September Cigar of the Month: Rocky Patel

Last week,* Rocky Patel came to town, landing** at Broadway Cigars.

Broadway Cigars in Providence, RI.

Many men (and a few ladies--Hi Denise!) gathered for this rare Providence, RI sighting.

Just some of the usual suspects.***

And also one of the world's coolest dudes. Hi Brian!

Rocky was **** gracious, generous with his time, and funny--AND he put up with Will the Travelling Owl's willfulness, so in our book, he should be sainted.

The little bastard and Rocky

Of course, he also hung with Valentino for a bit, and they laughed it up like BFFs. (Not even kidding. I pity the guy who came up to Rocky and said, "Now who are you?")

Like Valentino's shirt? You can get one just like it here!

If you live on Planet Earth and have even taken a peek into the cigar world, you've heard the name Rocky Patel. Here's a spot of backstory so you can appreciate why his name is synonymous with cigars and you really only need to say "Rocky" and everyone knows who you mean.

Patel, er, Rocky, a former Los Angeles entertainment and liability lawyer, developed a fascination with cigars during the mid-1990s boom. After helping found the Grand Havana Club in LA, he invested in cigar manufacturing and the product--and his name--sailed to the annals of cigar history.

That beginning came in 1996, when the cigar world welcomed Rocky and business partner Phil Zhengi's Indian Tabac Company's**** "fresh ideas, bold packaging, and fuller cigars" and since then, his perfect tobacco blending and blending with smokers of his premium cigars is known throughout the community. [source]

Speaking of blending, at which Rocky excels, these were accidentally purchased during the Broadway Cigars event...

A smorgasborg of cigars!
What's the cigar equivalent of nom-nom-nom?

Also during the event, Rocky Patel (the company) rep Max Bichler provided some cigars to give away to you guys! Cigars that haven't been released to the public yet!

And we also got Rocky to sign a couple of boxes for you!

These boxes are empty, but they're still signed!

What's in the box?
Nothing. Not. A. Thing.
(Not kidding.)

In addition to what you see here, we're working on adding to the collection--more Rocky Patel cigars--we just couldn't finalize the secret switch in the back room of a speakeasy by "Dear god I have to announce next month's giveaway soon!" o'clock. But there will be more! Pinky swearsies!

So for now, we know there will be two first-prize winners. But of course we can't leave it at that! Stay tuned for The Adding of More Prizes.


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*Hahahaha. As if I did something in a timely manner.

**Not landing landing, as if his plane gently set down on Broadway's roof... Metaphorical landing.

***

In this picture,
they look like extras from a Sopranos episode.

****I'm sure he still is; after all, he's only been gone a few days.

*****Earlier this year, the company announced Indian Tabac's demise.

Evil Genius in the HOUSE! (Except not ALL houses--yet!)

I'd like to say the meeting happened accidentally, but if you've ever met Valentino, you know accidents like that rarely happen.

During The Great Psyko Tasting, SuperFriend Karl  (Hi Karl!) just happened to mention Alex Hirsch, president of Evil Genius Cigars, would hang at Broadway Cigars the next morning--which you know is one of our homes away from home. Karl said we should go if we wanted to meet him.

By the way, Broadway Cigars
now carries Evil Genius cigars. Yay!

Now you know we can't pass up meeting someone fab, plus a trip to Broadway* is always a treat. The only thing holding us up? Morning. I move slowly on a good day.  You know how when you're stuck in traffic and barely moving? That's the every morning in a nutshell.** Just i...n...c...h...i...n...g my way toward productivity (hopefully).

But I rallied, thanks to the promise of blueberry pancakes!***

You. Guys. Alex is so awesome. Not only was he kind and funny and giving, he also handled the antics of this little bastard with aplomb:

Oh Will...

And speaking of giving, Alex opened his magical valise, revealing not potions and concoctions, but instead a number of black- and white-banded cigars.  These cigars (below) came our way, thanks to his generosity. (Also, Alex, thanks for not turning us into toads or anything.)

If you must know, another Evil Genius cigar--the Black Chapel torpedo (6.25 x 52)--may or may not have accidentally gone up in smoke--very slowly, as a good cigar should. Actually, we'd say a darned good cigar with a rum barrel-aged Brazilian maduro wrapper, Ecuadorean corojo binder, and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Peru.  Plus, it's gorgeous, so there's that going for it.

