Traveling Road Show

When the Premium Cigar Association cancelled its summer trade show, Rocky Patel got busy. He decided if retailers could not come to Vegas for the show, he’d go to them. Rocky called others to join him in the Traveling Road Show hitting 15 cities in the U-S. Alan Rubin of Alec Bradley was the first to sign up, along with Oliva and Crowned Heads. Others were asked to join but because of intermittent factory closings due to the COVID quarantines they didn’t have sufficient inventory.

Here are the cigars that were debuted during the road show:

Rocky Patel Winter Collection

Rocky Patel’s Winter Collection originally debuted to great success in 2009. For 2020, Rocky wanted to bring the cigar back but with changing tobaccos and factories it became a challenge to make certain the flavor on the new cigar was just like the original. In 2009, the cigar was made in A.J. Fernandez’s factory but the current version comes from Rocky’s own factory in Esteli. The 2009 version used a Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper and to get the same sweetness this time a San Andrés wrapper was used.

Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Mexico
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras, Nicaraguan

Corona | 5 1/2 X 42 | Price: $8.50 USD
Robusto | 5 ½ x50 | Price: $10.50USD
Toro    | 6 1/2 x 52 | Price: $11.50 USD
Sixty |6 x 60 | Price: $12.50 USD

Rocky Patel Quarter Century

2020 marks Rocky Patel’s 25th year in the cigar business. Knowing that a quarter century is a long time, over three years ago, Rocky Patel began blending what would become his celebratory cigar. What makes the Rocky Patel Quarter Century cigar unique is that once it was rolled, Rocky insisted that it be kept under lock and key in the aging room for 2 years. Patel knows letting cigars sit this long costs more, but he is passionate about letting the flavors blend and marry before releasing it to the public.

Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Mexico San Andrés
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Nicaragua, Secret

Robusto | 5 ½ x50 | Price: $12.50 USD
Toro    | 6 1/2 x 52 | Price: $13.50 USD
Sixty |6 x 60 | Price: $14.50 USD

Rocky Patel Hamlet 2020

Since leaving Cuba in 2015 Hamlet Paredes has been working with Rocky Patel. Knowing Cuban tobacco for most of his life, Hamlet has had the world open to him in terms of tobacco. This year adds to Hamlet’s previous blends the Tabaquero, 25^th year and Liberation with the Hamlet 2020. In this cigar, Hamlet wanted a medium bodied smoke, but with full flavor. Nothing too overpowering, just nice and rounded.

Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras Nicaragua

Robusto | 5 ½ x50 | Price: $10.50 USD
Toro    | 6 1/2 x 52 | Price: $11.50 USD
Sixty |6 x 60 | Price: $12.50 USD

Alec & Bradley Cigars Kintsugi

Originally slated for release in June, the latest cigar from Alec Bradley’s namesakes — Alec and Bradley Rubin—Kintsugi is now set to ship in the fall of 2020. Shutdowns due to the Covid-19 caused delays in packaging and production. Kintsugi is a medium bodied cigar named for a Japanese legend where a 15^th century Japanese Shogun dropped a favorite vase, then ordered his craftsmen to reconstruct it and it turned out more beautiful. The Kintsugi is a medium bodied cigar that comes in a 24-count box.

Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Honduras
Binder: Nicaraguan, Honduras
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduras

Robusto | 5 x50 | Price: $7.95 USD
Toro    | 6 x 52 | Price: $8.80 USD
Gordo |6 x 60 | Price: $9.85 USD

Corona Gorda | 5 5/8” X 46 | Price: $7.25 USD

Crowned Heads Four Kicks Capa Especial

The Capa Especial release is actually a follow-up to Crowned Heads inaugural blend Four Kicks. In working with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo on the original in 2011, the blend came down to using either an Ecuador Habano or Ecuador Sumatra wrapper. The guys at Crowned Heads went with the Habano, but the Sumatran was the favorite of Perez-Carrillo. 9 years later, Perez-Carrillo’s choice is an earthy medium bodied extension to the Four Kicks line.

Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuador Sumatra
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Corona Gorda | 6 X 46 | Price: $8.65 USD
Robusto | 5 X 50   | Price: $9.35 USD
Sublime | 6 X 54 | Price: $9.95 USD

Crowned Heads Mil Dias

The Mil Diaz release began its journey a thousand days ago in the summer of 2017 when Jon Huber, Don Eradio Pichardo and Luciano Meirelles began discussing and trying a special blend. At the time they did not realize the amount of time it would take to get it just right. The cigar is a medium to full-bodied cigar and comes in 20 count boxes.

Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua/ Peru/ Costa Rica

Corona Gorda | 6 X 46 | Price: $9.25 USD
Edmundo | 5 3/8 X52 | Price: $10.00 USD
Double Robusto | 6 3/8 X 50   | Price: $10.75 USD
Sublime | 6 X 54 | Price: $11.50 USD

ACE Prime Luciano The Dreamer

ACE Prime is a relatively new company that debuted in 2019 at the Premium Cigar Association trade show. It joined forces with Crowned Heads, which now distributes their cigars. Luciano Meirelles has partnered with Eradio Pichardo in his Esteli factory. Luciano The Traveller came out in 2019 and immediately sold out. This new version, The Dreamer, is a true Lancero with medium body and salty caramel notes. It comes in 15 count boxes.

Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuador Sumatra
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua, Costa Rica

Lancero | 7 1/2 X 38 | Price: $15 USD