Undercrown by Drew Estate
Drew Estate… The Acid guys, right? That’s what I thought for years, until I got my hands on the Liga Privada T52. The Undercrown uses the same tobacco as the Liga, but has different primings and vintages. So this is by no means a Liga Privada rip off. It is a completely different cigar. That’s my simplified, dumbed down version. Many other sites out there get in depth about the blend. I’m far too lazy for that. I want to experience it, not blab about it’s background. When I found out Ed had a few of these at his shop, I picked some up immediately in anticipation. Let’s see how it went…
Wrapper: San Andreas
Binder: Connecticut
Filler: Brazilian Mata Fina and Nicaragua
Size: Robusto 5 x 54
Price: Around $7.50
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The dark maduro wrapper had a nice, seamless look with no flaws. The smell of the wrapper and foot was hard to pin down. It was sweet but I can’t compare it to anything. The cigar was evenly and solidly packed with barely a hard or soft spot. The draw was perfect, and the pre-light flavor was unique. It was sort of earthy and sweet, but there was something more to it that I can’t describe.
The burn required no corrections, and the ash held for over an inch.
Flavor:
The first third began with a nice and easy peppery spice through the nose. The flavor quickly developed, offering coffee and cedar. The smoke volume was ridiculous, in a good way. Thick plumes of smoke came off of this thing as I puffed, and even when I let it rest on the ashtray. It just smoked, whether I puffed on it or not, and I like that. Back to the flavor… In the background was a sweetness much like cocoa. The smoke feel was thick and somewhat creamy.
The second third took a turn with more sweet rich cocoa. The pepper became a tingly sweet spice that was encased in creaminess. Coffee and cedar remained, with wisps of earthiness in the background. Smoke continued to billow off of the end of the cigar. Despite being in a cross ventilated room with an exhaust fan, the room filled up with a nice aromatic smoke.
The last third saw the creaminess tone down a bit, but the smoke volume stayed the same. The woody and coffee flavors stood out more over the sweet cocoa. The tingly spice remained and may have increased a little. Flavors were nice right down to the nub.
Conclusion:
This was a very good, solid medium to upper medium bodied cigar. As you probably gathered by now, I liked it. Construction, flavor, nice smelling aroma, everything… It was very good. While this is no Liga Privada, it stands on it’s own and it a must try. What more can I say? Keep your eyes out for the Undercrown and pick a few up. See for yourself, you may like it as much as I do.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 at 5:00 am and is filed under Cigar Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
I don’t mind strong, as long as it’s not simply for the sake of power. It would definitely be an after dinner smoke.
jjo January 24th, 2012 at 5:25 pm
Sadly, I have not had the T52, but I have been digging the Undercrown. Your description is spot-on. An outstanding smoke.