, coffee, and earthy notes, making this a rich but remarkably composed pairing.

The Nicaraguan cigar industry originated when Cuban cigar makers escaped the revolution and re-established their livelihood in Nicaragua with Cuban-seed tobacco. Blessed with dark, rich soil, their new home was ideal for tobacco cultivation and Nicaragua quickly became known for cigars that rivaled Cuban quality. Unfortunately, revolution and war came to Nicaragua in the 1980s and devastated the industry, but it’s rebounded dramatically and is once again producing tobacco considered by many to be the finest in the world.

The Esteli Valley is in many ways the heart of Nicaraguan production and is known for its very powerful and spicy tobacco. The Jalapa Valley produces arguably the finest tobacco in the country: somewhat sweeter and less intense than Esteli, but extremely complex. The tobacco of the Condega Valley is often described as a blend of the other two regions.