Now you'd think, Why would you start with the stronger one--doesn't the black band say, "Hey, I'm stronger than my white-banded kin over there." You'd think so, but they truly are evil geniuses over there, toying with our expectations, and making the guy in the metaphorical white hat living in the  White Chapel the stronger (bad--but still delish) guy.

That White Chapel is a full-bodied MF,**** a powerhouse consisting of Habano wrapper, sun-grown Ecuadorean Sumatra binder, and three different ligero and a seco tobaccos as filler.  Give that a shot and you'll see just how evil those geniuses are. ::shakes fist at geniuses, evil and otherwise::

[source]

The other day, we were where we always are (Habanos) and a guy came in and asked if they carried Evil Genius cigars. (They don't, hint hint.)

Alex, you've got folks requesting them, so whatever you're doing, keep it up! (We'll try to keep Will out of your path. By the way, he wants to know if you received his application for the above job posting. Apparently, he's hoping to move up the ranks quickly, so prepare yourself.)

Exactly.
[source]

*Cigars, but Theater District Broadway is also always a treat.

**Does anyone actually put stuff IN nutshells? It's a weird cliche, but I'm sticking with it.

***If you ever need to get me somewhere early, blueberry pancakes is a good motivator, as is MILK chocolate chip pancakes. (There's no room in my heart for semi-sweet chocolate. Life's too short.)

****And when I say MF, I mean MF.

That's what friends are for...inciting shenanigans

I just realized SuperFriend and La Flor Dominicana rep John Gallogly wants my head to explode. I suspect he will giggle like a schoolgirl when that happens.

Let me back up.  A couple of weeks ago, I caught up with John at Habanos and he was being his usual generous self, sharing his wares with the people. He handed me a cigar labeled only with LFD N.A.S. and said, "I want this to be the first cigar you smoke."

I'm an innocent babe in the woods--or babe with the words, haha--and trusting beyond belief. But I didn't like that extra sparkle in his eyes. So I did what any writer-girl would do. I researched.

N.A.S.?

That stands for Nasty Ass Shit.

Today at the Broadway Cigars LFD event, as John made the rounds, he set this in front of me:


You son of a...

Yeah. Another (5 1/2 x 42, give or take) N.A.S.

Using my feminine wiles, I convinced Valentino he should smoke it.

Had John not been the devil who gave it to me, I never would have thought this cheroot (smaller, open perfecto rolled without molds and open on both sides) an LFD, as it lacks the perfect body of a traditional LFD cigar. In fact, Cigar Coop said it "easily looks like a cigar that could be smoked in a spaghetti western."

The other difference is the tobacco:  Dominican pelo de oro ligero, a strand of tobacco outlawed in Cuba--and if something's outlawed in Cuba, you know it's worth checking out. This outlaw, however, is in the cigar doghouse because it likes whipping up some blue mold, just for fun.

And this baby is allll ligero--wrapper and filler. What about the binder? you ask. Ain't got one, I answer.

 

So Valentino lit the N.A.S. It didn't make his head explode, but it did punch him in the face with what Cigar Coop called "a spice bomb."

 

He set it down for a bit, with the promise to get back to it, right after he cooled down his palate with the LFD L-Granu, which the company says, "This 64 x 6 Ligero was kicked up a notch from the standard blend of Dominican filler & binder and also features a higher priming Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. We guarantee the Ligero smoking experience you’ve come to know & love in this new, much larger format!"

 

Valentino seems much more at peace with this monster than he did with the little bastard, although he keeps giving it the stink-eye, accompanied by the threat to relight soon...

 

I just told him some reviewers have reported a sweetness in the N.A.S. After all these years, I know when he doesn't believe me--and this is one of those times.

Oh, he'll find out soon enough. He won't abandon a cigar, especially an LFD. Your time is coming, little buddy. Very very soon.


Where we will be: LFD (I like the way that rhymes)

This Friday, May 29 at 6:00p.m.,* we'll be heading over to hang with our pals at Broadway Cigars in Providence, RI for a La Flor Dominicana (LFD) shindig.

LFD Guru John Gallogly will certainly have some awesome deals and swag...because he always does! (As I write this, I am wearing my LFD t-shirt from another event where we accidentally purchased a bunch of cigars. By ACCIDENT!) Here's a recap from the last LFD at Broadway.

Also, he is a master of the selfie--or selfie and Penny:

One of the few pics you'll ever see of me on here.

And the folks at Broadway are kings in the land of raffles, so make sure you stick around for that as well!

