Two icons in their respective fields, Rocky Patel and Gary Sheffield collaborate to launch a commemorative cigar – The Homerun 500 Club Cigar by Gary Sheffield
August 30, 2012 (Bonita Springs, FL). Two icons in their respective fields, Rocky Patel and Gary Sheffield join forces to bring you a special cigar, to commemorate Sheffield’s rare accomplishment of hitting 500 homeruns.
It is no secret in the premium cigar industry that the world-renowned Rocky Patel brand enjoys a sizeable following, owing to its reputation for the highest quality premium cigars and luxury lifestyle products.
All-star Gary Sheffield’s illustrious baseball career has rendered him an unforgettable figure in the world of sports. With all his tenacity and passion, Gary will always continue to strive for high performance and excellence.
So, it should come as no surprise that Rocky Patel Premium Cigar Company was the perfect fit for Gary Sheffield, himself a cigar enthusiast, to blend a cigar commemorating his 500th home run — The Homerun 500 Club Cigar by Gary Sheffield.
Both Patel and Sheffield have worked tirelessly to bring to market a perfectly blended and aged, medium to full-bodied premium cigar. Equally inspired is the box in which the cigars are presented. The velvet-lined, white leather-finish box is characterized with red stitching to match an authentic baseball. Both the metal plate on top of the box, and the artist’s rendering on the inside of the box were specially commissioned to reflect the momentous occasion of Gary Sheffield’s 500th home run.
Gary Sheffield will be promoting his Homerun 500 Club Cigar (“HR 500”) at special events, which will be held at fine retail tobacconists across the country. He will personally autograph each and every cigar box purchased at the events, and other memorabilia on multiple box purchases.
For Immediate Release For more information, contact Ratna Patel 239-593-1833
The management at Studio Sq. (Astoria Beergarden) recently announced another event in what has become a very popular string of events (take a look at the last one) hosted with Rocky Patel. “Smoke,” a Whiskey, Cigar and BBQ Festival will be hosted at Studio Sq. and will feature cigars from Rocky Patel, including the newly released “Freedom”, which is a fantastic blend.
Also at the event will be a four hour open bar featuring Chivas, Jameson, Glenlivet, and many other fine spirits. And of course, BBQ will be provided.
Tickets look like they are regularly priced at a little over $200, but you can get your ticket for under $100 at Groupon – but you have to act fast.
Drew Estate is at it again. Nicknamed “KFC”, the new line, going by the name “Kentucky Fire Cured” features a wrapper of Kentucky Fired Cured tobacco. I don’t have an inkling of what this means with respect to taste besides spice/full flavor, but with all of the incredible releases from Drew Estate in the past couple of years, fans should be excited to find out.
Near the bottom of the release below, you’ll see that Jonathan Drew mentions a mystery country where Drew Estate tobacco is now being produced. For what it’s worth, my bet is Egypt, or possibly the Philippines (if I’m right, I’ll put up a complete post explaining).
The official release is below.
April 2, 2013 (Miami, Fla.) — Drew Estate Inc. announced today the impending release of Kentucky Fire Cured Cigars, an extension to the MUWAT brand also to be produced at the Joya de Nicaragua factory. In development for over 2.5 years, this extension to the popular MUWAT line of premium cigars was inspired during a trip to the Dominican Republic where Jonathan Drew and Steve Saka were visiting the Universal Leaf tobacco pre-industry facility.
“I remember it as if it were yesterday” states JD. “Fritz Bossert (President of Universal Leaf), Steve Saka and I were smoking Liga Privada T52’s in the fermentation area when I noticed a pilon of Kentucky Fired Cured tobacco. We took the wrapper off the T52 and placed a thick Kentucky Fire Cured leaf in its place. The taste and aroma were simply amazing, but there was just one huge problem – the cigar would not burn properly, and is one of the reasons of the lengthy process it took to get ‘KFC’ to market.”
Nicholas Melillo, Executive Vice President of International Operations, was tasked with working on a solution to the burn issue in conjunction with Fritz Bossert, experimenting with using the fire cured leaf in the wrapper leaf position as well as using limited amounts as part of the filler.
Six months later we were already producing blends and sharing samples with good friends throughout the cigar industry, while keeping the project completely quiet.
“In February 2011 we had the pleasure of smoking some of these early samples on the Corona Cigar Co.’s Cigar Safari tour,” says Jeff Borysiewicz founder & owner of Corona Cigar Co. ”My group really enjoyed the aroma and flavor profile and kept asking JD when this product would be ready to market. He kept me waiting until December 2012, when we smoked more KFC samples at my lake house during the Christmas holiday. They’ve really come a long way and we look forward to the release.”
“The My Uzi Weighs A Ton brand was the first true collaboration between Drew Estate and Joya de Nicaragua,” says Michael Cellucci, President of Drew Estate.
“The Fact that JD wanted to bring the ”MUWAT” franchise under the flag of Subculture Studios is a reflection of his love of working with other talented cigar makers. Subculture Studios is more than just a graffiti factory in Nicaragua, it is a ‘mental space’ that JD and Jessi Flores have cultivated throughout the years and reveals innovation, raw talent and creativity that you find throughout all of Drew Estate at every level.”
