Category Archives: News

by Craig Vanderslice | May 13, 2022 · 10:56 pm

News: Drew Estate Launches New Nica Rustica Expression – “Adobe”

I watched the Freestyle Live last night where they announced that the mystery cigars were the new Nica Rustica Adobe, and I was a little surprised, even though Kevin at CigarProp was confident that this was the case. I really didn’t like the Gordon, but the toro was much better. I’ll have to try the robusto, my sample had a noticeably darker wrapper. I love the original broadleaf version, I’ve often said that I’d happily by two of these (or more) to one Liga Privada. This is a nice line extension.

Drew Estate has revealed the secret identity of the mystery cigar inside its latest Freestyle Live Event Pack … the all-new Nica Rustica Adobe, the second expression in Drew Estate’s value-priced Nica Rustica line. Nica Rustica Adobe’s introduction happened during last night’s “Freestyle Live: Special Edition” broadcast, which aired from 7 to 9 p.m. Eastern on the company’s Facebook Live page (facebook.com/drewestatecigar) and YouTube channel (youtube.com/drewestatecigar).

The Nica Rustica brand is Drew Estate’s homage and tribute to Estelí, Nicaragua, home to La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate. The soul of the lively romantic barrios of Estelí, adorned with their colorful colonial houses, magically comes to life in Nica Rustica Adobe, which will be available in three sizes: Toro (6 x 52), Robusto (5 x 54) and Gordo (6 x 60). While retaining many of the same characteristics as the Connecticut Broadleaf expression, Nica Rustica Adobe is the spicier version, using a Habano wrapper, Brazilian binder and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos from Estelí and Jalapa. Unpolished and unrefined, Nica Rustica Adobe is a medium- to full-bodied cigar that offers load of spice with a bold and very long finish … the perfect companion for adventurous cigar buffs.

Nica Rustica Adobe will be available in 25-count boxes that feature colorful original artwork by Subculture Studios’ Richard “Dog” Diaz, who captures the rugged, robust and rustic essence of Estelí. Diaz’s romantic vision of Estelí also incorporates the city’s official symbol and proud emblem, El Brujito, a petroglyph of a native shaman carved some 6,000 years ago onto a rock on a mountain near Estelí.

“Nica Rustica Adobe is a proud and no-nonsense cigar that represents our strong bond between La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate and its beautiful Nicaraguan home, where the mountains meet the sun,” says Jonathan Drew, Founder and President of Drew Estate. “We are united as one with the proud Estelíanos who work in and run our factory … and who bring the Drew Estate story to life every day around the world. From our house to your humidor, Nica Rustica Adobe is an audacious Habano experience that everyone at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate is excited for you to try.”

Nica Rustica Adobe provides excellent value for premium cigar smokers, from beginners to aficionados. Toro has an MSRP of $143.93/box or $5.76/cigar; Robusto’s MSRP is $129.93/box or $5.20/cigar; and Gordo has an MSRP of $161.93/box or $6.48/cigar. Guests at tonight’s DE25 Exclusive Pre-Party will be the first to experience Nica Rustica Adobe cigars.

Nica Rustica Adobe will also be featured during a two-day Drew Estate event at The Humidour Cigar Shoppe. Jonathan Drew kicks off the extravaganza with a marquee virtual event on Thursday, May 19, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. The next day, La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate Factory Spokesman, Pedro Gomez, will host an in-person event at The Humidour Cigar Shoppe from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. with deals on all Drew Estate products available throughout the day. Contact The Humidour Cigar Shoppe at 410-666-3212 or visit humidour.com for more information about these events.

Nica Rustica Adobe will be available for regular distribution to all retailers beginning in August.

About Drew Estate

Founded in New York City in 1996, Drew Estate has become one of the fastest growing tobacco companies in the world. Under their mantra “The Rebirth of Cigars”, Drew Estate has led the “Boutique Cigar” movement by innovating new elements to the tobacco industry with their unique tobaccos and blending styles that attract new and traditional cigar enthusiasts. In their Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, the Nicaraguan headquarters, Drew Estate produces a variety of brands such as ACID, Herrera Estelí, Herrera Estelí Norteño, Isla del Sol, Kentucky Fired Cured, Liga Privada, MUWAT, Larutan by Drew Estate, Nica Rustica, Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Cigars, Tabak Especial, Undercrown, Florida Sun Grown, and Java by Drew Estate.

