Month: October 2016

This gem is a diamond in the rough. I happened to come across this cigar online- maybe watching a review. I was interested enough to buy a 5-pack from one of my favorite online cigar sites. I’ve tried a few Rocky Patel sticks and enjoyed them, so this was worth the shot.

It’s a 6″ x 60 stick with a very rich-looking, dark corojo wrapper. The name, Catch 22 has to do with the fact that this is a very flavorful, high quality cigar that should cost more. So what’s the catch? That’s what I wanted to find out. The smell is a barnyard aroma, with a hint of cocoa. I cut open the head and take a few dry, test draws. Very loose- perfect for me. I can taste a slight cocoa-like sweetness that makes my mouth water. I decide to light it up.

The Rocky Patel Catch 22 is a medium bodied, medium strength cigar. It has an earthy core, with hints of cocoa and a lingering sweetness throughout. I loved the loose draw and smokey output. Apparently, the “catch” is the fact that this a really good smoke at such an affordable price. My local shop wasn’t carrying these so I bought these off Cigar Bid for about $4 each. Sounds like a great deal and in my opinion, it is.

I found myself with a few hours on my hands so I decided it was time for the CAO Flathead 660.

It’s a beast. It is a solidly packed box-pressed cigar, with a very rich, almost chocolaty aroma. The pre-light draw is a bit tight, but I’m getting complex flavors, including a sweetness. By the way, I decided it was best to hole-punch the head to avoid cutting issues. This is due to the rather large and squared-off head.

The first third was medium-bodied and medium-strength . There were plenty of rich tobacco flavors coming through, including slightly sweet earthy notes that made me feel like I was smoking a candy bar. It didn’t put off a lot of smoke compared to other cigars but it didn’t bother me. I was enjoying it.

The second third kicked up a bit in strength. Flavors seemed to become more rich and specific. Tobacco and deep earth notes, mixed with an almost dried-cherry sweetness were present. I could also not get that candy bar mentality out of my head. Partly based on the visual aspect of this cigar, but also due to the semi-sweet, chocolatly under-notes.

The last third was more of the same. I could definitely feel the strength of this cigar but it wasn’t overwhelming. I kept hoping the draw would open up a bit more but maybe it was my hole-punch and not the cigar. Overall, I really enjoyed this stick. I needed every bit of the 2 hours and 20 minutes it took to smoke this baby.  I have the Flathead 770 at home in my humidor and I was told to plan for close to 4 hours! That should be interesting.

This was a very affordable cigar- I paid somewhere in the $10 range. It ranked #3 on Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 Cigars of 2015. I would  recommend to any friend who would enjoy a good cigar.

-RR