Match M12 closed Group B with Rocky Patel Sixty and Blackened S84 Shade to Black both searching for their first tournament victory. Rocky had lost to Oliva Serie V Melanio Figurado and Warped Corto. Blackened had fallen to the same two opponents, leaving both cigars at 0-2 before the division finale.
Advancement was already settled, but third place and a winning finish remained at stake. The matchup paired two medium-bodied Nicaraguan-made cigars with dark interior character: Rocky's broad 6 x 60 anniversary blend under Mexican San Andres and Blackened's 5 x 50 shade-over-Maduro Robusto.
Five categories finished level at 4.5. The entire decision came from construction, where Rocky Patel Sixty earned the scorecard's only perfect mark. One half-point edge was enough to separate two steady performances and settle the final Group B placement.
Matchup at a Glance
| Category | Rocky Patel Sixty | Blackened S84 Shade to Black |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Rocky Patel | Drew Estate |
| Origin | Nicaragua | Nicaragua |
| Wrapper | Mexican San Andres | Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade |
| Binder | Nicaraguan | Connecticut River Valley Broadleaf Maduro |
| Filler | Nicaraguan | Nicaraguan Maduro and Pennsylvania Broadleaf Maduro |
| Factory | TAVICUSA, Esteli, Nicaragua | La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, Esteli, Nicaragua |
| Vitola | Sixty, 6 x 60 | Robusto, 5 x 50 |
| Strength | Medium | Medium |
| Ashology score | 27.5/30 - Superior | 27.0/30 - Premium |
| M12 result | Winner | Loss |
Rocky Patel Sixty began with cocoa, cedar, espresso and dried fruit. Rich earth, dark cocoa and black pepper created a dense opening. Espresso, leather, toasted walnut and restrained raisin sweetness added dimension before dark-roast coffee, seasoned oak and increasing pepper shaped a rich, lasting finish.
Blackened opened with sweet hay, cedar, pepper and mild cocoa. Creamy cedar, light pepper and toasted grain established a smoother beginning. Coffee, earth and roasted nuts brought more weight through the middle, then pepper and charred wood intensified as the finish became spicier and drier.
The Sixty emphasized mature darkness and substantial body across a wide ring gauge. S84 used Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade to place creaminess and brightness over a Broadleaf Maduro binder and Maduro fillers. Both reached coffee, earth, nuts and pepper, but arrived there through visibly different blend architectures.
Where the Matchup Was Decided
Draw, burn, flavor complexity, balance and finish all ended 4.5 to 4.5. Those five ties made M12 the most evenly divided scorecard in Group B and left no room for either cigar to recover points outside construction.
Rocky Patel won one category; five categories tied.
Rocky Patel Sixty scored a perfect 5.0 for construction against Blackened's 4.5. The large 6 x 60 arrived with the structural precision expected from a flagship anniversary release and maintained that advantage through the smoking experience.
Blackened matched Rocky everywhere else. Its easy draw, generous smoke, dependable flavor movement, balanced shade-over-Maduro profile and increasingly spicy finish each earned the same 4.5 score as the Sixty.
With five categories canceled by ties, the construction edge became the complete margin. Rocky gained half a point and never surrendered it, producing the official 27.5 to 27.0 result.
Official Result: Rocky Patel Sixty Wins Match M12
Rocky Patel Sixty defeated Blackened S84 Shade to Black and finished Group B at 1-2. The victory placed the Sixty third in Boutique Power behind advancing cigars Oliva Serie V Melanio Figurado and Warped Corto.
Rocky did not advance, but M12 gave the anniversary cigar a deserved tournament win after competitive losses to the group's two qualifiers. Its 27.5-point Superior evaluation and perfect construction score supported its position as a premium Official 32 selection.
Blackened completed the group stage at 0-3 and finished fourth. The record did not erase S84's consistent 27-point Premium evaluation; all six categories remained at 4.5, and the finale was decided by only one exceptional score from its opponent.
Final Ashology Verdict
Blackened S84 delivered balance without a weak category. Its lighter wrapper and darker core produced a creative progression from cream, cedar and toasted grain into coffee, earth, pepper and charred wood. Five ties showed how closely it matched Rocky in mechanics and flavor performance.
Rocky Patel Sixty won through the one quality Blackened could not fully equal: exceptional construction. The broad anniversary format combined precise craftsmanship with cocoa, espresso, leather, walnut, raisin, oak and pepper, turning a half-point technical advantage into the final result.
M12 was a fitting close to Boutique Power. The cigars divided five categories evenly, and one perfect mark settled both the matchup and the bottom half of the standings. Rocky Patel Sixty left Group B with the win; Blackened left with proof that its 0-3 record was much less decisive than the scorecards themselves.
Tasting notes reflect the cigars and vitolas evaluated during the 2026 competition. Flavor, strength and burn performance may vary based on storage, age, vitola and individual palate. Tobacco products are intended only for adults of legal smoking age.