Weekly Email – October 28th, 2015

It was 20 years ago today… OK, maybe not today, but it was 20 years ago that a Wisconsin man walked away from his day gig as an entertainment lawyer (and public-access cooking show host) to begin selling tobacco. Thus began the phenomenal rise to power of Rocky Patel, a man whose name is synonymous with fine cigars. And to mark this milestone in his career, Rocky has released theTwentieth Anniversary series, an exceptionally flavorful blend of Honduran (Jamastran Valley) and Nicaraguan (Jalapa and Esteli) fillers within a Honduran binder and wrapper.The profile is remarkable: a pleasant, medium-bodied base with elements of yeasty bread, caramel, and fleeting hints of fruit-like sweetness…a very enjoyable cigar which is available in five sizes: Lancero (7½” x 38), Rothschild(4½” x 50), Robusto Grande (5½” x 54), Toro (6″ x 52), and Sixty (6″ x 60), all of which are currently on the shelf here at ASW. Come on by and help Rocky celebrate with this fine new release!

That awesome new maduro we mentioned last week? It’s here, and available in five sizes! In case you missed it, Tabaquero is the brainchild of Hamlet Jaime Paredes, an expert Cuban roller who worked for years at the Partagás factory in Havana before being shepherded into the U.S. this past January under the auspices of the Patel family.His first blend with non-Cuban tobacco, the Tabaquero is as hearty as maduro can be: Nicaraguan fillers, a dual binder of San Andrés and Brazilian Mata Fina, and a wrapper of San Andrés…a seriously stout combination of tobaccos which makes for a helluva dark, rich smoke.

We’ve got all five sizes in stock: Corona (5½” x 42), Salomon (7½” x 58),Robusto Grande (5″ x 54), Toro (6″ x 52) and Robusto (5″ x 50). Get your hands on a Tabaquero mas pronto! This is one tasty cigar!

Everyone loves the Espinosa Habano, and with good reason…it’s a damn fine cigar. And now you can enjoy Erik’s newly rebranded version of his original delicious line, a Nicaraguan puro with a wrapper of savory habano (hence the name). A slightly reworked blend and a beautiful new band bring this old favorite up to date, and we’ve got plenty on hand…so stock up!Note: We also still have a small quantity of the original blue-banded habano in stock, so if you’re a diehard fan, get them while you can…because once they’re gone, they’re gone for good.

Yes, it’s true: the Partagás line has been around for 170 years. Think of it: 17 decades. To commemorate this milestone, General Cigar has released a truly stunning cigar: The Aniversario, a mind-blowing blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers (including a proprietary strain called “Nicaraguan Guardian”), a Connecticut habano binder, and a wrapper of genuine Cameroon leaf (from the Kadey province, an area noted for soil so rich that no fertilizer is required). The flavor is loaded with sweetness and spice, as well as the usual cedar and coffee notes one expects from a true Cameroon.We have a quantity of these on hand in the 6″ x 54 toro size. Get them while you can! Such blends are scarce and worth trying while they’re available; it might be a good idea to put one away for future enjoyment, too. These will only get better with age.

ASW is proud to present – by popular demand – a screening of Christian‘s award-winning thriller Mortal Remains! A chilling tale of cinematic obsession,Mortal Remains explores the legend of forgotten horror filmmaker Karl Atticusand the sinister legacy he left behind.While this film is as yet unrated, we strongly urge those with weak constitution or histories of heart trouble to avoid this screening at all cost. (The rest of you,come on and see it! It’s lots of fun.)

The show starts at 6:00 PM tomorrow evening, so get here early, bring some popcorn, and get ready for some suspense! For more information or to see the trailer, visit the official Mortal Remains website.

Jeff’s Pipe Corner returns after a brief autumn intermission that included an epic upland hunting trip to North Dakota. Smoking is darn near impossible while in the high plains and on the bone-dry prairie, so it’s been nearly three weeks since I’ve enjoyed a bowl…and on my return trip, a head cold cancelled out my plans of kicking back and enjoying a nice long smoke. That being said, we are going to discuss a pipe blend that I’ve not tried: McClelland Tobacco’s Christmas Cheer 2015.

Every holiday season, the good folks at McClelland tin up a special concoction of rare (and sometimes exotic) tobaccos for those of us who are pure tobaccophiles and collectors of anything connected to a “limited run.” Described as “pressed Virginias plucked from a 2011 Old Belt Crop, stoved, pressed and presented in the tin as a broken flake,” Christmas Cheer 2015 is a tin designed to be aged and savored after maybe 3 to 5 years…although there is certainly no law that says it can’t be enjoyed immediately!

Many pipe smokers have been picking up tins of this annual release since its inception many years back, and some make it a point to pop an aged tin every year to share with friends. The 2013 vintage was – and is – a very good representation of the real mastery that goes into McClelland’s blending process, and I have no reason to doubt that this year’s mixture will be a big hit among pipers the world over. Sold in 100 gram tins dressed in red, green, and gold, this tobacco would be an excellent gift for a discerning pipe smoker (or perhaps a gift to oneself to share with the other pipe smokers in their lives).

I’m hereby awarding an honorary 5 pipes out of 5 based on the company’s reputation, packaging, and originality. We have a few tins of this annual treat here at ASW, so get yours while it lasts! Puff On!

P.S. Hopefully I’ll be in smoking shape for next week’s Pipe Corner…!