Rocky Patel Mulligans Staff Review
Welp, there are holy grail cigars and then there are Rocky Patel Mulligans. Today I’m smoking the original Mulligans in a 5-by-50 Robusto called the Hook. This blend marks the birth of America’s bestselling bundle franchise, thanks to Rocky’s prolific output as one of the greatest cigarmakers of our day.
The Rocky Patel Mulligans franchise is a golf-themed bundle brand that includes more than 20 unique blends, like Crown Jewel, 19th Hole, and Caddy’s Choice. The cigars come in budget-friendly bundles of 20 cigars you can stockpile in the coolerdor for a fraction of their original asking price. Without a fancy box baked into the price, the savings are off the charts. That means you can burn through as many ‘RP’ Mulligans as you want throughout the week without a hint of guilt, friends.
The inaugural Rocky Patel Mulligans cigars are blended from a proprietary recipe of premium long-filler tobaccos swaddled in an oily, brown Cuban-seed wrapper leaf cultivated in the volcanic soils of Ecuador. Rumor has it this elite smoke is a bona fide precursor to Rocky’s 95-rated Decade. I’d say that’s a believable story once I clip the head of my Mulligans Hook and wet my beak with its initial tasting notes of molasses, cedar, and a touch of raisin in the cold draw.
Rocky Patel Mulligans cigars are outfitted in a pair of colorful cigar bands, as green as the grass on the back nine. If you’ve followed my previous reviews, you know that my expertise on bundles, and the Mulligans franchise in particular, is deep. As the resident curmudgeon at Holt’s, I dutifully consume a disproportionate amount of budget cigars because I maintain around a half dozen coolerdors in my man cave to satisfy my copious consumption. That’s why I’m fixated on cigars that taste amazing for the lowest prices possible.
A feisty array of black pepper, molasses, and hickory comes to life across my palate the second I’m holding a flame to the foot of my Hook. The cigar settles into a consistent medley of coffee bean and pepper with nutty and smoky nuances leaving an imprint on my finely tuned taste receptacles. A hearty undercurrent of freshly shaved cedar persists throughout the entire first half, and the draw couldn’t be more sublime. A firm white ash forms effortlessly at the foot while I fill the room with cumulus-like clouds of delicious smoke.
It's not surprising Rocky Patel Mulligans cigars became a quick hit with cigar fiends, like yours truly. You’re getting a grade-A blend with Rocky’s name on the band for a major discount. As I remove the bands and get into the final third, tasting notes of Dutch cocoa powder and mesquite impart an unexpected complexity, but the core profile sticks to its original notes of cedar and molasses with a touch of leather. Rocky Patel Mulligans is a crowd-pleaser down to the nub. There’s nary a hint of bitterness nor acidity as the final draws sashay over my palate with silky texture.
You see, Rocky is an incessant tinkerer in his tobacco-blending laboratory. He’s constantly working on the next big release for his premium Rocky Patel portfolio, and finishing a perfect cigar requires lots of trial and error. While the rollers fill his sprawling warehouse to the rafters, cranking out one recipe after another, why let their hard work go to waste when the cigars aren’t officially released? Years ago, your pals at Holt’s inked a permanent deal with Rocky to take the excess inventory off his hands under the Mulligans label, and the brand is among Rocky’s biggest hits, period. Order a bundle of the original Rocky Patel Mulligans blend, starting at a paltry $3.99 per cigar, and find out why this coolerdor classic shows no signs of slowing down, son.
Until next time, long ashes to you!