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by Craig Vanderslice | May 11, 2022 · 6:22 pm

News: Limited Edition Herrera Estelí Lanceros Return As Diplomat Exclusive

Here’s some news from Drew Estate. There are some Herrera Esteli cigars I really like, and a few I’m not fond of, but the Lanceros are usually really good. I may still have a few hanging out in the humidor someplace, I have a whole mess of various lanceros for some reason. Don’t forget to check out tomorrow night’s Freestyle Live event!

Drew Estate’s 2022 limited edition Herrera Estelí Habano Lancero and Herrera Estelí Connecticut Broadleaf Lancero are returning soon to participating Drew Diplomat Program cigar sellers. Both cigars will be showcased during Drew Estate’s “Freestyle Live: Special Edition” broadcast, which will air tomorrow night from 7 to 9 p.m. Eastern on the company’s Facebook Live page (facebook.com/drewestatecigar) and YouTube channel (youtube.com/drewestatecigar).

Only four bunchero-rollera teams at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate are qualified to craft the Lancero size (7 x 38), which is notoriously difficult to make because its narrow ring gauge can restrict the cigar’s draw. Many experienced cigar lovers around the world appreciate the immense skill and dexterous hands required to handcraft the Lancero shape and they also appreciate a Lancero’s tendency to emphasize the strength and flavor characteristics of the wrapper, due to the smaller ratio between wrapper to filler leaves in a Lancero’s blend.

“The Lancero is generally my favorite size, but that’s especially true for the Herrera Estelí Habano and Herrera Estelí Connecticut Broadleaf cigars,” comments Drew Estate Master Blender Willy Herrera. “Both blends are made from wrapper leaves that are rich and bold. The Lancero size allows the smoking characteristics of those beautiful leaves—especially their nuances—to truly grab your attention.”

Medium-bodied with sweet, spicy and cedar wood notes, the Herrera Estelí Habano Lancero is made using a savory Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Honduran Habano binder and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. Spicy, elegant and smooth, the Herrera Estelí Connecticut Broadleaf Lancero is composed of an extraordinary higher priming of Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper that Drew Estate reserves for use in only this cigar, blended with a luscious Brazilian Mata Fina binder and opulent Nicaraguan filler tobaccos.

“Lanceros are slender and elegant cigars that present big challenges to cigarmakers,” says Jonathan Drew, Drew Estate’s Founder and President. “These spectacular skinnies are pure phat-on-flavor!!! Our most devoted cigar nerds are gonna be amped when they spark ‘em up. They are truly elegant, like our Master Blender himself. Phenomenal work product from Willy and the team!!!”

Exclusively available to all qualifying Drew Diplomat Program participants, both the Herrera Estelí Habano and Herrera Estelí Connecticut Broadleaf Lanceros are packaged in 15-count boxes with an MSRP of $194.24.Both Herrera Estelí Habano Lancero and Herrera Estelí Connecticut Broadleaf Lancero will be shipping beginning in July.

About Drew Estate

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by Craig Vanderslice | May 8, 2022 · 9:42 am

Cuesta-Rey No. 95 Cameroon Cigar and Random Thoughts

This week J.C. Newman announced the release of the Cuesta-Rey No. 95 Cameroon to celebrate the 127th anniversary of the company. It’s going to be a factory exclusive, so one will have to visit the El Reloj factory to get them. The cigar is a 6½” x 42 lonsdale with an African Cameroon wrapper, Connecticut Broadleaf binder and Dominican fillers. They’ve put a $15 per cigar price on this and will sell them in 5-packs. Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems to me that Cuesta Rey No 95 used to be sold in three or five packs in most pharmacies that sold cigars. There were bundles of Craftsman’s Bench in several varieties, Berings, a bunch of cigars in tins, Macanudo Ascots, and Cuesta Reys. I’m quite sure I’m remembering this right. I don’t think I ever bought any cigars at the drugstores, they weren’t in humidors, and, at the time when the drugstores still sold tobacco, I had plenty of good options to get properly stored and curated selections of cigars. It was nice to know these were available in an emergency! I do understand why pharmacies got away from selling tobacco products, but they sell a whole lot of other unhealthy stuff there, so it’s a little hypocritical. Anyway, here’s a little excerpt from the J.C. Newman press release:

“After the Cuban Embargo was imposed in 1962, my grandfather, Stanford J. Newman, scoured the world for new types of tobacco. He discovered exquisite African Cameroon Wrapper (ACW) and was the first premium cigar maker to use it in the United States. Stanford wrapped ACW with a Connecticut Broadleaf binder and long filler tobaccos grown in the Dominican Republic to create the Cuesta-Rey No. 95. It was smooth, elegant, and flavorful, and became the top-selling premium cigar in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. Sixty years later, we are proud to have recreated the original blend of my grandfather’s most famous cigar, the Cuesta-Rey No. 95.” – Drew Newman

Cuesta-Rey No. 95 Cameroon is handmade in J.C. Newman’s historic El Reloj cigar factory in the “Cigar City” of Tampa, Florida. It’s a 6.25 x 42 cigar that retails for $15 each. Beginning today, J.C. Newman is selling this special cigar in limited edition packs of 5 cigars as a factory exclusive. Cigar enthusiasts who visit J.C. Newman’s cigar museum, take a factory tour, or attend a special event at its El Reloj factory will be able to enjoy this very special cigar.

