The idea for Java was conceived in Allentown, PA. I know that ain't sexy, and you might rather believe it was divine inspiration one day in Central America when Jonathan Drew and Rocky Patel were inspecting tobacco plants in the vegas of the Jalapa Valley....but it's the truth.

It was May 2, 2004, and all the major cigar manufacturers were here in Pennsylvania for CI's annual mega-herf called CigarFest the day before. Any cigar maker worth his salt came to the event, attended by a ton of raving cigar nuts. Anyway, the day after the event a small group of cigar makers - the cigar glitterati - were sitting in the lobby of some crappy hotel waiting to catch flights. Among the group were Rocky Patel and Jonathan Drew. These two guys became so absorbed discussing a new project they were trying to collaborate on that they changed their travel plans to extend their Allentown odyssey for an extra day. They spent the next 24 hours in that crappy hotel talking and brainstorming. See, Drew Estate is the king of infused cigars, known for ACID, Kahlua, Natural, etc. And at that time, Rocky's RP Vintage was just starting to skyrocket in popularity, and Rocky was searching for a new product to add to his line. He wanted an unconventional, subtly flavored cigar unlike anything else on the market, and Drew Estate was the only maker that could pull that off. After the idea was conceived there was months of blending, and Java was born. How do you describe this kind of cigar? This may sound like a distinction without a difference but Java is not a flavored cigar per se. It's imbued with the flavor of gourmet mocha. Not injected, sprayed, or one of the other countless ways they make most of the cheap flavoreds. Instead over time the flavor is allowed to absorb into the tobaccos prior to rolling. The result is a cigar with more nuances, one that's more refined, slightly sweet with mocha-like flavors. It's not a syrupy, gooky mess like many flavored cigars end up. Instead Java retains a crisp tobacco flavor that is not overwhelmed by the infusion of mocha. To me, this cigar is like a sorbet. I like to cleanse the palate between my voluminous consumption of more conventional cigars.