There are tobacconist’s, aficionado’s, shop owners, cigar reps, and the like. People who pretend to be in the know, and flat-out wanna be cigar ballers (if this is you bite me)…and then there’s Sanj. Sanj Patel is a fucking tobacco Jedi, he’s forgotten more about the leaf than most of us can ever hope to attain, it’s just that simple. He’s respected and known throughout the industry by many of the top cigar dogs both domestically and internationally. This business is what he’s poured his energy into for the majority of his time on this planet. I recently had the pleasure of spending a Saturday with him and his crew…it was enlightening, colorful, and needless to say impressive.
Sanj’s shop is located in Bloomfield, New Jersey, 419 Broad St to be exact, he’s owned and been at this location for 33 years and four remodel’s (all the work done by him by the way), a fixture in the neighborhood. To become a member takes a lot more than your hard earned dollars. What the hell do I mean ? well check this out, if you’re not recommended by a current member, you can just take your wide ass and money (you know who you are) some place else. Sanj is hell-bent on maintaining a certain type of membership, honesty and integrity fucking matter, being rude to female members is the kinda bullshit that will get you messed-up. If this seems extreme to you…good, lames are not welcome :-). Listen, members have 24 hour access using their key-fob to gain entry, along with a locker and special pricing on inventory, you might even run into a celebrity every now and then as they have been known to frequent his establishment. They’re open 6 day’s a week, Monday through Saturday, he reserves Sunday for god and family.
You can find many of the well known cigar brands to purchase at this cigar location: Davidoff, E.P Carrillo, Fuente, etc, but in my humble opinion the real juicy stuff, are the cigars that carry his name, SP1014’s (Sanj Patel, October 14th, his dob), different sizes and flavor profiles are available. There is for example the SP1014 Red, created by Sanj and master blender Chico Rivas of the Dominican Republic. The site where you can purchase these beauties (shouldismokethis.com)
describes the blend as a Dominican Corojo puro…all of these cigars are draw-tested and weighed for the optimal smoking experience, Sanj will tell you that all cigars are supposed to be made this way. Unfortunately everyone didn’t get that memo. There is the SP1014 Silver, Black, Love N Passion, and even more. No shame in this BOTL’s game (brother of the leaf).
If you spend anytime with Sanj, you’ll soon realize that relationships are very important to him, many of the cigar shops and businesses in the tri-state area have his thumbprint and or influence all over them. He’s helped, trained, supported, and even supplied many of these establishments with product, molding their cigar sensibilities with a customer forward focus, no bullshit. Also, don’t think you can just run into any smoke shop and grab his cigars…yes, they’re pretty damn exclusive, you can find them in maybe 50 shops, why you might ask (I did) , because your cigar and customer values need to be in line with his, and if you don’t like it he could give a rat’s ass, not one flying fuck, and if you persist you might even get called a “Cee U Next Tuesday”. He may not be everyone’s cup of tea, an acquired taste but loved by his crew for being original and genuine.
To say that he’s had an interesting life would be an understatement, a one time professional race car driver, a husband and father, a dutiful son, his father’s ring is proudly displayed on his finger while wearing a charm of his mother’s around his neck. He dabble’s in the mixing and creation of fragrances, and prides himself on being sensitive and aware of different spices. He’s created and collaborated on cigars for many celebrities, no name dropping but believe me, the list is impressive. Art and style have a place in his life along with some spicy language, if you’re thin-skinned, easily offended by 4-letter words, don’t want the truth sometimes tossed your way like a water ballon you need not apply (beat it kid). Mother-fucked in one breath, but willing to buy you dinner everyday of the week…the mussels and red sauce were OTC (that’s off the chain for you sheltered people), just trying to paint this picture for you.
Something that most people probably don’t know about Mr. Patel, is that he holds charity work in high esteem. He gives throughout the year without hesitation, donates about 1200 cigars a year to fundraisers, participates in the funding of education in other parts of the world, even advocates for the homeless at his local McDonalds to be allowed to sit and eat (up yours Burger King).
Look, my day with Sanj Patel, was very different than what I might have imagined, I originally thought we’ed sit around the shop, I’d ask questions for a few hours, see some shop regulars, head back to my hotel and eventually back to Hotlanta (Atlanta dumb-asses) , but I got much more than that. I attended two events with him and crew (shout-out to Inno, Dimples, and crew), where he donated cigars and proceeds to different charities, met some of the cast members from the Soprano’s that happened to be friends with Sanj, and was treated like one of the family. I was given different cigars to try and some cigar knowledge tidbits along the way.
As I stated earlier, Sanj isn’t afraid to express his opinion, values, politics, what you may have fucked-up…all on the table. If you have a genuine interest in cigars and have questions, it’s not out of the ordinary for him to spend an hour or more with a perfect stranger imparting some tobacco wisdom. If you read this blog you’ll notice that I generally don’t hawk cigars; but I think you’ll find something you like in the SP1014 line (buy some cigars you cheap prick), consistent quality isn’t common.
As usual, it’s been a blast sharing this read with you…grab one of your favorite sticks, maybe a preferred libation and a comfortable location, this one’s for you.
Stay smoky my friends !
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