La Sonrisa Adding El Profesor at IPCPR 2018

La Sonrisa Cigars is paying tribute to one of the company’s co-founders with a limited edition cigar named after his profession.

El Profesor is being made in honor of Wally Stealey, who in addition to co-founding La Sonrisa was also a lobbyist, political scientist and professor at Southern Colorado State University, now known as Colorado State University-Pueblo.

It will be offered in a single 6 x 52 toro using an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper over an Indonesian binder and fillers from the Condega, Estelí and Jalapa regions of Nicaragua. It also features a small piece of Ecuadorian habano maduro leaf at the cap.

“Company tradition dictates that our cigars carry on the characteristics of their namesake,” said Tom Hocking, co-founder of La Sonrisa Cigars. “Wally was always larger than life, and attracted everyone from farmers to CEOs, and I expect the El Profesor to do the same.”

El Profesor is being sold in both 9- and 18-count boxes with pricing set at $12.95 per cigar. Production is limited to 1,000 cigars.

The cigars were blended by Silvio David Martinez at the La Sonrisa Cigars S.A. factory in Granada, Nicaragua.

This is the second cigar named for Stealy, who the company calls a “well-respected Colorado cowboy with an education,” joining the La Sonrisa The Wally. The company also offers The Charlotte, named for co-founder Tom Hocking’s wife, and the La Sonrisa The Victory, a cigar that the Scottsdale, Ariz. company says it crafted for celebrating life’s victories, both big and small.

Images courtesy of La Sonrisa Cigars.

Patrick Lagreid contributed to this article.