[source]

AND! Rumor has it, there will be some delicious eats from Roma on Federal Hill. (But probably no dessert. There's never any dessert at cigar events, never mind delicious dessert. Boys are dumb.**)

So, we can expect to see you there?

Okay, fine. Yes, Will will be there as well. I just searched for a photo of John and the little owl...and can't find one. That must be remedied quickly! In the meantime, please enjoy this pic of John with Valentino!

*Here's where Valentino and I continuously battle: I say this is a suggestion; he hates hates hates being late for anything. If we're ever late, assume it's my fault; I probably got distracted by a piece of glitter. Or hated my hair.

**Which is why I usually have Ring Dings or other delicious snacks in my bag. If you ask nicely...

Island Jim's Big Johnny (heh heh)

You already know how much we love all things Island Jim. But there's a new fella to his cigar lineup--Big Johnny.

Named for a regular at Jim's Leaf and Bean in Pittsburgh's Strip District, the 8 x 66 is a monster--a very, very friendly monster, and described as "Only slighter smaller than a Louisville Slugger..." by Rich Myberg on Jim's Facebook page.



"Heeerrreeee's Johnny!"

 

So there we were, hanging out at Broadway Cigars in April, this time because Jim would be in the house. Well, in the shop. We stocked up on Leaf by Oscar and Island Jim cigars and then Valentino came back to my nest (where I'd cozily set up laptop and snacks and friends) with one of these:

As far as I know, these are (as the picture states) still only available at Jim's shop, the Leaf & Bean in Pittsburgh's Strip District. But he was nice enough to bring these for sampling purposes (plus he's really nice).

Valentino's is still in the humidor and Caballero #2 hasn't revved his up yet either. Sigh. They want to smoke them together, but can't seem to find enough time to partake--because the Big Johnny is a commitment of time. A forced relaxation, if you will.

Because both Caballeros let me down, I went off the reservation and hunted down our Big Johnny-smoking pals.

Jim and Karl at the Broadway Cigars event.

Karl Pease and I spent a year in the same vicinity, always sitting two tables away from each other at cigar dinners or in different clusters of chairs in the same lounge. At this event, I demanded attention. Okay, actually, I introduced myself. We're BFFs now, of course.

So I asked him what he thought of the newest Island Jim and Oscar Valladares collaboration. "The Big Johnny is kind of like that big teddy bear. Gives you that big friendly flavor, but doesn't knock you out. It delivers great taste for a long time. Instead of being scary big, it's teddy bear big."

Will!!

Then, on the Leaf & Bean Facebook page, I saw our pal Will McPhaul sitting back and smoking one of these new sticks as part of a testing group.

We met Will at Leaf & Bean in December. Jim actually said we needed to know each other, which was incredibly flattering for someone who thinks she's invisible most of the time. (That's me, by the way.) Of the cigar, he said, "The Big Johnny is more than enough bang for your buck! It's the rebellious big sister of the Leaf Maduro and doesn't play by anyone's rules."

If you get the chance to lay your hands (and mouth) on a Big Johnny--the CIGAR--do it! Doitdoitdoit!

And if the caballeros finally get around to their Big Johnnys... (Dear god is there any way to talk about this cigar without double entendres?) Anyway, I'll definitely let you know. Pinky swear.


P.S. (If there is such a thing on a blog), here's an interesting fact, from Jim's Facebook page:

"The paper for the 'Leaf by Oscar' Cigar bands are made one sheet at a time. The stems from the tobacco leaf are ground up made into a mulch and then painstakingly made into tobacco paper. This small factory makes for us 1300 sheets per week. All this is done in Danli, keeping as much of our cigar making process in our community as possible. We are proud that we give back as much as possible to our friends and neighbors."

In Memorium

We send our condolences to our friend Bobby, his brother, and sister, as well as their entire family on the loss of their mom.

We know this is a difficult time for all of them, so next time you stop by Bobby's shop, Broadway Cigars, please give him your condolences and some love.

Although we never had a chance to meet Maria "Mena," Ianiero, anyone who reared a man as kind as Bobby deserves to be celebrated.

Godspeed, Mena.

How do we love thee? Consider this an official public display of affection...

I was just writing a super bunch of stuff for our forthcoming website and decided, hey! I should self-plagiarize! So here's a portion of what's to come...

n.b.: If we left you off the list even though we have publicly professed our love for you in the past, it's because your lovely blogger was distracted by the bubbles in her ginger ale. Literally, it's not you; it's me.

