Cigars - Rocky Patel Cigars

Rocky Patel has quickly become one of the best-known faces in the world of premium cigars. The owner of Rocky Patel Premium Cigars Inc. spends most of his life on the road, either in the factories in Honduras and Nicaragua that make his cigars, in the tobacco fields of Central America or in the many cigar shops that sell his wares.

Rocky Patel was an attorney when he decided to get into the cigar business with his first brand Indian Tabac back in the mid-90s. The brand did so well that he eventually decided to develop other lines under the Rocky Patel brand. The Rocky Patel cigars are manufactured in Nestor Plasencia’s Danli Honduras factory. In fact Rocky Patel and Plasencia have a very close relationship including first choice of any of the Plasencia family’s massive tobacco production. Rocky works with Plasencia to develop and refine the blends they want to offer. In fact, Rocky spends 60-70% of his time in Honduras working with the factory. The rest of his time is split up between marketing and running the operations. Patel considers himself to be a perfectionist and judging by his sales volume and the fantastic ratings his cigars receive consumers would agree.

Rocky Patel is a shining example of what passion and hard work can achieve. He uses what he calls the shoe-leather express, his arduous but successful way of getting out the word on his cigars. He started in LA but now home and headquarters for the energetic 49-year-old is in Naples, FL but you rarely find him there. His road shows began in 1998, and they never seem to end: in both 2001 and 2002 he logged more than 300 days on the road. His travel schedule never seems to get any lighter.

In an industry built on name recognition and reputation, Rocky Patel's passion has brought his brand to heights unseen by most boutique cigar manufactures. His hard work and long hours have paid off in big ways. A survivor of the cigar boom, Patel has out lasted his competition with unrivaled persistence on his quest for perfection. With a grueling travel schedule, office responsibilities and production, Rocky still maintains the enthusiasm that he has had since day one.

Per a quote on his website, the Hollywood lawyer turned cigar maker loves the quality of Padron, the construction of Davidoff, and the consistency of Fuentes. Patel wants to incorporate all of these admirable qualities into his cigars and make them affordable. His are definitely great cigars, so it would seem he is succeeding.

Recently, his 10th Anniversary smoke, the Rocky Patel Decade Torpedo, was rated a classic, scoring 95 out of 100 points in Cigar Insider and Cigar Aficionado tasting. In 2003, Rocky Patel launched the Vintage 1990 and Vintage 1992 cigars. The Vintage Series received "Best of the Best" accolades from the Robb Report. The Vintage 1990 Robusto was rated 92 by Cigar Aficionado, and the Vintage 1992 Torpedo was subsequently rated 90.