10 Questions with Rocky Patel
Dec 28, 2009 Interviews
As our final interview for 2009, we are pleased to present our 10 Questions interview with Rocky Patel.
Rocky is one of the hardest working people in the cigar industry and his hard work has proven to be fruitful as his Rocky Patel brand has grown by leaps and bounds over recent years.
The popularity of his cigars has grown significantly and his smokes have received numerous high scores in Cigar Aficionado and other publications.
Rocky has established himself as a major player in the business and his brand is flourishing.
And now, 10 Questions with Rocky Patel…
SmokeScore: Rocky, can you tell our readers a little bit about how you went from Lawyer to Cigar Manufacturer? It’s quite an interesting story and a testament to following one’s dreams.
Rocky Patel: It’s my pleasure. Well, I was working as an entertainment attorney in LA and while working on the set one day some one offered me a cigar. I was leery but since it was a major celebrity I decided “What the Heck!” BTW, I had never smoked anything in my life! I immediately fell in love! So the short version: I left my practice, went to Honduras and learned everything I possibly could about cigars. From the farming, curing, fermentation and finally the manufacturing and quality control of the cigar making process. Many people remember the Indian Tabac Cigar Company, which was my first baby. Well, we had a lot of bumps and bruises along the way. To tell you the truth, sometimes I look back @ all of the traveling and just say, “WOW! I can’t believe we are we are.“ So we keep pushing harder and harder. I truly believe that NO ONE works harder to make a better quality cigar than we do. So we will continue to do whatever it takes, continue to bring what we consider to be, the best cigar in the world, to the end consumer! On a personal note, we love what we do and thank you for making our dreams a reality.
SmokeScore: I’ve tried all of your seasonal blends and enjoyed them all. Can you tell us how you came up with the idea and what future plans you have for the seasonal releases?
Rocky Patel: Sure… I’m a big fan of wine and Dan Cohn from B.R. Cohn winery is a great friend of mine. So I tasted some of his special selection quite some time ago and thought to myself, “Hey We Can Do This”. So a few years ago we branded the Rocky Patel Seasonal Collections. Once a quarter, we do a limited short run on a specific season: Summer, Winter, Spring, and Autumn. The theory behind the release is simple: use the best tobacco’s available that reference the freshness and quality of that particular season. You really have to have the feeling of a season. So when we make a seasonal blend, we work exceedingly hard to depict what it feels like to smoke that particular brand during that particular season. The end consumer should take a puff of the Autumn Collection and say to themselves, “WOW that makes sense it tastes just like Autumn!!” On another note, the Cigars have to be perfect; we will not rush the tobacco under any circumstances. In conjunction with that statement, we had a lot of blends using specific tobaccos for winter but we just couldn’t hit the nail on the head, so there will be no Winter Collection for 2009. I just wasn’t happy with the outcome. It has to be perfect for us to release a Seasonal into the market place.
SmokeScore: You must have been elated with the recent 95 point score the Rocky Patel Decade Torpedo received. Does receiving a score like that validate all the hard work you put into your products?
Rocky Patel: Absolutely! Believe me ratings don’t mean everything. However, it’s nice to receive the gratification for all of our hardwork, time and effort.
SmokeScore: At a recent event in New York I had a conversation with you about the Rocky Patel Edge Sumatra and how much I loved that cigar. You were explaining the differences and similarities between that and the Rocky Patel Renaissance. Can you elaborate on how the two lines compare?
Rocky Patel: It’s the same cigar! Unfortunately the cost of Sumatra wrapper has increased dramatically over the last two years. I did not want to raise the cost of the entire Edge series so I decided to rebrand the cigar and call it Renaissance.
SmokeScore: How different is it for you to now be making cigars in your own manufacturing facility? What are the advantages?
Rocky Patel: Believe it or not, there is not much of a difference. We control 95% of the entire production in our Honduran Factory. So essentially, we have carried over everything that make our cigars great! The quality and consistency standards remain the same: from the seedling in the ground, to the time you put a cigar in the box. BTW, we have a new Rocky Patel DVD being released, the second week in December: “Against All Odds”, which thoroughly depicts why we make some of the best cigars in the world! It also shows the quality control standards that we have set and why you could eat off of the floor in all of our factories.
SmokeScore: What are your thoughts on the possibility that we’ll soon see an end to the Cuban Embargo?
Rocky Patel: I think it’s going to be analogically compared to myths of the past. Once she “Cuba” finally opens up, there is going to be even more controversy over where the best cigars are made. The products that are coming out of Nicaragua and Honduras are very good and will be tough to beat. As a matter of fact, many people feel that they are just as good, if not better, than the “hype of a Cuban cigar;” if you can get one that’s not bitter, turns sour half way through or that you can draw on that is. In retrospect I, think its going to be HUGE for all manufacturers when she opens up, based on the fact that elements of Cuban tobacco will be added to many blends and new creations.
SmokeScore: To what do you attribute the explosive growth of your company in the recent years?
Rocky Patel: Hard Work! Simply Stated. Great blends with complexity, quality and consistency. When you smoke a Rocky Patel cigar you can be certain that it will draw perfectly, burn well and deliver great flavor. We thrive to work harder everyday. We’re on the road or in the factory in some capacity everyday! Weather it’s myself, my brother Nish, my cousin Nimish or the rest of the Rocky Patel sales force. We do this because we love to meet and educate the end consumer as to what Rocky Patel Premium Cigars is doing in the market place, to make a great quality cigar. We thrive on outworking our competition, to deliver a superior product for you!
SmokeScore: Can you let us in on any new products in the pipeline?
Rocky Patel: In every respect! I promise you no one works harder to bring you a great quality cigar than we do. We learn everyday to assure that tradition is redefined. We are pushing all boundaries to discover new tobaccos, better fermentation and great flavor, while guaranteeing the consistency and quality.