There is a lot we have experimented with and all shall be revealed in short order, but for now here is a little quote from Nicholas Melillo, the King of Broadleaf, “First off, Kentucky Fire Cured is from a stalk-cut tobacco. The initial firing of KFC is done at low heat between 100 F to 115 F degrees and maintained until the color reaches solid brown. Once color is set temperatures increase to 120F- 130F to completely cure down the midrib of the leaf and darken. Once the midrib is dried the temperature will be reduced and the smoke maximized with saw dust to finish the leaf. When KFC hits your olfactory nerve you know it! “
MUWAT Kentucky Fire Cured will be Available in three sizes:
6 x 52 “Just a Friend”, 5 x 56 “Fat Molly” and a 4 x 46 “Chunky” in the familiar MUWAT craft paper bundle. Americana style graphics adorn these new packs.
“Kentucky Fire Cured is not something new to the world of tobacco, as it has been grown for over 200 years. Easily compared to the smokey taste attributed to a “peaty scotch”, the KFC picks up nuances of the roasted hickory, oak or maple wood that makes you say ‘Damn, that’s tasty,’” expels Jonathan Drew.
“In addition to the fire cured tobaccos of Kentucky and Dark Fire Cured of Virginia, we are finishing the two year project of our fire cured tobaccos from another country which DE will not disclose until a time closer to the actual release of the brand. I’ll just say this: they don’t speak English, Italian or Spanish in this region of the world.”
This cigar from L’Atelier Imports is collaboration between Pete Johnson, his brother K.C., Sean Casper Johnson, and Dan Welsh of New Havana Cigars. The sizes are an homage to Cuban Cohiba Behikes. The cigar is made by Pepin Garcia in the My Father factory in Nicaragua. The filler blend is of Nicaraguan tobaccos while the wrapper is an Ecuadorian wrapper called “Sancti Spiritus”. This is a hybrid of Criollo and Pelo de Oro. I’ve enjoyed Behikes in every size even the 56 which is not normally my preference so let’s see what this Cuban tribute has to offer:
Blend specifics
Size: 5 5/8″ x 54- Toro
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sancti Spiritus
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Appearance & Construction
The cigar sports a high glossy band which immediately attracts the eye. The wrapper has a rich brown hue with an oiliness and veins present. There were no soft spots on this cigar and it was rolled extremely well. The triple cap along with the pigtail at the end demonstrates the craftsmenship taken in rolling this smoke.
Taste & Smoking Characteristics
Intial lighting of this cigar gave off tea and sweet fruit notes. Bits of spice where had on the retrohale however the lingering finish was that of sweetness. The body built up to a medium profile at this point and coated the palate with creamy smoke. I initially thought I would get a classic blast of “Pepin spice” however I was pleasantly surprised with the refinement I was treated to. Midway the LAT 54 developed a creaminess and wood profile that finished with that fruit sweetness again. The wood/cedar profile picked up with spice developing in the background. The last third of this cigar gave a more earthy character and chewy texture to it. I was loving the changes in flavor and the tobacco quality was excellent. The finish provided flavors of oolong tea, earth, and cedar. The cigar burned a nice dark gray ash throughout and smoked effortlessly.
Conclusion
Having smoked the entire line of LAT’s I have to say this is my favorite vitola. The flavors presented were refined and harmonious throughout the entire cigar. The LAT 54 smokes medium to full bodied and packs wonderful sweet, wood and earthy flavors. The progression of this cigar left me wanting more and I would love to see where the flavors go with some age. Although a lot of Pepin’s cigars smoke well initially and then tend to fade in flavor, I think this one has potential to develop further if not remain just as good in the future. L’Atelier has shown me something with this Behike tribute. I wouldn’t say it is anything like a Behike nor was it the intention of the maker however for the price and flavors you need to pick a box of these up.
Rocky Patel is once again on to a new blend: the 2/26. RP is, of course, a brand that has gotten a lot of hate in recent years from cigar smokers for releasing “too many blends” – the problem with this obviously being that so many of their blends are so damn good. Recent releases like the Freedom delivered massively on taste and construction quality, so I don’t hesitate to say I’m excited to try the 2/26.
Here’s the release
March 22, 2013 — To celebrate Rocky’s birthday on 2/26 we have released one of Rocky’s favorite personal blends from our factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. The II-XXVI (2-26) are packed in beautiful handcrafted wood with a piano finish. The II-XXVI is limited, so there are only 1,000 boxes available in each size.
Pricing:
Robusto ($12.95)
Toro ($13.95)
Torpedo ($14.95)
Tasting Notes: medium to full-bodied with rich complex flavors consisting of white pepper and dark chocolate. It’s a tasty smoke whose bold leather and coffee notes are accented by a solid oaky essence.
Wrapper: Broadleaf
Binder: San Andreas
Filler: Brazilian Matafina, Nicaraguan Condega, Jamastran Valley, Ometepe
