Staff Review: Guardian of the Farm Rocco
Introduction:
With today’s review, we will be taking a look at the newest Cigora exclusive: Guardian of the Farm Rocco. Since its initial release, Guardian of the Farm has quickly become a boutique staple, garnering a devoted and continually growing following.
Feel free to skim the quick hits for an overview or jump into any section below to find the full details of Guardian of the Farm Rocco. Let’s do it!
The Quick Hits:
- The first Guardian of the Farm size to utilize a pigtail style cap
- Main Tasting notes of honey, cedar, and black pepper
- Recommended for: fans of Aladino Corojo, Warped Flor Del Valle, Foundation El Gueguense
- Priced at around $9.00 per cigar, Guardian of the Farm Rocco is more than a bargain considering the high quality of tobacco used in the blend
The Build:
Rocco features the same familiar blend that everyone has come to love with the rest of the Guardian of the Farm sizes. The blend starts with a beautiful, natural Corojo ’99 wrapper that sits atop a rich Nicaraguan binder and a blend of Corojo ’99 and Criollo ’98 filler tobaccos – a blend that fits the mold of what Aganorsa has become known for over the years. Although the blend isn’t new, this 4” x 52 short robusto size really lends itself to accentuating all the great things that Guardian of the Farm has to offer.
The Look:
I just want to be upfront with everyone here and let you know that the Guardian of the Farm design has been one of my all-time favorites for a long time now – it’s clean, it’s simple, and it stands out compared to the typical and oftentimes ornate designs that you see on most cigar bands.
Starting with the primary band, you will see an American Bulldog emblazoned in gold foil against a black background – an ode to the American Bulldogs that protect the tobacco fields on Aganorsa’s farms. Surrounding the main imagery of the Bulldog reads “GUARDIAN OF THE FARM” in the same gold foil.
On the left wing of the band, you will see “KG”, which are the initials of Kyle Gellis, and on the right wing you will see “MF”, which are the initials of Max Fernandez – the original launch of Guardian of the Farm was a collaborative project between Gellis of Warped, and Fernandez of Aganorsa. A gold foil border runs the entire length of the band, adding a nice bit of contrast.
The box for Guardian of the Farm Rocco is again the familiar box that you would expect from the rest of the Guardian of the Farm sizes. A simple, unfinished wood, with the Guardian of the Farm logo screen printed on the top in black and the sides of the box display the size name of the cigar, in this case, Rocco.
The only two visual differences between Rocco and any other Guardian of the Farm size are the gold foot ribbon, and the playful pigtail cap. Both of which help to set Rocco apart from the rest of the Guardian of the Farm family.
The Experience:
Let’s jump right into it – the first third of Guardian of the Farm Rocco was dominated by rich notes of cedar and black pepper, with almost indistinguishable notes of honey on the finish. Minor notes of vanilla, hay, and black tea were present but became an afterthought to the sweet finish of Rocco.
The second third saw the slight taming of the dominant cedar, black pepper, and honey that I was experiencing in the first third. New additions of cream and cashews made their way into the mix which helped to balance out the spice and sweetness - the perfect complement to the true medium body of Rocco.
The final third was characterized by a delicate yet rich profile that was followed by a perfectly sweet and spicy finish. Rocco was at its finest in the final third, and although a relatively short stint considering the small stature of the cigar, was one of the more memorable experiences I have had smoking a cigar recently. Sweet cereal notes reminiscent of Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch were always pleasantly present in the background and proved to be one of the highlights of Guardian of the Farm Rocco.
Overall, Rocco was balanced, medium bodied, and seemingly constantly changing, even if it was just slightly.
The Value:
Guardian of the Farm Rocco is a no brainer of a recommendation from me. Over the past few years, I have found it increasingly more difficult to find high-quality cigars that are under $10.00, and especially blends that use tobacco as good as this.
Final Thoughts:
If you are a fan of any of the other Guardian of the Farm sizes, then I would highly recommend testing the waters with Rocco – in my opinion, it’s the best size to highlight the blend and provided me with some interesting flavors that I didn’t pick up from the other sizes.
In the case that you know nothing about Guardian of the Farm or have never smoked it before, it’s definitely worth a try if you are a fan of medium bodied, rich, and balanced Nicaraguan blends. A lot of people associate “pepper bombs” with Nicaraguan cigars (and for good reason), but when I think about them, blends like Guardian of the Farm really showcase the profile that Nicaraguan cigars offer.
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