Drew Estate Natural

[SewerRanger]

I know what you’re thinking, a cigar by those guys who make those over flavored (infused, whatever you want to call it) Acids. Especially something described as an "unconventional [blend of] tobaccos from such sources as Haiti and Turkey, as well as more common Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos." I was a bit skeptical too. I got this in another CI cigar of month club offering and figured at worst I could throw it away and smoke something better. As it turns out Drew Estates created a gold mine with these. They were tasty enough that I went out and bought another box of 10 (my old humidor only held 25, so I had to be rather stingy when I purchased cigars). Drew Estates calls these the Natural line. They come in 11 different “varieties”. So far I've only tried the Root. It’s what I traditionally think of as a robusto sized (5" x 55) hand rolled cigar or a slightly larger 6" x 50 torpedo. Robusto’s being my favorite that was the size I opted for. They're solidly built, but for some reason there is extra tobacco sticking out of the top. I'm not sure if this was a defect or not, but all 10 of them came that way. It makes it a bit tricky to light since the inside tends to burn concave instead of convex. After two or three of them, I just started "relighting" the cigar to get a convex burn. When you first get them they've got a heavy leather and must smell. It always reminds me of going into the elephant house at the zoo. It starts with a heavy chocolate and coffee flavor. Almost like smoking a mocha-chino. Slowly a bit of oak creeps in there. The flavor stays that way until the last quarter or so. Soon a heavier oak flavor develops with some wine and hints of cream. It’s a smooth finish that perfectly fits with the mocha and chocolate start. This is one of those cigars you’ll continue to smoke until your burn your fingers.