Conviction by Rocky Patel

Today, we take a look at Rocky Patel’s Conviction. With its well-publicized $100.00 price point, Conviction is designed to be Rocky Patel Premium Cigars’ most ultra-premium offering. The name Conviction was inspired by Rocky’s commitment and passion for the cigar industry. The Conviction made its debut at the 2023 Premium Cigar Association Trade Show.

The $100.00 price point has become more prevalent in recent years. Davidoff and Gurkha had exceeded that threshold for many years. Plasencia, Tatuaje NFT, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust have had $100.00 cigars, and Oliva has plans to release one. In the case of Rocky Patel Premium Cigars, the project involves many elements:

High-quality tobaccos
Aged tobaccos, including tercio-aging for the wrapper.
Highly skilled pairs, each rolling 250 cigars maximum per day
Exquisite packaging

Let’s turn our attention to the Conviction and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Conviction by Rocky Patel – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The blend is highlighted by a San Andres wrapper aged in tercios. Tercio-aging involves aging tobacco in handmade bales made of royal palm bark. The process is not commonly used today because of the costs involved. Rocky Patel’s TAVICUSA factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, produces the Conviction.

In addition to the San Andres wrapper, the remainder of the blend consists of Nicaraguan tobaccos from Rocky Patel’s farms. The company notes that the production of these cigars includes tobacco from 2014.

Wrapper: San Andres Mexican
Binder: Nicaraguan (Jalapa)
Filler: Nicaraguan (Estelí, Condega)
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera Villa Cuba S.A (TAVICUSA)

Vitolas Offered

Conviction is a 6 1/2 x 52 box-pressed vitola. The cigar comes in a square-shaped tubo. The tubos come packaged in ten-count boxes that can serve as a humidor. Rocky Patel Premium Cigars has described this as a limited production, but not a one-and-done cigar. The initial production run was 5,000 (50,000 cigars).

Conviction by Rocky Patel Tube

Appearance (*)

Right out of the gate, this cigar is quite aesthetically pleasing. The wrapper, along with the rose-gold colored (more like orange-gold) banding, is stunning. The box press looks good, too. The cigar is one of the most impressive-looking ones I’ve seen to date.

The San Andres wrapper for the Conviction was roasted espresso bean in color. It was not oily but almost slightly velvety. The wrapper was smooth. There were some thin, visible veins on the surface. Any visible wrapper seams were minimal. The box press was sharp-rectangular, as opposed to a Cuban-style box press, which is slightly rounded.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

A straight cut was used to commence the cigar experience of the Conviction. Once the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw delivered a mix of espresso, cocoa, and earth notes. This was one of the best pre-light draws I’ve experienced in quite a while. At this point, it was time to remove the large footer band of the Conviction, toast the cigar, and commence the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The start of the Conviction delivered a mix of mocha, earth, red pepper, cedar, and baker’s spice. The mocha was a fusion between the chocolate and espresso notes. While these notes were separate and distinct on the pre-light draw, they were fused nicely here. The mocha notes moved to the forefront early while the earth, pepper, cedar, and baker’s spice settled in the background. The flavor profile also included pepper, cedar, and baker’s spice.

During the second third of the Conviction, the mocha notes remained grounded in the forefront. The fusion of the mocha led to a good balance of both the chocolate and espresso components. The “spices” of pepper, cedar, and baker’s spice all increased gradually during this phase of the smoking experience. Meanwhile, some earth notes were still present in the background.

The final third saw the three spices (pepper, cedar, and baker’s spice) join the mocha in the forefront. I was surprised and pleased to see the mocha notes hold on nicely. In addition, there still were some earth notes in the background. This is the way the Conviction came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The burn to the Conviction required frequent touch-ups to maintain a straight burn path and burn line. While the touch-ups did the trick, more were required than I preferred. The resulting ash was near-white in color. This was not a firm ash. It occasionally flowered and burned, and it was also prone to flaking. However, the Conviction maintained an ideal burn rate and ideal burn temperature.

Burn of the Conviction by Rocky Patel

Draw

The draw to the Conviction was on the open side. It wasn’t a loose draw, but normally, I prefer a little more resistance on my draw. The open draw had no adverse effects on the smoking experience.

Strength and Body

The strength and body of the conviction each started out in the medium range. Both attributes increased in intensity. While the strength remained in the medium range, the flavors crossed over into medium to full by the secondary half. The body maintained an edge when it came to strength and body.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

Give Rocky Patel a lot of credit here. This is simply a spectacular presentation. If you’re going to charge $100.00 for a cigar, it deserves to be shown off. Usually, I prefer a more traditional or classic presentation, but I’m still impressed by this cigar’s very contemporary style.

Outer Packaging of the Conviction by Rocky Patel

I like the square tubes (they are not metal). My only complaint is that the cigars aren’t as snug as I would like. At the same time, I’ve had no problems with the samples I smoked or breakage.

Open humidor of Conviction by Rocky Patel

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

Many people complain about $100.00 price points, but it’s important to recognize that there is a market for these products. This industry consistently emphasizes that premium cigars are a luxury item, so it’s reasonable to expect genuine luxury options. I have no issue with companies marketing and selling these products.

The good news is that this is a spectacular Rocky Patel blend. The flavors in this cigar really come together. It’s also quintessential Rocky Patel, with notes of “espresso, chocolate, and baker’s spice.” There is no shortage of flavor here. There are flavor nuances but not radical flavor transitions. The cigar could have scored a little higher in burn and draw, but that’s pretty much it.

The bad news is that this is still a $100.00 cigar. It’s an excellent cigar that had a superb score of 91. Price is not factored into the merit score, and a score of 91 is a rarity on Coop these days. The cigar exceeds our standard of excellence. Still, the price will deter most from smoking the Conviction frequently. It’s hard to recommend someone to spend $100.00 on a single cigar; thus, this still gets a “Try a Sample” rating. I think folks will be in for a real treat with this cigar, but it will sting in the wallet.

Summary

Key Flavors: Mocha (Espresso, Chocolate), Earth, Cedar, Baker’s Spice, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Excellent