Rocky Patel Mulligans The Hacker Staff Review
I’m reviewing The Hacker, a recent addition to the ever-evolving, golf-themed Rocky Patel Mulligans brand, and I’m smoking a 6-by-50 Toro called the Sand Wedge. In golf, a hacker is someone who essentially sucks at the game to such a degree that serious golfers can’t stomach playing with them.
Hopefully, my game isn’t bad enough to get me labeled as a hacker, but that’s of little concern. No amount of practice is going to improve my golf swing because, frankly, I only golf to smoke cigars. I like to smoke on a golf course where the air is fresh and the lawn is manicured. As long as my cigar tastes great and burns straight, I’m not even paying attention to my par. Rocky Patel makes many of the best golf ’gars I’ve had before, and The Hacker is another attractive Mulligans blend I’m excited to try.
It comes in three consistent sizes, each packaged in an affordable 20-count bundle. The Hacker bears a handful of hallmarks I’ve encountered in other Rocky Patel Mulligans cigars. The Hacker showcases an elegant Connecticut Shade wrapper leaf, like the 19th Hole. And it’s blended from a premium Cuban-sandwich recipe of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos that deliver consistent flavor for an insane value, like Caddy’s Choice.
Once I extract a glistening Sand Wedge from a new batch, an aroma of fresh tobacco and buttered toast emanates from the foot of The Hacker. Cuban-sandwich cigars represent some of the best values you’ll find because the cigars are made from a mix of long-filler and short-filler tobaccos on the inside. Plus, Rocky Patel Mulligans cigars come in cellophane bundles, so you’re not wasting a single cent of your purchase on packaging.
Creamy and nutty notes of cashew, cedar, and cereal layer my palate in the cold draw once I’ve excised the cap with my guillotine cutter. The Hacker fires up effortlessly when I toast the foot of the Sand Wedge with my torch lighter. A luscious profile of peanut, marzipan, and nougat weaves a tapestry of delicate flavor over my tongue with a gentle spice on the back end.
At just $3.24 per cigar, it’s easy to underestimate The Hacker. Despite the cheap price tag, Mulligans cigars consistently perform above average. And the reasons are simple. Rocky relies on the finest raw materials. He ages his tobacco for years, and his network of farms and factories cranks out one blend after another like a well-oiled machine. That’s why Mulligans cigars exceed expectations. I’m perpetually flabbergasted every time I come across a new release like The Hacker.
Subtle notes of fresh bread and cookie dough mingle with a honey-like sweetness over the cigar’s toasty foundation. Flavors of coffee bean, pepper, and white chocolate develop in the second half. Despite the use of some mixed-filler tobaccos, The Hacker burns as straight as an arrow and gives way to a substantial white ash that I’ve only tapped off a handful of times.
After fifty-five minutes, a mellow and delicious finish of cashew, macadamia nuts, and spice blesses my palate. I firmly bestow a 91-point rating upon another hit in the budget category from Rocky Patel. Score a bundle of The Hacker for your coolerdor without delay, friends.
Until next time, long ashes to you!