Another n.b.: These are in no particular order.


Anyway, these are folks who actually speak to us in public. We support them, their businesses, their endeavors. They don’t look away when we make eye contact. Win-win!

Habanos Cigar Lounge—Where the magic happens. And by “magic,” we mean where words are written, friends made (where we found Caballero #2!), and cigars smoked. We consider this our “home base.” (Hi, well, everyone!) If you come by and we aren’t here, there’s a good chance we will be soon!

 

So...many...things...

Mr. J’s Havana—Owned by our SuperFriend Paul Joyle, this cigar shop in West Warwick, RI (located within Joyle’s Liquor) requires your immediate presence. Go ahead. We’ll wait. While you’re there, say “Howdy” to Mark and Nate and many of the regulars. They’re all awesome. Oh! And make sure you try the J Grotto cigars. You’re welcome in advance.

Actually, there's a new sign outside and the inside has been completely redone!
Broadway Cigars: Now! With more coziness!

Broadway Cigars—We’re big, big fans of this cigar lounge in Providence, RI, even though we don’t get there nearly as much as we’d like! They have fantastic in-house events and cigar dinners. Go for the ever-expanding repertoire of cigars and regulars, stay for the conversation and fun. Tell Bobby and JV we sent you! Oh! And it’s BYOB, just so you know!

This picture doesn't do The Humidor justice. But when you're swiping
pictures from the mighty internets, beggars can't be choosers.
Well, they can...

The Humidor--With three Rhode Island locations, all unique and yet amazing, our favorite is the East Greenwich, RI, shop, which features a huge lounge area, big enough to hold an excellent Drew Estate dinner, which we went to this past Thursday. Owner Jana is one of the coolest chicks we know; she hosts fabulous events and provides a fantastic selection of cigars and accessories. Tell her we said "Hi!" when you go!

Cigar Cellar and Lounge—A bit further from home than we’d like, this Miami spot is heaven. We happened upon it by accident and now we’re trying to figure out how to relocate the business, owner Rhea Planes, and all the regulars up to us. (And no, relocating to Miami is not an option. Too hot there for one of us.) Learn how to play dominos before you go and tell Rhea we said "Hi!" and we miss her, when you get there!

As wonderfully eclectic inside as it is out.

Leaf + Bean, Pittsburgh’s Strip District—There are almost no words for how eclectically awesome this place is. Owned by our pal Jim Robinson (he who created the Leaf by Oscar cigar, among others), this shop happens to be near Valentino’s hometown and not too far from Penny’s son’s home. We visit both a lot more now.

Churchill's Smoke Shop--Not a huge place, but definitely a hugely welcoming place! Valentino found this on his own, and when I eventually got there myself, I felt the need to arm-punch him for holding out. Owner Bryan and Joe are definitely guys you want to be friends with--trust me on this.

Yes, an actual old firehouse.

Old Firehouse Smoke Shop--This is another shop we'd heard about for ages and then practically stumbled over by accident while we were in Fall River, MA. So so so glad we did! John only carries boutique cigars; if you wander around for even a bit of time, you'll say, "Hey! I heard about these..." or "I've been looking for these..." more than a few times. Plus...there's a shop dog named Wyatt to love while you're there...

Premium 70/70 Cigar Shop and Lounge--Who's an ass? Make that a clueless ass...This girl. Premium 70/70 is in my hometown. The town I lived in for mumblemumble years! And I've driven by no less than one hundred million times, making a teeny tiny mental note of it. One day we had some extra time and said, "Hey, we should go there.." And we did. And we loved it, especially Nolan and the great cigar selection. Plus, there's a shop cat named Bob... If I still lived in town, I would make that my homebase for sure.

Havana Cigar Club--If you have an hour or ten, you should visit Havana's humidor. Take it in like an art gallery; that's what I do, while Valentino stands there saying, "Come onnnnnn" and one of the awesome staff members tells me about the cigars I regard with obvious longing. If you do actually choose (because you aren't indecisive like me), settle into a cozy leather chair and...ahhhhh. Become a member and you can settle into even cushier chairs in the private member room.

Ale House Cigar Bar—This really cool place to hang out, located in downtown Providence, RI, has its cache upped by the staff—welcoming, funny, and thoughtful. Honestly, we don’t get here nearly enough.  That needs to change—stat--partly because we miss Humidor Manager Jake!
 

