Drew Estate Undercrown - Cigar Review

Well, there it is. Just lookit.
Photo: Cigar Harvest

PROLOGUE

One day, gentlepersons, I shall tell the tale of the tree. A sequoia which sits in my yard, several stories above my house -- and how it brought woe and back-biting to my neighborhood. I would go on, but folks like "teasers."

I like to deliver.

THE CIGAR

Drew Estate
Liga Privada Undercrown

5 x 54 Robusto

Otapan Negro Ultimo Corte wrapper
T52 Connecticut River Valley Stalk Cut & Cured Habano binder
Brazilian Mata Fina & Nicaraguan Cuban Seed fillers

Offering courtesy of CIGARS CITY.

We all know, but for the sake of not being remiss:

"In early 2009 we asked our torcedores to smoke less Liga Privada cigars because they were leaving too few to be exported. This request was met with the disappointment you would expect, but rather than being disgruntled they responded by blending their own signature liga.
Incorporating many of the same rare tobaccos, but of different vintages and primings, the cigar they created was no mere replacement. Rather it is an exceptional smoking experience of uncompromising quality and flavor that deserves to be smoked by all." - from DrewEstate.com

Cool story broseph.

PRE-LIGHT

The band. I'm a sucker for the decadent pastoral background/portrait foreground odes to traditionalism captured in full by My Father, true. But this band is a marketing coupe and a deserving one. The insignia is tattooed on my brain and I'm okay with that. I like it. Good quality stock, mildly embossed gold tone, and translucent navy blue. A business card on the back, to boot. When did I start dissecting and describing bands?

Stick itself is a cocoa bean brown with an espresso bean marbling over-top. Underneath is a lighter brown trying to peek through. Top layer is a thin even sheen. Cap is wide-shouldered and very sturdily affixed. Foot at the tobacco is a good dose of blonde, equal auburn, and brunette ticks. There are some veins on the wrapper, but it's a leaf -- none sit as threats to the burn. Actually, lettuce say veins are quite minimal. Seams are a tick looser than tight, but tight 'nuff and even.

Hand-feel is well-balanced and a bit wide betwixt fingers. Slight toothiness. Thick, but also minimal, oil-slick. Veins and slight tooth do not go so far as impediments to a kind hand. Some bumpiness sits under the top-leaf. Stick is a -full packed thing according to a Charmin squeeze test, lest a tick all the way down to medium at the opening point of its third act.

Schnoz time! Sweet barnyard with some near fruity vibes at the shaft. At the foot is a good zetz of coffee with a nutty undertone. Perhaps some whole grain bread. Time to nibble off the cap: high end of medium draw tension. Notes of sweet barnyard and syrupy coffee. Nuttiness. Toast. Very faint fruity vibe.

LIGHT

9:50am
Toasting the foot releases an aroma of paper and roasting coffee beans. An effortless and almost enjoyable light, and as always, I am outside with wooden matches. First hot pull is an almost bitter shot of joe with a slightly and inherently sweet barnyard backing. Lot's of white smoke all over. A retro-hale gives me a nutty bread. Nuts are...walnuts. Roasted substantially and quickly so. Primary draw notes of coffee and sweet barnyard turn to a rather simple finish of then sweet barnyard and coffee. Medium+ legs. A third hot on is sweeter and toastier. I feel fruits are trying and too a leathery note. Still, coffee is not only in the lead, but the only true note outside of the sweet barnyard which is simplifying into more of a compost.

I mentioned the smoky, and I shall again. Voluminous white stuffs pour out of both ends. Room-note is a sweet tobacco. Mouth-feel is a slightly parched slick. Earthy compost finish with coffee notes in and about on medium+ legs now. Ash is pretty. Almost entirely salt with only a sprinkling of pepper mainly up by the light. A sheath is building there. More noticeable tooth than on the top-leaf. Burn-line is thin plus. I'll call this Undercrown a decent medium profile at this early stage. Strength is not quite registering as of yet. Draw is a rigid end of the medium spectrum.

Pretty, if not yet yummy.

ACT I

Three quarters of an inch in, the ash is a bit cracked/flaked but holding. Flavors have not developed still, and the mouth is a tad dry -- perhaps this is thwarting the maturing of the flavors? We shall see. I make it a rule to not drink while reviewing, unless mandated. Then it is a sip of life elixir, only. I must say that thus far, this Undercrown is the least mature Maduro offering I've sampled in some time. I get images of a small boy tripping through the house, wearing  his daddy's shoes. Daddy's hat brim falling over his eyes.

I leave the thing sit in my $0.99 Walmart tray for at least a couple minutes and smoke pours freely from its foot the entire time. Kinda fun, that amount of smoke. Palate continues to err toward dry, I believe it's the wheat bread grain. Fruits and leathers are still hiding bashfully under the strong coffee and then compost flavors. Backing is too that compost, although not as inherently sweet as when it's a primary note. There really are no secondary notes -- just the aforementioned bashfulness.

