From a small law firm to selling 30 millions cigars per annum
In 2022, Cigar Aficionado named the Rocky Patel “Sixty”, the No. The No. 1 cigar in the world. This is a remarkable achievement. The industry’s preeminent publication considers about 700 cigars for its annual survey, and its reviewers do not know the identity or any other details of the stogies they are smoking.
Rakesh (“Rocky”) Patel, the brand’s president and CEO, credits many things for his success as a cigar maker, including lessons learned from his days practicing law in Los Angeles.
“From the time you plant a seedling in the ground to the time you get a cigar in the box takes four to five years,” Patel tells me in a recent phone interview. “Three hundred hands touch the tobacco.” If you cheat the process along the way, or take any shortcuts, you don’t get the results.”
Patel, 64, says this mirrors the requirements to becoming a successful lawyer. It’s all about “attention to details”. You have to be perfect.” You have to be perfect.”
From lawyer to cigar maker
Patel’s background makes him an unlikely cigar industry magnate. Patel was born in New Delhi in northern India, the capital city. He grew up in Bombay on India’s west coast, now Mumbai. In 1974, his family came to the United States, and Patel went to high school in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and then to the University of Wisconsin.
Looking to escape the cold and snow, Patel headed to Los Angeles for law school. He chose Southwestern Law School because he “didn’t want to be a hungry student”, he says. Patel didn’t go to law school because he had a deep-seated desire to change the world or even because he wanted to be a lawyer. His motivation was simple: “I wasn’t ready to face the real-world.”
He credits the rigors of the evening program with his drive today. “I worked in a law office every day, then got in my car at five in the evening, ate a sandwich, then went to law school at six, finished at ten, and then stayed in the library until one in morning.” This work ethic was instilled into me.”
Patel worked at a small Beverly Hills firm that specialized in entertainment and plaintiffs’ product liability. The office was close to the Grand Havana Club. Patel became a founding club member and smoked his very first cigar there. The business was licensed to use the Indian Motorcycle Company’s name. The business faced a variety of problems, including discovering that no such licensing agreement had been made. “I kept on writing checks, but I never got anything back,” says Patel, who knew that something had to be done. “I ended up taking over after several years.”
The critics were numerous. Patel was told that cigar businesses are “‘handed down from generation-to-generation'”. “You must be of Cuban descent. You can’t do it. He recounts a variety of quality-control problems caused by relying on others in production. He recounts an assortment of quality-control problems caused by relying on others in production.
In 2003, with all of the facets of manufacturing now under Patel’s control, it was time to put his name on the cigars. Indian Tabac became Rocky Patel Premium Cigars. To commemorate the event, a “30th Anniversary Cigar” will be released in August. In a 2022 Cigar Aficionado interview, Patel revealed that he sold nearly 30 million cigars per year in over 100 countries. In 2024, Patel ranked No. 1 with his “Conviction”. 7. The cigar costs $100. The reviewer of the publication noted that high prices are not always a guarantee for quality. But he says that Patel has pulled it off, writing: “We found the Conviction brilliant, a medium-to-full-bodied cigar that’s a superb performer, delivering an opulent core of cocoa powder and dark chocolate flavor. It’s a cigar whose flavor increases with time, becoming better and better as it is smoked. Cigar Aficionado has rated Rocky Patel’s “Sixty” as the No. 1 cigar for 2022 in the free world. (Photo courtesy Rocky Patel Premium Cigars).
Patel produces his cigars in Nicaragua and Honduras, where he owns tobacco farms and large factories. Patel tells me that it’s funny that I should mention this. “Around a half-hour before this interview, i was reviewing contracts. I deal with lawyers on a regular basis. “I’m always reviewing contracts,” he says. The legal education is helpful in many, different aspects of what we do. If it’s a deal. The challengers have had great success in their fight, he says. The challengers have enjoyed tremendous success in their fight, he says.
This includes, earlier this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit affirming a lower court decision, striking down as arbitrary and capricious, FDA regulations addressing sales, promotions and distribution of “premium cigars.” The federal appeals court agreed with the district court that the FDA had not considered evidence that “premium cigars” have fewer adverse health effects than other tobacco products.
Left open in the appeals court’s decision and sent back to the district court to determine is the definition of a “premium cigar.” In general, considerations include the nature of the tobacco, manufacturing process and weight.
Patel shares a story about his early days in business and first trip to Honduras.
“It was the Wild West,” Patel explains. The Contras and Sandinistas were at war. He remembers that everyone was armed and there were landmines. He imitates the sound, “Tat, Tat, Tat, Tat.” “He thought it cool. I didn’t find it so cool.” He runs the website CoverageOpinions.info.
This column reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily the views of the ABA Journal–or the American Bar Association.
