It’s a story that’s been told on CNBC. The year was 1995 and a Los Angeles-based attorney named Rakesh “Rocky” Patel teamed up with Phil Zanghi to...Read More

Five years ago, one of the most famous rollers in Cuba teamed up with one of the most well-known non-Cuban cigar manufacturers. That roller was...Read More

In a year when something new seemingly got turned upside down every day, it would only make sense that winter would arrive in July. Not...Read More

If you’ve been following the cigars reviewed on halfwheel for the last month or so, you’ve likely been rather familiar with a three-letter combination: T, A,...Read More

Custom blends have been made for any number of different celebrations and events over the years, but one of the newest releases from Rocky Patel...Read More

Last fall, as I was ordering cigars from Up Down Cigar of Chicago, Phil Ledbetter, the store’s manager, informed me that in addition to what...Read More

There is something refreshing when a cigar maker just comes out and calls a cigar what it is, as Rocky Patel did last year with...Read More

When cigar blends are being developed—much like many other man-made creations—sometimes they get names, sometimes they get codes, sometimes it’s just “that new blend we’re...Read More

If you visit Cuba for any length of time for the purposes of cigar smoking and enjoyment, it does not take long to hear someone...Read More

Say the name Hamlet, and most people probably think of Shakespeare. But say it to someone in the cigar industry, and it likely calls to...Read More

It’s made at Rocky’s factory.  No, you mean Plasencia’s factory. For many years, the more knowledgeable cigar smokers would enjoy correcting people about that fact. Yes,...Read More