SmokeScore: Have you recently smoked any cigars other than your own that made you say, “Damn, I wish we had made that?”
Rocky Patel: Today premium cigars are better than ever. There are some great all around brands that I enjoy smoking: Padron, Litto etc.
SmokeScore: We end all of our interviews with a look into the future. Where do you see Rocky Patel cigars in 5 years?
Rocky Patel: I promise you no one works harder to bring you a great quality cigar than we do. We learn everyday to assure that tradition is redefined. We are pushing all boundaries to discover new tobaccos, better fermentation and great flavor, while guaranteeing the consistency and quality. So in 5 years we’ll be working just as hard as we did 10 years ago: to push the threshold!
Thank you to Rocky Patel and to Sam Phillips for their generosity with their time.
Tags: Interview, Rocky Patel
COMING SOON – Exclusive Rocky Patel Interview
Oct 15, 2009 Interviews
SmokeScore is happy to announce that we’ve been in touch with Rocky Patel’s people and he will be granting us an exclusive interview. As busy a guy as Rocky is, we sincerely appreciate him taking the time to answer some of our questions.
Following our Pete Johnson interview a few months ago, we couldn’t think of any better cigar personality to talk to than Rocky. His company has grown by leaps and bounds over the last several years and his products are garnering rave reviews.
Check back in the coming weeks for our exclusive interview with Rocky.
Tags: Interview, Rocky Patel
10 Questions with Pete Johnson
May 11, 2009 Interviews
As we kicked around some options for our first interview here at SmokeScore, the same name kept coming up.
There is nobody hotter in the cigar business right now than Pete Johnson. Almost everyone I’ve met in the cigar business has a Pete Johnson story. It almost always involved what a down to earth and friendly guy his is as well as how great his smokes are. Whatever Pete is doing, he certainly has the golden touch. His products are among the most sought after by Cigar smokers. We recently reviewed two Pete Johnson smokes and loved both of them.
Pete currently maintains the following brands:
Tatuaje Series P
Tatuaje Havana VI
Tatuaje Selección del Cazador
Tatuaje Private Reserve
Tatuaje Monster Series
Cabaiguan
La Riqueza
El Triunfador
Ambos Mundos
Nuevitas Jibaro
For all these reasons, we decided that our first interview would be Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars.
And now, 10 Questions with Pete Johnson:
SmokeScore: On our website, we just reviewed the Noella Reserva which we absolutely loved. We are going to be reviewing the Regio reserva next week and I’m really looking forward to that. Can you share with our readers if you have any other one-offs or special releases like those planned in the near future?
Pete Johnson: Don’t really have anything planned, It just kinda comes to me in the middle of the night. I might be doing some small batch items for a few good retailers. We’ll see.
SmokeScore: You and the Pepin family certainly seem to have a chemistry between you that has resulted in some amazing projects. When did you first meet them and did you know right away they were the ones you were looking for?
Pete Johnson: I met Pepin in 2003 and when I met his whole family and saw the love and attention they were giving my first production, I knew I would be with them for a long time. I am very loyal to them. Hard not to be when they make my cigars so special.
SmokeScore: You’ve said many times that you still believe Cuba is the “wheel” in terms of cigar production. With the tensions between The U.S. and Cuba loosening, do you see a day in the near future where you’ll be competing directly with Cuban brands in the U.S. marketplace?
Pete Johnson: I don’t believe we will be seeing that anytime soon.
SmokeScore: How are things coming along with the International distribution project?
Pete Johnson: The international project is coming along great. I just finished the blend and the packaging for a new El Triunfador for international only. I not sure but I’ll probably end up making it for the states also. It’s milder but it still has flavor.
SmokeScore: It seems like everything you’ve touched recently has turned to gold, but I’m sure there has to be some projects that you wish you could have taken back or not gotten started at all. Any you’d like to share?
Pete Johnson: I had one called Nuevitas that I did with another company and they could never produce enough for me. I decided to scrap the line with them and maybe bring it back in the future with Pepin. People are still asking for it.
SmokeScore: What was the last cigar you smoked that made you jealous or say, “Damn, I wish I made that”?
Pete Johnson: The last cigar I smoked like that was one of mine. Seriously I took the band off and I was talking and forgot what I was smoking. I was hanging out with a group and said that some cigar in the group smelled amazing. I realized it was mine. The funny thing was they all were smoking Tatuaje products.
SmokeScore: I’m going to take up the cause started by Doc Stogie Fresh and ask you about manufacturer information. It seems that while the wine industry goes out of its way to inform customers about their products, most cigar manufacturers give little to no information about brands, blends or process. I admire the fact that you even provide box dates on your products. Why do you think that you’re the exception rather than the norm?
Pete Johnson: I just like talking about it. I always wanted to know about all the other cigars when I was first working in the business. I believe that there should be some rules or guidelines that we have to follow. There are some things I won’t tell but most I will.
SmokeScore: I understand you also enjoy a good bottle of wine. What have you been drinking recently?
Pete Johnson: I love anything from Bordeaux. Especially Saint Emilion and Pomerol.
SmokeScore: What’s your stance on cork vs. synthetic vs. screwcap?
Pete Johnson: I like tradition and the old school cork it the way to go. More issues with it but I don’t mind the risk.
SmokeScore: Where do you see Tatuaje in 5 years?
Pete Johnson: I see me still here smoking and still enjoying the industry. The government is trying to destroy us. We as cigar smoker’s have a tough battle but I think we will survive.
Thank you so much, Pete. We appreciate your time and we look forward to more great things from you in the future.
Tags: 10 questions, Pete Johnson
