A Tribute To Miles Davis From Ferio Tego
Miles Davis is considered by many to be the most influential figure in both jazz and 20th-century music. In honor of his legacy and 100 years since the jazzman’s birth, cigarmaker Ferio Tego has teamed up with the Miles Davis Estate and independent music publishing company Reservoir Media to create a commemorative, limited-edition cigar called Milestones, after Davis’ 1958 album (and its title track) as part of the official Miles Davis Centennial celebration. The cigars are now shipping.
For Ferio Tego co-owner Michael Herklots, the cigar has a personal connection. In addition to being a fan of Davis’ music, Herklots attended Berklee College of Music, earning a degree in Drum Set Performance–including playing in Berklee’s Miles Davis Ensemble.
“Jazz and handmade premium cigars share a great deal,” says Herklots. “Both are often misunderstood and underappreciated. Both require tremendous discipline to create. And both instill joy, inspire passion and foster community. I have played the music of Miles Davis countless times with musicians I had never met, who spoke languages I could not understand and came from places I had never been, yet we could all play the same tune. Premium cigars offer the same thing.”
Made at the Agroindustrias Diadema factory in Honduras, Milestones is rolled in a single size, a toro that measures 6 inches by 50 ring gauge and retails for $18.50 each. The blend features an Ecuador Connecticut wrapper, Honduran binder and fillers from Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. According to the company, the cigar is meant to be on the milder side in terms of strength.
Milestones come in black boxes of 10 that include the trumpeter’s silhouette in blue on the outer lid, along with “Miles at 100” in gold lettering. Inside each box is a five-by-seven reproduction of one of four sketches by Davis in an envelope. Production is limited to 1,600 boxes in total, with 400 of each sketch available. A QR code on the box links consumers to a curated playlist by Herklots, Reservoir Media and the Miles Davis Estate of tracks to listen to as they smoke the cigars.
“This cigar was created to reflect qualities I admire in Miles’ most enduring work: approachability, sophistication, structure, nuance, expression, restraint and depth,” says Herklots. “One does not need to be an expert to love Miles Davis, but experts have spent lifetimes studying his music. This cigar was created with that in mind.”
