![]() About Rocky Patel Cigars In an industry built on name recognition and reputation, Rocky Patel's passion has brought his brand to heights unseen by most boutique cigar manufacturers. His hard work and long hours have been paying off in big ways. A survivor of the cigar boom, Patel has outlasted his competition with unrivaled persistence on his quest for perfection. With a grueling travel schedule, office responsibilities and production, Rocky still maintains the enthusiasm that he has had since day one. As he travels the world, putting his cigars in the mouth of his consumers, his passion extends beyond the retailer, allowing his customers the experience of meeting the man behind their favorite smokes. Rocky Patel has created a company that has out shined even those created by multimillion dollar corporations, and he's doing it one customer at a time. Originally an entertainment lawyer in Las Angeles, Mr. Patel was introduced to cigars on the back lots of Hollywood studios. Fine cigars quickly became a passion for him, and he became one the original founding members of the Grand Havana Club. While searching for the very best cigars, Mr. Patel was approached with the opportunity to manufacture his own brand. While his friends and colleagues warned him against leaving his lucrative practice for the cigar industry, Mr. Patel seized the opportunity to create the kind of product he saw missing in the market. He was convinced that a new company was needed to open the marketplace with fresh ideas, bold packaging, and fuller cigars. After careful development, the Indian Tabac Cigar Company debuted at the 1996 RTDA in Cincinnati. Customers flocked to the Indian Tabac booth, drawn in by the distinct packaging and staying for the high-quality product. In 2003, he put aside the Indian Tabac brand name to focus on the Rocky Patel Vintage Series. A superior smoke to anything Mr. Patel had created previously, the Vintage Series was made up of premium quality aged tobaccos. While in Honduras, he had discovered unused bales of old Honduran-grown broadleaf and Ecuadorian Sumatra. He used these two different tobaccos to create both lines of the Vintage Series. The older tobacco performed beyond his wildest expectations. To insure that the craftsmanship equalled the quality of the tobacco, Mr. Patel cut production to a mere 250 cigars a day. The result is a line of fine cigars that have consistently cracked the 90-rating barrier in Cigar Aficionado. The legacy of precision continues to this day, with every Rocky Patel Cigar being thoroughly inspected and draw tested Mr Patel continues his mission to introduce his product to tobacco enthusiast everywhere. Often heralded as the hardest working man in the business, Mr. Patel logs more than 300 days on the road a year; He once visited 600 cities in 750 days. Mr. Patel considers his traveling as time well spent, winning over new costumers in every town. This practice is only an extension of Mr. Patel's enthusiasm for his award-winning cigars and his commitment to his customers. Mr. Patel also hosts trips to his factory in Honduras, giving his customers a chance to discover fine craftsmanship in person. The dedication in the factory is translated into a quality cigar that is enjoyed all over the world. Apart from maintaining a consistent presence in the public eye and inviting his customers on the trip of a life time, Mr. Patel spends his time focusing on production. He gears his product towards the more complex palate. He believes that blending tobaccos from various regions takes greater skill and knowledge, and that it creates a more satisfying end product. This process is time consuming, and Mr. Patel will often take a year or more to craft a perfect blend. Rocky Patel Premium Cigars continues to set itself ahead of the competition by offering the highest value cigars at reasonable prices. Currently producing 20,000,000 cigars annually Patel elucidates, "cigar manufacturing is an art form that has transcended over generations." Three hundred different hands touch the tobacco from the time a seedling is planted in the ground, to the time a cigar is placed in a box for final shipment. Mr. Patel assures his customers that when they expect the best, they get the best. When they expect the very best, they get Rocky Patel Premium Cigars. |