Rocky Patel has gained notorious fame since he first established himself as a cigar manufacturer. Due to his almost unrealistically high standards of quality control and his love for the industry, many of Rocky’s blends have earned high ratings by leading publications. Well, ladies and gentlemen, he may have outdone himself since his most recent release, Decade, received a 95-point rating from Cigar Aficionado magazine and now ranks among their Top 25 Cigars of the Year.

Decade is simply an excellently blended masterpiece created to commemorate Rocky’s 10th Anniversary in the cigar business. The core of this blend centers around well-aged Nicaraguan tobaccos and releases a plethora of complexities which include competing nuances of earth and peat, a hint of pepper and cedar nuances extending into a creamy, toasty finish. To complete the blend, a dark and oily Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper was added, creating a spicy-sweet character noticeable in the aftertaste with a rich, espresso note that can be easily tasted when cycled through the nose. Like all of Rocky’s blends, the construction, quality of tobaccos used and consistency in flavor are all on point, as it seems no expense was spared to produce this magnificent cigar. Only made in extremely limited quantities, this box-pressed beauty may be Rocky Patel’s best blend to date, completely deserving of its impressive 95 rating.

5 Vegas Limitada 2009 - Limitada 2009 is easily the strongest Limitada blend ever created, sporting a Dominican Corojo wrapper with hearty Dominican fillers for a palate tantalizing experience.

Gurkha Micro-Batch - Features the most rare and limited tobaccos Kaizad Hansotia has ever used in any of his blends, making it one of the most exclusive cigars available in the Gurkha lineup.

Rocky Patel Royal Vintage - Royal Vintage is the most recent concoction Rocky has released. It features many long aged tobaccos including a dark, oily seven-year-old wrapper that conceals a tasty blend of long fillers from Central America and the Caribbean.

A. Fernandez - A. Fernandez is a full-bodied blend utilizing a rich Habano Ecuador wrapper with a blend of Nicaraguan and Honduran ligeros to bring a wide array of flavors and aromas to the palate.

Q: What humidity is best for aging my cigars?

A: In order to properly age a cigar, you must look a bit further than simply assuring the humidity levels are correctly set. To quickly answer this question, the humidity levels should be kept between 70% and 75%, depending on the type and thickness of the leaves making up the aging cigars. The thicker the leaves, the more humidity you may need. However, the aging process is much more involved than simply setting your humidor at 70% humidity. It is best to keep a separate humidor, one only used for aging your cigars, in addition to a humidor used for maintaining your cigars. The difference between the two allows for a drastic improvement in the aging process. The “maintenance” humidor should only contain the cigars you’re ready to enjoy, since you will easily be opening it on a regular basis. Each time you open your humidor; much of the humidity is lost, which will drastically impair the aging process. Therefore, you should allow your cigars to age in a separate humidor for at least three months, with proper humidity levels, in order to experience an improvement in flavor, character and color.

Master Blender A.J. Fernandez has really made a lasting impression in the cigar business. As one of the industries youngest blenders, A.J. already produces cigars for top manufacturers such as Rocky Patel, in addition to his own signature series, A. Fernandez. Man O’ War Ruination is yet another incredible cigar blended by this up and coming manufacturer, as it pushes the envelope for full-bodied blends by perfectly matching strength, flavor, and body for a complex yet balanced experience.

Ruination contains at least twice the amount of ligero tobaccos found in its original counterpart, Man O’ War. The blend consists of Cuban-seed Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos, most of which are ligero, which add an exorbitant amount of spice to the flavor, in turn creating an incredibly robust experience. The blend also showcases an oily Habano Ecuadorian wrapper chosen for balance since it offers nuances of black pepper with a spicy-sweet aftertaste. The result is an impeccably rich cigar with many complexities including a leathery feel with earthy sensations throughout, which intermingle with a pleasant spice and releases hints of oak in the finish.

Belicoso (5.7" x 56) Full-bodied with black pepper and spice noticeable upon first light. Draw was perfect, although the cut to the head of the cigar had to be deeper than most other figurados. The complexities of cedar, earth, and pepper were enjoyable and interesting throughout as most of the strength is felt in the gut, not the head. Excellent! 93/100 [Buy Now]

Robusto No. 1 (5.5" x 54) This size easily lasted 75 minutes and produced a longer finish with a more robust character than the belicoso. The smoke is thick and heavy with an excellent, toasty aroma. Complex with abundant spice throughout and a note of espresso, this is a size for the true, full-bodied enthusiast. 91/100 [Buy Now]

Robusto No. 2 (6" x 60) The huge gauge allows for an incredibly easy draw that emits a ton of smoke and tasty complexities. The different nuances available with this size are easy to taste, from its leathery qualities to its spicy-sweet characteristics, but it did burn slightly uneven. The finish was toasty but not as smooth as the two other sizes. 89/100 [Buy Now]

Cigar.com (CC): How did you meet Jonathan Drew?

