Rocky Patel Dark Star Short Star

Late last year, Rocky Patel Premium Cigars, Inc. began shipping a new blend incorporating a type of tobacco the company had never used up to that point. Specifically, the filler of the blend includes a seed from Paraguay that was transplanted to Honduras and grown by the Plasencia family.

In addition, the new blend is covered in a corojo-seed wrapper grown in Honduras and a Honduran binder, while the rest of the filler includes tobacco from the Jamastran Valley in Honduras and Jalapa, Nicaragua.

There were four different vitolas of the Rocky Patel Dark Star when it launched during the 2023 PCA Convention & Trade Show, all packaged in 20-count boxes:

• Rocky Patel Dark Star Short Star (4 x 60) — $11.25 (Box of 20, $225)
• Rocky Patel Dark Star Robusto (5 1/2 x 50) — $10.50 (Box of 20, $210)
• Rocky Patel Dark Star Toro (6 x 52) — $11.50 (Box of 20, $230)
• Rocky Patel Dark Star Sixty (6 x 60) — $12.50 (Box of 20, $250)

As is the case with many other Rocky Patel cigars, the Dark Star line is being produced at Plasencia’s El Paraiso factory in Honduras, and boxes started shipping to retailers on Nov. 30, 2023.

• Cigar Reviewed: Rocky Patel Dark Star Short Star
• Country of Origin: Honduras
• Factory: El Paraiso
• Wrapper: Honduras (Corojo)
• Binder: Honduras
• Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua
• Length: 4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 60
• Vitola: Petit Gordo
• MSRP: $11.25 (Box of 20, $225)
• Release Date: November 2023
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

Short and stubby in my hand, the Rocky Patel Dark Star Short Star is covered in three different bands that, when combined together, take up about 75 percent of the total real estate of the cigar. Removing the foot bands reveals medium-brown wrappers that are smooth as silk, although there is no lack of prominent veins on each cigar. In addition, very little oil is visible, and all three cigars are extremely firm when squeezed. Aromas from the wrappers include strong barnyard, generic nuttiness, creamy wood, earth and white pepper, along with a light fruity sweetness. Scents from the feet of the cigars are quite a bit more distinct, with peanuts leading creamy cedar, sweet leather, more earth, tree bark and a vegetal note. Finally, after straight cuts, the cold draws bring flavors of wet hay, almonds, cocoa nibs, sawdust, citrus peel, coffee beans and milk chocolate sweetness.

The Short Star is a larger ring gauge cigar, so there is no great shock when it takes a bit longer to get the foot lit. However, once that happens, I immediately pick up a combination of bitter espresso, light black pepper and a touch of caramel sweetness. In addition, two of the three cigars feature a very slight metallic note on the finish, but it does not stick around long on either cigar and is long gone by the time the burn line reaches the halfway point of the first third. Main flavors of generic nuts and powdery cocoa nibs emerge, followed by secondary flavors of gritty earth, asparagus, brewed coffee, leather tack and cedar. In addition, the retrohales feature a small amount of sweetness from black pepper and vanilla extract, the former of which seems to increase in strength. Flavor ends the first third at a medium-plus, while both the body and strength are at a point just under the medium mark. In terms of construction, the draws are excellent and there is plenty of thick, gray smoke. While the burn lines are far from razor sharp, so far, none of the three cigars need correction from my lighter.

While the cocoa nibs note from the first third moves to the background of the cigar’s profile during the second third, the generic nuttiness easily remains strong enough to continue as the sole main flavor. Additional notes of cedar, brewed coffee, earth, yeast, pencil lead and light cinnamon show up at various points, while the amount of black pepper on the retrohale has increased noticeably, and the amount of vanilla extract sweetness remains the same compared to the first third. Both the strength and the body increase to a point just over the medium mark by the end of the second third, but the flavor stays put at medium-plus. Construction-wise, two of the cigars run into enough of an issue with their burns that they each need two minor corrections with my lighter, but the draws and smoke production on all three cigars remain excellent.

The same generic nuttiness continues to dominate the profile of the Dark Star in the final third, leading a list of secondary flavors that includes hay, dark chocolate, bitter espresso, leather tack, light cinnamon, cedar, plain popcorn and gritty earthiness. In addition, the amount of black pepper and vanilla extract sweetness remains at about the same level, and while the metallic note returns to the finish on one cigar, it does not stick around long enough to make much of an impact on the profile as a whole. The flavor ends at medium-plus, while the body and strength both increase to medium-plus and medium-full, respectively. The burn lines on all three cigars give me no more issues, while the draws and smoke production continue on their excellent paths until I put the nubs down with slightly less than an inch remaining.

Final Notes

• Yes, the name Rocky Patel Dark Star Short Star is just as awkward to say out loud as it is to read.
• There are quite a few companies that incorporate stars into the branding of their company or for as imagery for specific lines: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust’s Stillwell Star is the first that comes to mind, but there is also Black Star Line Cigars, La Estrella Cubana and even a Rafael González Edición Regional from Habanos S.A. named North Star.
• About one week after shipping the Dark Star line, Rocky Patel released a cigar on the other end of the price spectrum named Conviction, which features an MSRP of $100 each.
• While the larger vitolas look better visually, three separate bands on a cigar this size are two too many,
• Having said the above, the bands are extremely well-made, with gold foil highlights, clean cuts, and a large number of embossed details. Be warned, the bands are also extremely hard to remove from the cigar without damaging them.
• Although the Paraguayan seed tobacco used in the filler is one of the more interesting things about this blend, outside of the Eiora family, I have seen relatively few companies use a Honduran corojo wrapper.
• While the burn line on all three of my cigars was almost never totally straight, I only had to correct two of them in the second third. In addition, the ash held on until well past the halfway point for all three cigars.
• Rocky Patel advertises on halfwheel.
• The cigars smoked for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time for all three cigars averaged out to one hour and 16 minutes.
• If you would like to purchase any of the Rocky Patel Dark Star Short Star cigars, site sponsor Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars Direct and Famous Smoke Shop all have them in stock on their respective websites.