Patina is one of those “if you know, you know” brands. It just doesn’t get a lot of love from some in the industry, which is a shame. I fell in love with the Patina Connecticuts and never looked back. I have been excited about the Patina Sumatra ever since owner Mo Maali announced it on our podcast last year. I’m a sucker for a good sumatra. The Rustic is the fourth line in the core line-up for Patina Cigars. I was able to try one at the PCA 2022 Trade Show last year and I immediately fell in love. I purchased the Bronze (Toro) vitola and quickly smoked through those. At the time, I had a backlog of cigar reviews to get through and just didn’t have the bandwidth to do the review. Thankfully, my home shop carries the Rustic, so I was able to pick some up there. And, in full transparency, Mo had 3 of the Rustic sent to me to review. However, I used the ones purchased from my home shop for this review.Â
OVERVIEW
VITOLA:Â Â Rustic
SIZE:Â Â 5″ x 52
ORIGIN:Â Â Nicaragua
FACTORY:Â Â Nicaragua American Cigars S.A. (NACSA)
WRAPPER:Â Â Ecuadorian Sumatra oscusro
BINDER:Â Â Connecticut Broadleaf
FILLER:Â Â United States & Nicaragua
STRENGTH:Â Â Medium-full – Full
SOURCE:Â Â Â
Oxford Cigar Company
ENVIRONMENT
WHERE:Â Â
Home Studio/Lounge
WHEN:Â Â
May 29 @11am
DRINKS: Â Ice Mountain Bottled Water
WEATHER:Â Â
An air conditioned 70°
HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:Â Â
3
PRODUCTION
RELEASE TYPE Â Regular Release
ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE Â August 2022
TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size:Â Â Â Boxes of 16
Production Totals:Â Unknown
VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o  Rustic (5″ x 52)
o Precipitation (4″ x 50)
o Coppeer (6″ x 46)
o Bronze (56″ x 52)
BAND DESIGN
The Patina Sumatra Rustic is double banded to remind the smoker that it’s a Sumatra wrapper. The bands are, however, beautiful. White with accents of copper and green. The copper has a metallic look to it and pops against the green.
PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
The Sumatra wrapper lives up to the name of the vitola – Rustic. Rough to the touch, veins traverse the length of all 3 that were smoked. There is a fair amount of tooth and a nice sheen of oil on the wrapper. There are no obvious hard or soft spots and the cigar has just the right amount of give to it.
AROMA
The Sumatra wrapper gives off heavy notes of barnyard with just a hint of spice. It’s an intoxicating aroma that I have come to love. In contrast, he foot has fruity and floral notes that are inviting. A hint of barnyard and sweet tobacco follow.
COLD DRAW
The cold draw reveals notes of sweet crean, bread, fruit, and a little nuttiness. The fruit has an almost berry-like sweetness to it. The draw on all 3 were a little on the tight side but nothing concerning.
SMOKING EXPERIENCE
LIGHT & DRAW
Cut: Les Fines Lames LE PETITE cigar knife
Fire:Â ST Dupont Minijet
The initial light was effortless. Notes of baking spice, leather, and fruit all erupt from the first few draws. Black pepper on the retrohale. Spicy pepper gently claws at the back of my throat. To be honest, I’m a bit surprised by the strength of the flavors. Even for an initial light, everything seems very amped up.
SMOKE
The smoke is plentiful and satisfying. There’s a creaminess to it that coats my palate.
FIRST THIRD
>> Dark Chocolate, Wood, Cream, Black Pepper
Dark chocolate, wood, cream, and nuts begin the first third. There’s creamy nuttiness that lingers on my palate. A subtle raisin-esque sweetness creeps into the background. Black pepper rules the retrohale. The burn line is fairly even. More concerning is that 2 of the 3 Sumatra Rustics smoked for this review seemed to want to always go out. The Sumatra Bronze I’ve smoked never had this issue. It forces me to smoke faster than I’d like. The ash is a beautiful gray and black and is compact. It resembles a stack of dimes. Wood, raisin, subtle notes of baking spice now. It has settled down since the initial light and has found its way, flavor wise. The wood note seems to shift to coffee as the final third comes to a close.
SECOND THIRD
>> Earth, Baking Spices, Espresso, White Pepper
Earth, baking spice, nuts, and a hint of espresso begin the middle third. That raisin sweetness is still there but it is subtle now, content to hide in the background and play a supporting role. White pepper on the retrohale. The ash is deposited in the ashtray so that I can remove the secondary band and not make a mess. The burn line is uneven and one side of the cigar wants to burn faster than the other. But the ash is not flakey. The earthiness dominates this third, but is balanced out by the underlying sweetness. I wish there was more of that. The coffee note comes shining through again. The Sumatra Rustic is keeping me on my toes. A hint of dark chocolate starts to add more complexity to the experience. The smoke is still thick and salifying. It’s almost chewy.
FINAL THIRD
>> Dark Chocolate, Charred Wood, Earth, Black Pepper
The final third sees black pepper return to the retrohale. Dark chocolate, charred wood, and an earthiness all follow. The sweet fruity note lingers on my palate. Leather joins the party of flavors. The burn has evened out and the Sumatra Rustic has become infinitely more enjoyable. The ash is still compact and gorgeous. Espresso and charred wood dominate the final third. Again, I wish the sweetness and baking spice was a bit more prevalent, but it is a balanced flavor profile. The baking spice picks up as the third continues. Espresso dominates the flavor profile. Notes of dark chocolate and campfire join in.
RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS
FLAVOR PROGRESSION
The Patina Sumatra Rustic definitely has a complexity to it. The flavors intertwine and compliment one another. Each third is distinct from the others and allows different flavors to shine throughout the smoking experience. What the Sumatra Rustic is not, is nuanced. While the flavors shift and move throughout the experience, they never really change or have nuances. There’s wood, chocolate, nuts, baking spices, and pepper all in various forms, but that’s all.Â
BURN EXPERIENCE
One of the Sumatra Rustics I smoked was plagued with burn issues from light to nub (yes, I nubbed it). Another had issues for about half of the cigar. It seemed that in both of those cigars, one side of the binder never wanted to light. Neither seemed “wet” and both were kept in my humidor at a constant 68% humidity for the last several months. While one did take several relights and touch-ups to get through, the other two did not…and one smoked like a dream.Â
RATING BREAKDOWN
0.73Â / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.50Â / 0.50 …Â Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50Â / 0.50 …Â Lighting Process
6.60Â / 7.70 …Â Smoking Experience
0.45Â / 0.50 …Â Personal Enjoyment
COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES
- I loved the flavor profile of the Sumatra Rustic!
- Each third has great transistions.
- Two of the three Rustics smoked for this review had burn issues.
THE PATINA SUMATRA RUSTIC IS A SOLID ADDITION.
If you take the burn issues away from this review, the Patina Sumatra Rustic easily gets over a 9. I had no issues with any of the Bronze I smoked, but the Rustic seems to be plagued with a binder that just doesn’t want to burn. Regardless, the flavors of the Patina Sumatra Rustic rank up there with some of the best Sumatra wrapped cigars that I’ve smoked. Baking spices, wood, earth, coffee, and chocolate all meld together and share the spotlight. There isn’t one voice louder than the others. If you’re a fan of Sumatra wrappers like I am, then do yourself a favor and go try the Patina Sumatra!
