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The Race to 1 Million: The Many Cigar Blends of Rocky Patel and Gurkha
Blends Race intensifies: observers anxiously await if it’s going to be Gurkha or Rocky Patel
So prodigious is the output of cigar makers Gurkha and Rocky Patel that onlookers have compared the two to a cigar-related Joey Chestnut/Kobayashi showdown. Rocky, known to produce “exclusive” blends for convenient stores, corner bars, and even auto body shops, is matched only by Gurkha owner Kaizad Hansotia, renowned for deriving all his brand names from 300, Braveheart, and Gladiator. Though both downplay the rivalry publicly, insiders privately admit there’s a race to the top….and it can only end one way. Each camp is throwing around astronomical numbers and the unspoken feud has been labeled the “Race to 1 Million Blends.”
Kaizad Hansotia of Gurkha is well on his way. Having amassed an arsenal of warrior-related trademarks – from Warpig and Widowmaker to Ninja and Avenger – there’s no sign of letting down. After a nice bump from the hugely successful Micro-Batch and counteracting SCHIP taxes head-on with the beautifully priced Sherpa, Park Avenue, and Cuban Legacy, he recently rolled out a six-blend collection in his new Gurkha Empire Series. This is just gilding the lily though, as the sheer quantity in his stunning portfolio of various blends would make even Wilt Chamberlain blush.
Ever the gamer, Rocky won’t be outdone, as his Puro Cubano, Rocky Patel “Seconds”, and string of marginal house blends made for every store in the nation are merely the tip of the iceberg. The trick to getting a private, exclusive blend made “just for you” is getting a drink in Rocky’s hand, an objective with a difficulty level observers have compared to getting an affirmative from Billy Mays (RIP) to the question of whether one should buy Oxyclean or not.
The march to 1,000,000 continues. Stay tuned.
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