Construction is where this Drew Estate offering shines. Nice smooth even draw. Great burn-line. Almost beautiful ash sans a few flaky ticks and a sole slight crack. Mouth-feel is my main issue here and I break down to sip a bit of water.

The coffee note smoothes, not that it was ever rough, per se. Smoke is quite smooth, but my tongue stays a tad parched. Mouth-feel is that and not a lot else. I'd say clean, but it's much more empty than that would indicate. A toasty tobacco note is on the rise and we have that as our secondary flavor. Strange, how I've forgotten the bread flavorings, as they sink to a mouth-feel mainly.

ACT II

Then, at an inch+ in -- we go out. Dead. Flip the switch quiet. I roll off the ash to a dry coarse powder consistency, and re-light. It ignites quickly and willingly. Weird. I checked my humi when I plucked it just before the review and all was kosher, gentlepersons. We go right back to where we left off. Construction, burn, and flavor notes. Fruit tries harder, and while I recognize it as a driving force of the inherent sweetness in the compost, it's still not stepped up to become its own note.

The tobacco note has engulfed the whole grain bread, or perhaps reclaimed it. This improves the mouth-feel some, and while still dry, a new moisture is coming on. Bread is now more accurately a cereal grain and firmly embedded in the toasting tobacco. There's a bit of a kick on the retro-hale now. I believe it's a rigid dress shoe leather. Coffee is a bean now and mixed nuts are a roasted flavor. We seem to have hit a transition period. Primary notes are coffee bean and nuts. Secondary notes are stiff formal leather and cereal laced toasted tobacco. Fruit vibe is buried further in the backing compost. Smoke is very smooth now. Mouth-feel is quite nice. Finish is medium+ length'd and predominantly those coffee beans, brewed nicely enough.

I believe there's even more smoke than before and it obscures my view of the keyboard I slowly peck at. Construction is marvelously unaltered. Ash too (sans crack but not flake). Profile is a classic medium. Ash just meow drops off at a good inch -- to the same consistency as prior. It misses my schmatta and lands on my shoes, but I do not take it personally, this egregious slight. Fruit vibe seems gonesville, but sweetness remains. Burn slows a tick post-transitioning. I bet Caitlyn runs slower than Bruce. But that might be on account of the heels as much as her age.

Thus far, a nice stick to have on-hand and to work around, this Undercrown. I fight the temptation to putter and clean my desk. Toastiness toastens. Not as 'cool' an offering as its marketing would indicate -- but it's nice. Although its story does not entirely add up. Let's see what transpires in --

ACT III

The kick I made mention of on the retro-hale is more prevalent now and finds its way to the draw. It's a heady spice-rack although not a delineated one. It stays very smooth and in spite of this addition, the flavors all mellow a tick. They roast and toast nicely, though.

More coffee beans are ground and brewed. Leather ups a tick. Compost backing is further down and there's a greater sense of depth if not dimension. Ash flakes a bit and burn wavers then quickly corrects itself. Compost falls into its role of backing only. Mouth-feel is simple but moisture is spot-on. Retro-hale is crisp but of no addition to the taste profile. Smoke is irritating now if left in my smoke-hole. It remains pretty white clouds, a lotta them. Room-note is tobacco. Flavors too, have become mainly tobacco with a nice sweetness from the compost underneath. Cereal leaves. Leather subdues. Spices stay unchanged but are more noticeable as other notes die back.

I think, as the band doth approach -- there shall be not a bunch more to relate. A nice enough offering, although I'd lie if I stated my understanding of the hype.

PS toasted cereals re-emerges at the band. Border on a malt, but slightly don't.

NOTES

Listen to my Sabbath Smoker in which I had a previous Undercrown experience. Not my cup o' Kool-Aid.

I call flavors notes and hints of notes, vibes. There was an occasional less than a vibe of cocoa on occasion, but was so fleeting -- I mention it here, instead of the blow-by-blow.

PAIRINGS

Manischewitz. Espresso/latte. Manischewitz.

FINAL GRADE

****B****

LESS SCHTICK MORE STICK

Smooth/Coarse? Very smooth but not very cushion-y
Sweet/Spicy? Not really
Mouth-feel? A tick dry
Strength? -medium
Draw? Excellent
Burn? Fantastic but once went out
Construction? Flawless
Primary Note(?)? Coffee bean and brew

EPILOGUE

11:05am
A moment, if I may, to extend many thanks to my pals at Kafie 1901 Cigars and Rictus Reviews. My passion for cigars was cultivated many a moon ago. More recently when my son was born ill and passed, I learned that passion keeps one not only alive, but too striving and striding forward. I also learned that an amazing brotherhood is in each cigar and each cigar lover. Thank you. All of ya. (Schmaltz portion: over.)

Buy 'em HERE, these Undercrown. My pals at Cigars City will do ya right as rain. I will say they're a very good everyday option, yer purse-strings willing.