UK Cigar Scene Magazine January Issue 13 | Page 4

NEWS & GOSSIP Tabaquero cigars January will see the arrival of a new cigar in the UK and it’s one which many of us who have travelled to Cuba have been looking forward to sampling. The cigar is being produced by Rocky Patel and it was blended and developed by the well known Cuban Master of Tobacco Hamlet Paredes. Hamlet previously worked as a roller in Havana and has travelled extensively around the world demonstrating his skills. More recently he worked in the cigar store at the Romeo y Julieta factory and the Partagas factory. He recently moved to the US and joined the team at Rocky Patel. He now lives in Florida and this is his first cigar for Rocky Patel under the new Tabaquero brand which the company has created for his cigars. The cigar features a San Andreas wrapper with filler from Nicaragua and binders from Brazil and Mexico. The selected sizes of cigar are all traditional and in the UK will include the Robusto (5” x 50ring gauge), Corona (5½” x 42) and the Salomon (7 5/8”x 58). 3 2016 EMS Stamp The first images of the 2016 EMS (English Market Selection) have arrived from Hunters & Frankau. Expect to see the stamp appearing on boxes of cigars in stores very soon. HDM Hermosos No 4 Añejados My sources tell me that the latest cigar from the Añejados program is likely to arrive in the UK in late January. The third cigar from this Cuban aging program to arrive here is the Hoyo de Monterrey Hermosos No. 4 Vitola measuring 5” with a 48 ring gauge. Images we have seen on the web suggest that these cigars date from the first quarter of 2007. We look forward to trying one and reporting on the next stage of this fascinating program.