Marvin Samel (MS): Jonathan and I were fraternity brothers in college, Tau Epsilon Phi at Oneonta State University, in upstate New York. I learned of Jonathan's unwavering loyalty and willingness to help a friend while in college. We knew early on that we would be working together in some capacity, but little did we know just how things would actually turn out.

CC: Have you always wanted to be involved in the cigar industry?

MS: I'm sure for some of my colleagues, they dreamed of being cigar makers while still in the second grade. But for me, it wasn't until opening our little kiosk in the World Trade Center mall in 1995 at the age of 24 when I realized this was my calling.

CC: How has Drew Estate changed since you started?

MS: In the beginning, it was just Jonathan and I. We were young, and although we had a tremendous desire to succeed, it was the addition of key people in our growing company that helped Drew Estate flourish. Michael Cellucci, our V.P. of Sales, started with us in 2000 and has grown into a tremendous leader. Steve Saka, our President, came on board in 2005 and has really given us a much-needed pragmatic counterpoint to Jonathan and my enthusiastic approach towards our business. Our company has grown into a family of almost 1,000 employees, both in the United States and Nicaragua. Without them, Jonathan and I would never have succeeded.

CC: What would you say is your everyday cigar?

MS: These days I spend my time tasting many different samples of blends Jonathan is working on, as we have some new, exciting projects we are introducing this year. However, I enjoy at least one Liga Privada No. 9 each day. I am so proud of the fact that one of the finest cigars released in the cigar industry is created at our factory.

CC: Your non-infused cigars have been a big seller. When did you guys decide to enter that segment of the market and how do you see its future?

MS: You have to remember that before we invented our infusion process, first perfected on ACID, and since expanded to our full line of coffee infused cigars including Java, Tabak Especial, and Isla del Sol, we were traditional cigar makers. The success of our infused cigars simply overwhelmed us for the time being, but we always knew we would eventually get back to creating traditional blends. By 2004, Jonathan was already working on traditional blends again, one of which eventually became Chateau Real, and with bringing on Steve Saka (Saka will be the first to tell you that for him, infused cigars are not his thing) we have really concentrated on creating incredible traditional blends such as Liga Privada No. 9. In the future, you will see new blends coming from Drew Estate that continue to be innovative, both in traditional and infused cigars

CC: Who in the cigar industry is someone you respect and look up to?

MS: Technically, my dad Mordecai is not in the cigar industry. He is a retired plumber catching the early bird special with my mom in a retirement community in Aventura, Florida. But you see, my dad busted his ass his entire life, and then upon reaching retirement he mortgaged his house and life savings to the hilt so that Jonathan and I could realize our dream. So I would say he deserves an honorary spot in the cigar industry and is someone I obviously greatly respect.

CC: Your new release, ACID Opulence 3, has been a big hit. Can you tell us about what makes that cigar so special?

MS: ACID Opulence 3 has instantly become one of my favorite cigars! The infusion process is much more subtle than on say, Kuba Kuba. There is nuttiness and an earthy taste that is more prevalent on Opulence 3 than any other ACID cigars. This is the one ACID a traditional cigar enthusiast would enjoy as the tobaccos, especially the San Andreas Negra we use, really shines through to create a subtle sweet character.

CC: The IPCPR is just around the corner. Can you share with us any information about what we can expect from Drew Estate this year? Anything new coming from your camp?

MS: My beautiful wife Ivette completely upset me last week when she told me the ending to 'Marley and Me' right as I sat down with our three dogs to watch it, so I won't give away any hints (on both that movie or our new blends). I will tell you that we have developed an incredible innovation, which will be released and available through Cigar.com real soon. This could be the biggest surprise to hit the cigar industry since ACID debuted 10 years ago. We also have a couple of great traditional cigars that will also be released this year.

CC: When you’re not busy with Drew Estate, what do you like to do? Do you have any hobbies or outside interests you’d like to share?

MS: Hobbies?! It's 4am. I'm in a hotel room in Bakersfield, California while Fabian, my West Coast Regional Manager, is snoring as we make our way through eight events in nine days throughout California (I'm already past my deadline), and you're asking me about hobbies? When I actually get a chance to relax, I'm a sports fanatic and love playing racquetball and basketball. I am also a trumpet player and hope to play in a Blues band again one day soon. I also love playing poker, especially Texas Hold 'Em, which I usually play with other cigar manufacturers and retailers.

CC: What is your favorite aspect of the industry and your work with Drew Estate?

MS: I was married seven months ago, and most of the guests who watched Ivette and I walk down the isle were cigar manufacturers or retailers. My closest friends, from my partner Jonathan to members of my company to fellow manufacturers and retailers, are connected by the love for our industry, which we all share. It is a unique experience and I am glad I have my friends around me, some of who are my fiercest competitors too, but who also share a unique appreciation of how tough it was for Jon and I to get to where we are today.