今年早些时候卢西亚诺雪茄公司推出一个“低估”（Underrated）雪茄品牌时，没有人知道卢西亚诺·梅雷莱斯（Luciano Meirelles）背后还有一个没有披露的合作伙伴，如今谜底揭晓了，这个人是前NBA球星，罗恩·哈珀（Ron Harper）。他曾经拿过五枚总冠军戒指，在洛杉矶湖人队打完职业生涯最后一个赛季后退役。罗恩·哈珀和卢西亚诺·梅雷莱斯共同拥有这个雪茄品牌的所有权，之所以在刚发布时保密，是因为他们希望这个品牌能够独立发展，而不需要名人光环的炒作。他们将参加月底的美国PCA贸易展。

根据他们的解释，这个品牌命名为低估，是希望纪念那些被低估或者不被欣赏的人实现卓越的精神。

罗恩·哈珀在一份新闻稿里这样表述，在我职业生涯的每个阶段，我都亲眼目睹了那些意想不到的平凡是如何孕育伟大的。我和梅雷莱斯合作开发这个低估品牌是对那些时刻的致敬，也是对每一个沉醉于意料不到的事情里发现那些非凡的惊喜的人和事的致敬。当你挑战希望时，你就有机会在被低估的事情里感到快乐。

这个品牌是在尼加拉瓜的卢西亚诺雪茄厂（Luciano Tabacos S.A. factory）生产的，茄衣是墨西哥圣安德烈斯烟叶，茄套是尼加拉瓜烟叶，茄芯有厄瓜多尔哈瓦那烟叶和美国康涅狄格的阔叶，作为茄芯的这两款烟叶经常是用来作为茄衣烟叶的，茄芯里还掺入了在Pueblo Nuevo地区种植的梅迪奥提姆波（medio tiempo）烟叶。medio tiempo是指某些烟草植株的最顶端的一对小而口味强的叶子，高度要高过上层的皇冠（ corona ）烟叶。

低估品牌有五个尺寸，崇高（Sublime），54环径，6.5英寸，售价8.5美元。特制公牛，52环径，6.25英寸，售价8.2美元。特制罗布图，50环径，5.5英寸，售价7.9美元。大皇冠（Corona Gorda），46环径，5.625英寸，售价7.5美元。所有尺寸都是每盒20支装盒。

It turns out that former basketball star Ron Harper is in the cigar business. When Luciano Meirelles, of Luciano Cigars, released his Underrated brand earlier this year, nobody knew that there was a silent partner. That partner turned out to be Harper, a five-time NBA champion who played his final season with the LA Lakers. Harper, who co-owns the brand with Meirelles, had his involvement kept secret as both wanted the brand to stand up on its own without the need for celebrity hype.

According to Meirelles and Harper, the Underrated brand seeks to celebrate the spirit of the undervalued or unappreciated achieving excellence.

“In every stage of my career, I’ve seen firsthand how the unexpected can harbor greatness,” Harper stated in a press release. “This partnership on the construction of Underrated is a homage to those moments and to everyone who revels in the joy of discovering the exceptional in the unanticipated. When you defy expectations, you have a chance to delight in the underrated!”

Made in Nicaragua at the Luciano Tabacos S.A. factory, the blend consists of a Mexican San Andrés wrapper atop a Nicaraguan binder. The fillers feature Ecuador Habano and Connecticut broadleaf, both of which are typically used as cover leaves, along with some Nicaraguan medio tiempo grown in Pueblo Nuevo. Medio tiempo is a group of small but powerful leaves that grow at the top of a tobacco plant right above the corona level.

With suggested retail prices under $9, Underrated could be considered a value brand. It comes in five sizes: Sublime, measuring 6 1/2 inches by 54 ring gauge ($8.50); Toro Especial, 6 1/4 by 52 ($8.20); Robusto Extra, 5 1/2 by 50 ($7.90); and Corona Gorda, 5 5/8 by 46 ($7.50). All sizes ship in boxes of 20 cigars.

Both Meirelles and Harper will be at next week’s PCA trade show.