PCA 2023: Rocky Patel Premium Cigars, Inc.

Patrick Lagreid would nominate Esteban Carreras as the most consistent approach toward the annual PCA Convention & Trade Show. While I don’t dispute Patrick’s assessment, I don’t cover that booth. For me, the answer is Rocky Patel Premium Cigars, Inc.

With very little exception, Rocky Patel’s approach to the trade show is three new lines, perhaps a couple of extensions to one or two lines, and new accessories. In recent years, the company has also added a special humidor release for an existing line. But it’s a remarkably consistent approach that the company has used for years. What I find even funnier is that I’ll often hear Rocky Patel’s competitors talk about how Rocky launched “nine new lines” at the trade show. And while there might be nine new things, I’ve never seen nine new brands.

Then there’s the booth. I believe it’s now the largest single booth at the trade show and it’s remained relatively unchanged since when I first attended this trade show in 2010. (Editor’s note: according to the trade show floor map, at 50′ x 100′, it is the largest on the floor. —PL) Unlike most booths, which rely on display structures to surround the perimeter of the booth, Rocky Patel uses smaller displays that are placed in columns inside of the booth. Each display can be viewed from all angles and contains just one line. Typically—but not always—the new products are placed towards the front of the booth. One side of the booth is bordered by humidor displays, there’s a bar with beer on tap, an office area to process orders and a stage for the live musical guests. Even that side—down to who the musical acts are—has been remarkably consistent over the years.

Everything else in the booth—save for some accessory displays—is some form of meeting space, ranging from high-top tables to couches. As I’ve written countless times before, this has always been one of the more sensible booths to me. Compared to most large booths, Rocky Patel spends far less time setting up and taking down the booth. Furthermore, because there’s very little in the way of walls or other structures, my guess is the transport and storage costs are quite minimal in comparison.

Rocky Patel Conviction

Despite this site being plastered in ads for Rocky Patel’s new Conviction during June, I had little idea about what the cigar actually was. As it turns out, it’s a new $100 cigar from Rocky Patel.

Patel, the person, told me that the idea behind this is that every person must have conviction about something. From what I picked up—Patel got pulled away a few times during our chat—it’s perseverance. As for the blend, the filler mostly uses tobacco from the 2014 harvest, the company’s first harvest from its own farms in Condega and Estelí. In addition, there’s one filler—ligero—that came from a supplier. All of that is capped off by a Mexican San Andrés wrapper for what the company describes as a “medium-plus” profile.

The packaging for this cigar is decidedly not cheap. The metal tubes are very modern-looking and heavy, and Nish Patel really wanted to show off the boxes. There are a lot of companies that advertise humidor boxes but this appears to be an actual humidor converted into a cigar box. The company is very proud of the seal, which looks like a standard humidor. The cigar is produced at the company’s Tabacalera Villa Cuba S.A. factory in Nicaragua.

• Wrapper: Mexico (San Andrés)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua (Condega & Estelí)

• Rocky Patel Conviction (6 1/2 x 52) — $100 (Box of 10, $1,000)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: October 2023

Rocky Patel Dark Star

The company describes this as a new medium-bodied blend from the El Paraiso factory in Honduras. It’s capped off by a corojo wrapper and includes a seed that is native to Paraguay, a rarity, but grown in Honduras in the filler. Admittedly, the packaging and price tag of Conviction seemed to suck most of the attention away from Dark Star.

• Wrapper: Honduras (Corojo)
• Binder: Honduras
• Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua

• Rocky Patel Dark Star Short Star (4 x 60) — $11.25 (Box of 20, $225)
• Rocky Patel Dark Star Robusto (5 1/2 x 50) — $10.50 (Box of 20, $210)
• Rocky Patel Dark Star Toro (6 x 52) — $11.50 (Box of 20, $230)
• Rocky Patel Dark Star Sixty (6 x 60) — $12.50 (Box of 20, $250)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: October 2023

I forgot to photograph this.

Rocky Patel Seed to Smoke Classic

In complete contrast with Conviction, Rocky Patel launched a new bundle brand. Seed to Smoke is a Cuban sandwich-style cigar meaning that it has a whole-leaf wrapper and binder like a premium cigar, but uses short filler, i.e. the cuts of tobacco that are created as a byproduct while bunching other cigars. It is made at El Paraiso in Honduras.

• Wrapper: Honduras (Maduro)
• Binder: Honduras
• Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua

• Rocky Patel Seed to Smoke Classic Toro (6 x 52) — $2.50 (Bundle of 20, $50)
• Rocky Patel Seed to Smoke Classic Churchill (7 x 48) — $2.50 (Bundle of 20, $50)
• Rocky Patel Seed to Smoke Classic Sixty (6 x 60) — $3.95 (Bundle of 20, $79)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: October 2023

I forgot to photograph this.

Rocky Patel Seed to Smoke Shade

Same story as above, except this comes with a Connecticut-seed wrapper grown in Honduras.

• Wrapper: Honduras (Connecticut-seed)
• Binder: Honduras
• Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua

• Rocky Patel Seed to Smoke Shade Toro (6 x 52) — $2.50 (Bundle of 20, $50)
• Rocky Patel Seed to Smoke Shade Churchill (7 x 48) — $2.50 (Bundle of 20, $50)
• Rocky Patel Seed to Smoke Shade Sixty (6 x 60) — $3.95 (Bundle of 20, $79)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: October 2023

I forgot to photograph this.

Sixty by Rocky Patel Humidor

For the last few years, Rocky Patel has introduced a new humidor release at the PCA Convention & Trade Show. Most of those humidors have come with an exclusive size of a specific blend, typically in the company’s Bala perfecto vitola. This time, the Sixty humidor comes with the standard 6 x 60 vitola.

The humidor comes with 100 cigars, I suspect it could hold many more cigars.

• Wrapper: Mexico (San Andrés)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua

MSRP: $2,600

Production: 250 Humidors of 100 Cigars*

Release Date: October 2023

*The cigars are the same as the regular Sixty by Rocky Patel Sixty.

Rocky Patel Conviction Lighter

This is a triple-flame lighter offered in four colors:

• Black/Gold
• Blue/Gold
• White/Rose Gold
• Blue/Silver

MSRP: $75

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: July 2023

Rocky Patel Genesis Lighter

This is another triple-flame lighter, though with a side action ignition. It too, is offered in four colors, though I’m not sure if there are specific names:

• Bronze/Burgundy
• Silver/Blue
• Gunmetal/Blue
• Gold/White

MSRP: $85.10

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: July 2023

Rocky Patel Davenport Lighter

I’m not sure why you’d need a four-flame lighter, but this is a new one that reminds me of Dunhill’s Turbo lighter. That lighter is a single-flame option with a price tag more than $1,000; for less than a 10th of the price, you can get a similar mode with four flames.

It’s offered in three colors:

• Brown/Silver
• Black/Black
• Blue/Silver

MSRP: $85.10

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: July 2023

Update (Nov. 29, 2023) — The company has clarified that Dark Star uses a tobacco seed from Paraguay but grown in Honduras, not tobacco from Paraguay.