Last week, Steve Saka took to Facebook to tease a new product he is calling the Year of the Duque.
“A few years ago, I began to really notice how many celebratory cigars are being crafted to mark the Chinese New Year. I even had a few of our Purveyors request we do the same. Now let me very loudly say this is -not- me being critical of the Companies that choose to do so or the beloved Chinese New Year, but for me personally it didn’t feel “right” to me,” Saka said in his Facebook post.
“We don’t have a big market in Hong Kong, and I personally don’t celebrate Chinese New Year, but I always loved the concept and look – that bold red and gold color scheme, plus the elaborate Asian influenced brand design – it is very sharp. And Lord knows, any excuse to celebrate with a cigar is right up my alley. I started thinking about what DTT could do that would be a better fit. So, I came up with this idea of doing an annual liga that celebrates and honors what is very dear to my heart: Our Supporters, our Patrons and most importantly, our Friends.”
Steve went on to say that he decided to honor his friend Chris Duque, who many may know from the cigar community. He is a native of Hawaii and has volunteered to help DTT at their tradeshows and events over the years. Saka clarifies he isn’t an official employee on payroll, he is just a guy with a lot of love for the game. According to Steve, “Plus he genuinely represents the very best amongst us in the cigar community – he is a selfless, generous and genuine friend to all who are blessed to know him.”
公爵年 translates to “Year of the Duke”. As Steve explained, if there is no spelling for your name in Chinese, they will often use the base origin of your name instead. “Duque” originates from the latin Dux to later become Duque in French, Spanish and Portuguese making the base word Duke – pronounced in Chinese as “gōngjué nián”. 我的兄弟 translates to “My Brother” – pronounced in Chinese as “wǒ de xiōngdì”.
Steve added he has triple verified these translations and spellings with multiple native Chinese speakers, and that he hopes he has it correctly.
As for the cigar itself, Steve promises no one else has been involved in the process and he has worked this blend alone. However, when blending the cigar and deciding on the vitola, Steve says he very purposely kept what Chris likes in mind. This is a robust blend that will be presented in a 5 x 48 parejo format. Steve added it delivers a nice hearty pop of flavor, and he believes it will age out beautifully over time. It will be made at Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A. There will be a total production of 2,000 boxes of fourteen cigars made.
Saka said he asked Chris Duque for permission to do this project well over a year ago, understanding what the intent was, and he graciously granted me the permission to do so. Steve said Duque hadn’t asked for nor was promised any compensation, but he will be receiving a “worthy gift” and what he chooses to do with it is up to him. Steve says that he plans to honor a new person every year.
DTT will be notifying retailers later this month with preorder information if they wish to secure this Extremely Limited Edition for their customers.