Boulevard Cigar--A newcomer to the greater Providence area, stepping into this  place is like visiting your best friend’s living room—it’s welcoming, cozy, and…well, your BFF probably doesn’t have an amazingly stocked humidor, but ours does! A great cigar selection, especially for a new place. Bet you'll love it so much you'll want to be a member!

 

The other day, I said, “I’d like to quit my job and travel around the country in an RV, checking out cigar lounges and going to cigar events.”

Simultaneously, two friends looked at me and said, “Don’t you already do that?”

Oh. Actually, yes. Except we don’t have an RV.

What cigar lounges should we visit next? Tell us--we have the summer off, although can that possibly be long enough? Anyway, we want to find new favorites. Without an RV, obviously (harumph), but I can try to overlook that. I'll just have to settle for Valentino's luxury vehicle... 

Where we'll be: 12 Reasons Why you should come to this event (apologies to Jay Asher for bastardizing his title.*)

On Friday, April 10, at 6:30!

 

Meet Jim Robinson!

 

At Broadway Cigars!

(obviously, we're very excited!)

 

Jim with our hero

Reasons you should go:

1. We'll be there. Obviously, you don't need another reason, but if you're being stubborn, here are some more:

2. Delicious food from Roma, on Federal Hill!

3. Two for one specials! 

4. Raffle for $500 worth of cigars and humidor!

5. Did we mention we'll be there?

6. Other cool people will be there! You want to meet and hang with Bobby and John and the folks who hang at Broadway Cigars.



Photo stolen shamelessly from the Broadway Cigars Facebook page.
Mr. Cool and the Gang

 

7. From our experience, any Island Jim event--or any event at Broadway Cigars--is always a good time.

8. Will the Travelling Owl will be there. (P.S. Please go like his Facebook page so he'll shut the eff up about us not promoting his "awesomeness" enough. Thank you.)
 

Jim and Will go waaaay back. Obvs they're BFFs.

9. You get to meet Jim Robinson, Mr. Island Jim himself. Trust us--you will love him. (And that's IF Will isn't bogarting all Jim's time. Will can be an asshole, as we all know.)

10. If you haven't had a Leaf by Oscar or an Island Jim cigar, this is your chance to swoon and meet their maker, simultaneously.

 

11. Foods. Yummy, yummy foods.

12. We'll be there.

*If you have not read 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, you should. And you should do it soon.  I can't believe you've gone this long without reading it! Or at least listen to it!

Oliva: Insert your own witty comment here (Brain? Dead.)

The man and the cigars.

This is happening now!*

We were supposed to be heading to another shindig, but stopped by the Oliva event at Broadway Cigars first--because you know I hate to miss a party.**

But we love these Men (and Lady--hi Lexy!) of Broadway and hadn't yet met John Gazzero, the Oliva account manager for our area, so win-win. 

First, though, we accidentally stopped and had pizza at Caserta's on Federal Hill,*** a favorite of our hero**** to fuel event-hopping. And THEN headed into Broadway.  Full disclosure and all that. 

 

 

We made off with a handful of Melanios, which Valentino loves. For some reason, none lived in either of our humidors. Whaaaaa? I know! We've learned that sometimes you have to look for what's not there, rather than gazing lovingly at what lies perfectly in their logically-appointed sections. 

 

So even though we were all, "We're not buying anything,"***** obvs we couldn't not buy something. We love love love the deals at these events, where you buy some and get some. So now we have another new favorite.  This:

 

We've chatted about these babies before, but maybe you got amnesia, and you're sitting here reading this, thinking, "Good heavens, what was the number one cigar in Cigar Aficionado last year?"

 

I'm so glad we were here for you.

 

BTW, if you haven't been to Broadway in Providence yet, you should totally go!  Newly painted! Brand new furniture!

 

 

Same old fellas, thankfully!

 

The usual suspects with Island Jim.

 

All right, off to phase two of our evening!!

*Although long in the past when I get around to finishing this (3 days later--not bad for my killer procrastination skills) and you get to read it. But NOW, as I start it. 

**This is an unabashed lie. A LIE. Ultimately, I'm both lazy and antisocial. Thinking about having to curl my hair, put on makeup, AND dress like a girl simultaneously makes me weep. 

***Proof that we are not trainable--we usually drive there for a meal on Mondays. They aren't open on Mondays. We know this. And yet we try and try. Luckily, we may be gaining some smarts!!

****I'm a thin-crust girl myself. The things we do for love. 

*****We say it every time. We have never stuck to it. Not ever. Ever.