Drew Estate Undercrown CP Sendout Review Thread

[bluue13]

OK Folks and JD, here is my review of the DC:

Pre-Light inspection:
The wrapper is dark and flawless with an oily sheen to it. There are no imperfections to be found anywhere on the whole stick. It has a nice weight in the hand and is firm with no discernible soft spots. I give the overall appearance and construction a 10/10

I held the foot to my nose and gave a nice deep inhale and picked up on some great aromas of coffee, honey-like sweetness, pepper, and rich tobacco.

I used my trusty v-notch cutter to cut the cap and took a deep cold draw. Immediately I was hit with lots of pepper on the back of the throat with an undertone of sweetness. I couldn't wait to toast it up.

I used my blazer torch to slowly toast the foot as I turned the cigar in my hand, evenly charring the whole foot before I really got it lit and going. As I was doing so the smoke just started pouring off the scorched tobacco and the aroma was out of this world. I took a few deep puffs to really get it going before letting the burn settle in and there were great flavors of spice, toasted nuts, and coffee. The draw was spot on.

First 3rd:
(Tense change warnings- as I'm going to write this how I took my notes)
Currently peppery spice is dominating with a toasty sweetness coming through on the long and pleasant finish. The burn is not quite razor sharp but there are no complaints here. As I'm progressing through the first 3rd the spiciness is fading slightly and more of the coffee-like sweetness is coming through. Flavor and strength are def med/full. Toward the end of the 1st- the ash fell off on its own as I placed it in my ashtray to rest for a moment and the burn went a little wonky, however, it is still smoking fantastically. The burn is fixing itself as I take the next few draws on the cigar. Rich tobacco flavors are dominating now and the finish is of chocolate/coffee sweetness and undertones of pepper.

Second 3rd:
Coffee and chocolate are really showing now. Pepper is still on the back of the throat and it provides a great balance to the flavors. Burn is continuing to stray but still manages to fix itself along the way. The smoke coming off the cigar is reminiscent of the same that I got from toasting the foot and its creating a really fantastic smoking experience. Flavors are really starting to blend together nicely. I do end up having to do one small burn correction with my torch but nothing to cry about. As I'm transitioning into the final 3rd, I'm really starting to get some nice dark chocolate flavors.

Final 3rd:
The strength is really picking up now. Dark chocolate and coffee are at the forefront. There is still a lot of sweetness blended with rich spice as the final 3rd progresses toward the nub. There is definitely a nice little nic kick at the end and the flavors remain strong and pleasant to the end. The burn did go a bit crazy as I was finishing up, but I am attributing that to the fact of not letting it rest for very long. I just couldn't put it off any longer!

Overall rating 9/10

I would definitely buy a box of these and I have a feeling that these will be phenomenal with some age on them.

Thanks for the opportunity and the kind offer, JD! I'm looking forward to torching up the robusto.

I'll try and edit later with my pictures.

http://s869.photobucket.com/albums/ab252/bluue13/

 

[{tpc}]

I apologize in advance for this review as I am nothing of a reviewer lol. However I do know what I like and what I don't, and this definitely falls into the like category!

I went for the robusto the other day. I am sorry for the lack of pics, I didn't have the ability for that this time.

Construction was beautiful! I punched the end and toasted the foot and went right at it. Draw was great, not too easy nor too hard, just where I like it. I didn't find it to be especially spicy or peppery, just a little. I would have appreciated a little more pepper but it was very smooth throughout the entire I smoked it, which I took to the nub. The ash was a nice grayish white ash which held on for quite a long time. I found it to be a mild to medium strength smoke, at least in my very limited opinion.

I have only one complaint and that was that about halfway through the smoke it started tarring up a bit. Probably due to punching it rather than cutting it, but nothing that couldn't be fixed with a cut so I did just that and continued on my merry way. I did not need to relight or touch up at all, the burn was nice and even throughout.

If I was attaching a number I would rate 9/10, and will definitely look to pick up more of these in the future. Thank you for the opportunity to try them!

 

[cookie_1978]

No long review - just know that I bought a box of the DC after I smoked the one you were so kind to send. Great smoke for the money. Thanks again.

 

[James4226c]

I took a trip up north this weekend for a little stay-cation and finally had time for the Robusto. At first I was a little afraid because most of my daily smokes have smaller (42-44) ring gauges and are more on the medium side. I’m not an experienced smoker by any means (only got 2 years under my belt) so I couldn’t tell you all the flavors I got but I’ll try my best.

On with the review, the weather up here is a lot more humid than town but it’s not uncomfortable at all and I had no issues with wonky burns, exploding wrappers, or that wet dog taste that I usually get when the humidity is high. On the pre-light draw I get grass and just a little salt. Once I got this toasted and lit I began to understand why most here commented on the amount of smoke, like others here, I experienced a ton of smoke even when the cigar sat idle the smoke kept on.

The Undercrown started off with a little spice on the finish and to my surprise, it was medium in strength and was very creamy. In the middle of the cigar the strength decreased slightly and the spice took a back seat and almost disappeared and I started to get cocoa powder. During the last inch or so the flavor started to pick up, I can’t describe it, it just got better all the way to the nub.

*edit for grammar*

 

[Acclaym]

I can’t describe it, it just got better all the way to the nub.

I really agree with your observation here, James. It seems Undercrowns are undisputed nubbers!

Also, very nice photo. Looks like a real relaxing place to kick back with a smoke.

 

[Slick300]

I'll also throw my $.02 in. While the original vitolas were great smokes, I think DE really kicked it up several notches with the ¡Viva!. Awesome stick!