Pope of Greenwich Village Unveiled This Weekend

The Pope of Greenwich Village, the Drew Estate creation that’s the latest addition to Smoke Inn’s Microblend Series, made its debut on Saturday, though it will be a few more weeks before it’s officially ready for the public.

The cigar first came to light in mid-December when the South Florida retailer announced that Marvin Samel and Jonathan Drew were scheduled to be the guests at The Great Smoke VIP Dinner, the event where a new cigar has been unveiled for the past several years. At the time, neither side said much about the cigar, though Abe Dababneh, proprietor of Smoke Inn, told halfwheel that it would be a 6 x 40 corona vitola. This week, Drew Estate issued a press release with details of the new cigar.

The blend uses a Mexican San Andrés wrapper with a Connecticut stalk cut habano binder and Brazilian Mata Fina and Nicaragua fillers. Willy Herrera created the blend, and in via a press release said that the cigar will appeal to fans of Drew Estate’s other maduro blends, including Undercrown, Nica Rustica, MUWAT, and Liga Privada. “Anyone who has smoked cigars that I’ve blended knows I like spice, but I didn’t go overboard here. The blend is balanced, bold, and just really good. The small ring gauge definitely amplifies the flavor, and I think this is a winner.”

When it’s released this spring, the MSRP for the 10-pack will be $85.00, with a single cigar price of $8.50.

Dababneh added that “I’m very excited to have my friends at Drew Estate joining us in Smoke Inn’s Microblend series. Drew Estate’s new Microblend has been a long time coming, but it was worth the wait. They really delivered with the ‘Pope of Greenwich Village’. This is a great cigar: meaty, earthy, and tasty.”

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.