Sixty by Rocky Patel Bala Announced as TAA Exclusive

For the second time in three years, Rocky Patel Premium Cigar Inc.’s annual exclusive to retailers that are members of the Tobacconists’ Association of America (TAA) will be in the form of the company’s unique Bala vitola.

This time, it’s the Sixty by Rocky Patel Bala. The Bala is a unique perfecto shape that features a rounded head like a parejo and a bulbous lower half. It measures 5 3/4 x 58/50. Blend-wise, the Sixty by Rocky Patel uses a Mexican San Andrés wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan fillers. Unlike the regular production sizes, the Sixty by Rocky Patel Bala is round instead of box-pressed.

It will have an MSRP of $19 per cigar and is limited to 1,500 boxes of 20 cigars. Rocky Patel expects the Bala to begin shipping in July.

The Sixty by Rocky Patel debuted in 2021 to celebrate the 60th birthday of Rocky Patel, the company’s founder.

The TAA is a membership group, which also includes approximately 40 manufacturers, that gathers annually to discuss issues facing the industry and retailers, as well as to have its annual trade show, a unique event that works on a group buying format in order to secure exclusive deals for these generally high-volume merchants.

During the event—which takes place March 26-30 at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic—the organization holds two selling events, one known as the Dream Machine where the retailers collectively order to secure larger discounts, while the other is a more traditional trade show. Typically, around a dozen manufacturers release new exclusive cigars for the retail members of the organization under the TAA Exclusive Series Program banner. Those manufacturers agree to give a portion of the proceeds to the organization, a minimum of 50 cents per cigar.

So far, CLE, Crowned Heads, Ferio Tego, Gurkha, Joya de Nicaragua, Miami Cigar & Co., My Father, Rocky Patel, Quality Importers Trading Co., Tatuaje and Villiger Cigars North America have announced their TAA 2023 releases.

In 2021, the company released the Rocky Patel Vintage 2006 San Andreas Bala as its TAA exclusive.