PCA 2021 Report: Rocky Patel Premium Cigars

There perhaps is no man who can deliver as much information in three minutes as Rocky Patel, the owner and founder of Rocky Patel Premium Cigars – and that’s exactly what he did for us when we interviewed him. Rocky told us about his three new releases with fire and passion like no one else. He had good reason to do so – his booth was absolutely buzzing and if his 2021 releases perform anything like his 2020 releases, this is going to be a very special year. Rocky has had several very high-scoring cigars and is performing at the highest level to date in terms of what he is releasing.

Earlier this year Rocky Patel celebrated his 60th birthday. This year, he is releasing a special cigar to commemorate the occasion, the Rocky Patel Sixty. The Rocky Patel Sixty consists of a Mexican San Andres wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan fillers from Condega, Estelí, and Jalapa. The cigars were aged for two years after being rolled. The cigars will be available in four sizes (Half Corona, Robusto, Toro, and 6 x 60). Each size will be box-pressed. The cigars will be presented in 20-count boxes with pricing set in the $16.00 to $18.00 range.

There is also a humidor selection that is available with 100 of the Rocky Patel Sixty Toro cigars.

There is a new ultra-premium offering called the Rocky Patel White Label. The White Label uses a Connecticut Shade wrapper grown in the U.S. with tobaccos that have been aging for ten years. The remainder of the blend consists of Nicaraguan and Jamastran Valley (Honduran) tobaccos. It will be released in four sizes in 20-count boxes. Pricing is in the $19.00 to $21.00 range.

There is also a second San Andres wrapped offering this year with the Rocky Patel Disciple. The Rocky Patel. The Nicaraguan tobaccos for the binder and filler are from Rocky Patel’s farms in Condega and Estelí. Rocky Patel Disciple is available in four sizes – each presented in 20-count boxes. Pricing is in the $10.50 to $13.00 range.

There were several 2020 Rocky Patel releases being showcased at PCA for the first time. First up is the Rocky Patel Quarter Century. This also uses a Mexican San Andres wrapper over a Honduran binder. The filler includes Nicaraguan and an undisclosed tobacco. Released in 2020, this was one of the highest scoring cigars on Cigar Coop in the past year, and it pays homage to Rocky Patel’s 25 years in the premium cigar business.

There is also the third iteration of the Rocky Patel Winter Collection, the Rocky Patel Winter Collection 2020. Along with the Quarter Century, this is also one of the highest scoring cigars this year on Cigar Coop. There must be something with the Mexican wrapper Rocky Patel has been procuring. He is getting a lot of excellent cigars with this leaf as the Winter Collection 2020 leverages this wrapper as well over a Nicaraguan binder and a combination of Nicaraguan and Honduran filler.

2020 also saw the Rocky Patel Grand Reserve make it to the United States. This is an undisclosed blend that was originally released with much success in the European market.

In 2020, Hamlet Paredes released his fourth cigar with Rocky Patel Premium Cigars, the Hamlet 2020. It’s a cigar that features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over a Honduran binder and a combination of Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers. This was being showcased a the 2021 Trade Show as well.

Finally, another high-scoring cigar on Cigar Coop released in 2020 was the Rocky Patel Cigar Smoking World Championship. This was a blend created specifically for the Cigar Smoking World Championships, but also has been made available to consumers. The wrapper – you guessed it: San Andres. The remainder of the blend uses a Nicaraguan binder and a combination of Nicaragua and Honduran filler.