Cigar History: Rocky Patel

Our Cigar History series explores the origins of some of the best cigar brands in the world. Today we are looking at a brand that can trace its roots to the other side of the Pacific Ocean – Rocky Patel Cigars!

About Rocky Patel

Rocky Patel is a boutique brand – this means that every stage of the cigar-making process is overseen by Rocky Patel, from the germination of the tobacco plants to the distribution of the hand-rolled cigars.

Rocky Patel does it all; the tobacco is grown on fields owned by Rocky Patel, bunched in factories run by Rocky Patel, rolled by Torcedors employed by Rocky Patel and marketed across the globe by Rocky Patel himself! The man is truly at the heart of his craft.

We learned this ourselves, here at Havana House, when the man himself joined us on one of our annual cigar cruises down the river Thames. He is a very charismatic man and certainly knows his stuff about cigars!

When Was Rocky Patel Cigars Founded?

Rocky Patel premium cigars is a brand far younger than most, being founded in 1995 during the cigar boom. A trend common with boutique cigar brands, especially those created in the cigar boom, is that the founders were not born into the cigar-smoking community, nor did they ever plan to begin making cigars until they did.

Rakesh ‘Rocky’ Patel was born in India in 1961, but he lived and worked in Los Angeles as an entertainment and product liability lawyer, where he met and worked with numerous celebrities famous for their cigar smoking, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gene Hackman.

Rocky had never been around cigars before. Once he had, however, he was instantly bewitched by the pastime, becoming one of the original founding members of the Grand Havana Club. Rocky had always been an entrepreneurial man, often dabbling in various investment opportunities. It wasn’t until the early days of the cigar boom that he really focused his efforts on his most famous project.

Establishing a Factory in Honduras

Rocky Patel began investing in his budding cigar business by buying a factory and a patch of land in Honduras. According to Rocky himself, his friends and family all told him that he should save his money; he would never make it in the cigar industry. How wrong they were…

Now, Rocky Patel Premium Cigars are known for the unique once-in-a-life experience that they offer their customers. For a limited few, Rocky himself hosts trips to his estate on the island of Honduras so that consumers can see the passion packed into every cigar for themselves.

The trip includes a tour of the whole estate, the various stages of tobacco cultivation and maturation, as well as a chance to meet the Torcedores who roll cigars. The journey is complete with luxury accommodation nearby. It’s like the gentlemen’s version of a golden ticket to see Willy Wonka’s factory!

Indian Tabac

When Rocky Patel first started crafting cigars, he was not operating under his name – instead, the brand debuted as Indian Tabac. This name referenced the Indian Motorcycle brand for which he paid a royalty to use the name.

Rocky first shared his cigars at the 1996 RTDA in Cincinnati. Businessmen and intrigued customers crowded around his booth to purchase these new, brightly packaged cigars. Rocky’s ideology had always been that young companies held the responsibility to create fresh ideas in every industry. So he arrived into the cigar industry by storm with bold packaging and complex, full-flavoured cigars.

Rocky Patel was able to establish Indian Tabac as a premium brand by frequently visiting retailers and ensuring his products were available in the marketplace.

Becoming Rocky Patel Premium Cigars

In 2003, Rocky Patel decided to rebrand his cigar business, moving away from Indian Tabac and placing the focus for the brand on himself. The name of the company was changed from Indian Tabac Cigar Co. to Rocky Patel Premium Cigars.

Rocky produced an untold number of cigar ranges when he first began blending; some were sold, and some were discarded. These were only early-stage experiments, however.

Rocky Patel Vintage 1990

It was not long before Rocky made the staple of the brand, the cigar that started it all, the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990. The cigar is nothing short of perfection, and for that reason, it is still in production all these years later. The wrapper tobaccos are the key ingredient. The twelve years aged Connecticut Broadleaf has a tame strength but is full of complexity. If you’ve never tried a Rocky Patel Premium Cigar, we suggest you start with this masterpiece.

The Rocky Patel Vintage cigar has since become the flagship of the brand. There are now five Vintage Series: 1990, 1992, 1999, 2003 and 2006.

Rocky Patel Cigar Development

Rocky Patel put a lot of effort into market research and forming strong relationships with those working in the tobacco industry. His relationships with tobacco growers, brokers and cigar factories allowed him to access some of the highest-quality tobaccos.

These relationships also led to Rocky’s values and beliefs for his cigar range. He is of the opinion that a true premium cigar can never be rushed and that a slow and steady approach is required.

In many cigar factories, a roller may roll as many as 500 cigars a day, but in doing so much, the quality and consistency of each cigar varied too much for Patel’s liking. At his factory, rollers will only craft around 250 cigars per roller per day to ensure high-quality results.

Rocky Patel Cigar Range

When he is not travelling the world, Rocky Patel is focused on production. Rocky speaks to consumers from across the globe every day, so he knows what the market desires. From his first-hand market research, Rocky has decided to sway the theme of his cigars to be more complex than the linear cigars that many brands produce. It is true that there are many brands which produce some excellent complex cigars, but they are inconsistent in taste, at least in Mr Patel’s opinion anyway.

Rocky Patel now produces a rather large range of cigars, and we couldn’t possibly name them all here. Currently, Rocky Patel Premium Cigars have produced more than 100 different lines, each of which contains several different size formats! And that is not including private labels!

Rocky Patel Cigar Recommendations

If you would like to try a cigar from Rocky Patel, here are a few suggestions that are available at Havana House.

Rocky Patel Number 6 Robusto Cigar

The Rocky Patel Number 6 Robusto Cigar is one of our top ten recommended cigars of Havana House – and we’ve tried a lot! The Number 6 Robusto features a Corojo Wrapper, binder and filler from Honduras that provides a medium-bodied profile with honey, vanilla, coffee and earthy notes.

You can read a full review of the Rocky Patel Number 6 Robusto Cigar to discover more about the flavour and smoking experience.

Rocky Patel Sun Grown Maduro Sixty Cigar

The Rocky Patel Sun Grown Maduro was ranked number two in Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 Cigars of the Year in 2016, which is quite the accolade. This cigar is triple-capped, hand-bunched and hand-rolled with an oily Broadleaf wrapper and full-bodied Nicaraguan long-filler. You’ll be rewarded with spice and a caramel finish.

Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 Robusto Cigar

The Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 Robusto Cigar is an iconic smoke that is always highly rated. Wrapped with a 12-year-old Honduran Broadleaf, which has dulled in strength but grown in flavour and complexity during the ageing process, the Vintage 1990 is milder than other smokes from Rocky Patel, but you won’t be disappointed by the flavour. Packing in a nutty and caramel taste, this Robusto offers an excellent draw and balances flavour.

Rocky Patel Disciple Robusto Cigar

Crafted from the finest tobacco in Nicaragua, the Rocky Patel Disciple Robusto Cigar showcases a signature Mexican San Andrés wrapper. This exquisite composition has come together to create a medium to full-bodied profile filled with smooth notes of wood, earth, and a subtle hint of pepper.

You can read a full review of the Rocky Patel Disciple Robusto Cigar to discover more about the flavour and smoking experience.

If you want to find out more about the different Rocky Patel cigars, then have a look at our vast catalogue of his cigars!