Rocky Patel has said that after ten years of breaking into the cigar business, dealing with all the trials of getting the right tobaccos, making the right deals, getting the right torcedors, and overcoming all the other hurdles it took to being the new guy on the block, he finally came up with the right blend to commemorate the past decade with Indian Tabac.And what a decade it has been. After coming out with his Indian Tabac Super Fuerte, his first successful trial at blending a full bodied cigar, he felt confident enough to put his own name on his cigar. Then, after such greats as the entire Edge line, the Sungrown line, and the two massive successes of the Vintage 1990 & 1992 blends, the Renaissance and the entire line of private labels, he finally felt he had come up with the best blend on which to put the Decade label. Apparently, the cigar world felt just as strongly about it as well. The torpedo Decade received a 95 rating from Cigar Insider; one of the highest ratings ever, given the fact that such a relatively short time was given till its inception. In truth, the cigar took twelve years to come out, but Mr. Patel wanted the extra time to make sure he had the right blend to call the Decade.Upon first look at the Emporer, you can?t help but notice how deep the rich brown wrapper leaf is, smooth and veiny. It?s a solid roll, but not too hard to prevent the perfect draw, which it obviously does have. The outer wrapper smells of perfect grassy, barnyard aroma, rich leather, reminding me of a mahogany bookcase. The filler smells a little like smoked ribs and roasting coffee beans. The initial cut was perfect. The cap stuck to the blade, possibly from a little overhumidifying. Initial lighting was very good, at first the taste was of sweet vanilla beans and cacao nibs. The draw was almost perfect with barely a little tightness. The first few inches had a taste that reminded me of the great smoked T-bone steak, and just a hint of an oatmeal raisin cookie. The burn was just a little uneven, but not surprisingly it worked itself out. The draw was consistent, easily allowing enough smoke to fill your mouth and give you the proper amount of its intended taste, but not too much as to be sucking through a straw. The first ash fell off unnoticed by me at about an inch and a half to 2 inches. The middle two inches was what really did it for me. All the subtle nuances coming together, being heated enough to bring out the very best that an RP could give you. Smoking this part of the cigar was a real pleasure, bringing thoughts to mind of the tobacco barns where the leaves are fermented, the tables where they are brought together for the final roll. This was truly one of the better cigars I have smoked; every part of it bringing nothing but pleasure. The wrapper ash was grayish white, the binder and outer filler ash were black, and the inner filler ash was pure gray. I was so wrapped up in the visuals and tasting nuggets that I barely noticed the second ash falling off at just over two inches. Unfortunately, given the climate I was forced to be in while reviewing, the head kept flaking off just a little, and finally gave way to the extremely low temperature and unraveled on me. If I had had another of these fine sticks, I definitely would have sparked it up. Like an old friend, I was sad to see it go. I will make sure to get a box of these on my next order, and I would wholeheartedly recommend this to any fellow cigar smoker, warning them to be prepared for one of the best smokes you will have in a long time.
