Local News Exclusive: Rocky Patel Visits Corona Cigar of Dr. Phillips

    For cigar aficionados, last month's visit by Rocky Patel helped cap off the year right. at Corona Cigar in Dr. Phillips and Lake Mary, hosted by founder Jeff Borysiewicz. Initially, Patel began his career as an attorney for Hollywood's elite, but later gravitated to the cigar world where he eventually attained the status of legend. A wide variety of challenges to the industry plagued Patel and Borysiewicz alike during the past two decades as they both grappled with government overreach. Well meaning but misguided proponents of the anti-tobacco lobby. We recently interviewed Patel in relation to his career, the present state of the cigar industry and what the future might hold under the incoming Biden administration.

Fighting fake news isn't just a pastime for reporters (or President Trump, depending on your viewpoint). The cigar lobby also defends itself against blatantly false attacks every year. Patel sounded off about misinformation about the health and demographic implications of cigar smoking. According to a Cigar Aficionado survey posted on Feb 12, 2016, out of 7,500 persons polled, most smokers tend to vote Republican. Despite strong support from the cigar community, President Donald Trump signed into law legislation to curb youth access to smoking by raising the legal age to 21. The policy, though well meaning, doesn't take the facts into account, according to Patel: "Education is key. What most people don't know, including regulators, is that usage patterns differ between cigar users and cigarette smokers. For example, there are very few youth access issues for cigars as opposed to cigarettes."

He further opined: "It doesn't make sense that you can go over to Afghanistan and fight for your country but not smoke a cigar if you're an adult under 21. That is also why Jeff and I have been so supportive of the great patriots in our military, for all that they do for us." When asked about the health ramifications of cigar smoking, Patel hit back, explaining that "FDA regulators don't have enough conclusive evidence cigars cause cancer... There is really no scientific data to prove this. We've been working with the Trump administration and we look forward to working with the incoming administration as well to resolve these issues." Although health opponents of cigars point to cases such as the recent cancer diagnosis of radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, they often fail to take into account underlying conditions and other usage habits such as cigarette smoking. Some studies have shown that cigars actually lower blood pressure, aid in digestion and promote mental health through relaxation. But in the uphill battle against the nanny state, cigar smokers can rest assured with Rocky Patel and Jeff Borysiewicz as advocates.