PCA 2025: West Tampa Tobacco Co

The 2025 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show marked the fourth appearance for West Tampa Tobacco Co, which was established by Rick Rodriguez and Gus Martinez. This year, the booth centered around the theme of limited editions. The first highlight is a new “Chef Rick” cigar that pays tribute to West Tampa’s culinary specialty, the Devil Crab. Following that is West Tampa’s most exclusive release yet, a cigar named Dark Time, known for its ultra-premium quality.

Devil Crab

Devil Crab is a croquette made with crab meat. In fact, West Tampa has included a recipe in their 50-count box if you want to try making it yourself. While West Tampa discloses a recipe for Devil Crab, the cigar blend is not disclosed. The cigar is a plump figurado measuring 4 1/2 x 60, priced at $12.99 and has already shipped to retailers.

Dark Time

Dark Time comes from the Nicaragua American Cigars S.A. (NACSA) factory. It is tied to the story of another Chef Rick cigar, Boliche Blvd (paying homage to the popular West Tampa dish Boliche and the famous street in that area). Both Boliche Blvd and Dark Time were cigars that NACSA made when West Tampa Tobacco Co was launching. When West Tampa recognized the price point, they believed it would be too high for a new company to launch, resulting in a postponement of the releases. Boliche Blvd was released nearly 18 months ago. Now, with almost three years of aging, Dark Time is another release from NACSA.

While Boliche Blvd is a 6 x 60, the Dark Time is a 6 x 54 Toro. This cigar will be West Tampa’s highest-priced offering at $29.99 per cigar. Dark Time is packaged in ten-count boxes. The box comes with a custom cutter that looks like a luxury watch.