Rocky Patel Fifty Toro

Rocky Patel and partner Phil Zanghi founded the Indian Tabac Cigar Company in 1995 and the phenomenal success their smokes have gained in the premium market is astonishing, a testament to their dedication to producing super-premium class cigars. Rakesh (Rocky) Patel quickly made the contacts necessary to produce cigars of the highest quality. Their cultivation areas are located in the beautiful Jamastran Valley of Honduras and the Jalapa Valley of Nicaragua.

Debuting in 2011, the Rocky Patel Fifty was released to celebrate Rocky’s 5oth Birthday and was the most expensive cigar he’d released at the time. Made at his own factory, Tabacalera Villa Cuba S.A., also known as TAVICUSA, in Estelí, Nicaragua, the Fifty is four years in the making. To start off this one of a kind stogie is the stunning, oily, dark chocolate brown Ecuador Habano Oscuro wrapper — each one hand-plucked from a unique 7th priming. Underneath are two distinct binders from Nicaragua and a blend of Nicaraguan fillers — all of which are secret — and then it’s finished with a slight box-press and a long nap! Medium to full-bodied, and building in strength, look for notes of leather, wood, coffee, cedar, and chocolate. The original boxes that these cigars came in were very limited edition and went for $400 a box, featuring Rocky Patel spelled out on two different custom design plates using over 500 orange Swarovski Crystals! We don’t have those but we hear they were quite the sight! Enjoy your stogie with a Cuba Libre, a rum and coke with a splash of lime.

The Nicaraguan cigar industry originated when Cuban cigar makers escaped the revolution and re-established their livelihood in Nicaragua with Cuban-seed tobacco. Blessed with dark, rich soil, their new home was ideal for tobacco cultivation and Nicaragua quickly became known for cigars that rivaled Cuban quality. Unfortunately, revolution and war came to Nicaragua in the 1980s and devastated the industry, but it’s rebounded dramatically and is once again producing tobacco considered by many to be the finest in the world.

The Esteli Valley is in many ways the heart of Nicaraguan production and is known for its very powerful and spicy tobacco. The Jalapa Valley produces arguably the finest tobacco in the country: somewhat sweeter and less intense than Esteli, but extremely complex. The tobacco of the Condega Valley is often described as a blend of the other two regions.