It’s impressive that the cigar is made in the Tampa factory, which accounts for the price being what it is. I had the good fortune to smoke a couple of these this week. It’s been a long time since I smoked a 95, a long, long time. I want to say the standard No. 95 is made by Fuente in the DR, and doesn’t have the Broadleaf binder, but I could be mistaken. Had I taken the time and thought about it, I would done a comparison, but I’ve been lazy lately. I’ve found myself smoking a lot of cigars that I like lately and not smoking new stuff. Selfish, I know. Anyway, this was a really good tasting cigar. Actually, the first one annoyed me a little as the first half failed to burn very well and didn’t really get going until the second half, but the second one was perfect. It had the nutty “Camerooniness” that I expect, with some sweetness from the broadleaf. It was unique enough to be special, and worth trying. Visiting El Reloj is on my list of things I want to do in the near future, it’s just a matter of making my way south sometime soon.

Since I spent the week smoking some cigars I know I liked, I really don’t have much else to talk about today. I was impressed with the mentions of cigars on NBC’s coverage of the Kentucky Derby yesterday. I know cigars are a tradition there, but they could easily have censored them. There was probably something stupid that someone did or said that I thought about talking about, but I can’t think of it now. I did hear that the Smokin’ Tabacco CFCF Charity Raffle has been extended, so check out https://go.rallyup.com/smokintabacco/Campaign/Details and get in on that. Also, don’t forget the Red Meat Lovers Club Battleship, Beef and Bourbon for the Ship event in June. Tickets are available here. That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by Craig Vanderslice | May 3, 2022 · 12:30 pm

News: Black Works Studio Announces Hyena 2022 Release

News from the folks at Oveja Negra today. This sounds really good. I have had the Hyena before, I’ll have to get ahold of this one. Great sizes too!

Black Works Studio (BLK WKS) ispleased to announce the 2nd release of Hyena: Hand crafted in Esteli, Nicaragua at Fabrica OvejaNegra.

HYENA is a Limited Edition that will be shipping toselect BLK WKS retailers this month. It will also be available in Belgium and Germany.

“Hyena received a lot of hype in 2021 and this year’s release will be no different. The 2022 Hyena is bold, spicy, very well balance and a touch more intense than last year’s release. A truly unique cigar that is focused on showcasing a perfect balance between Nicaraguan fillers and the Cameroon wrapper. The profile is spice forward with white pepper & semi-sweet baking spices blended with herbal notes & cedar.

The finish is a blend of bitter cocoa, cream & malt.Hyena is an extremely complex and balanced cigarand is a tribute to my wife’s and my many years of living in Africa,” said James Brown, creator of BLTC & BLK WKS and owner at Fabrica Oveja Negra.

HYENA

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Africa Cameroon

Binder: Nicaraguan Habano

Filler: Nicaragua

Corona Gorda – 5 x 46 (20 count) MSRP $12.50

Lonsdale – 6.5×42 (20 count) MSRP $12.50

These cigars are an expression of art showcasing the talent, technique and tobacco of our boutique cigar factory; Fabrica Oveja Negra. BLK WKS cigars are available for purchase through Oveja Negra Brands. For more information visit OvejaNegraCigars.com

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by Craig Vanderslice | April 28, 2022 · 6:39 pm

News: J.C. Newman Ships 2022 Yagua Cigars to Retailers

Here’s some news from J.C. Newman. I’m actually about to light up a 2021 Yagua after I finish writing this. I really enjoy them, they are a special cigar. I really need to make the trip to Tampa to visit the factory one of these days. It’s been on my wishlist for a while, and is especially so now that they have renovated the factory and have tours. I’m a big fan of a lot of J.C. Newman cigars, and have been for many years.

This is the first Yagua release of 2022

Today, J.C. Newman Cigar Co. began shipping 1,250 boxes of its acclaimed Yagua cigars to premium cigar retailers in the United States. This is the first release of Yagua in 2022. A second release is expected around Thanksgiving.

“Yagua is one of the oddest cigars on the market,” said Drew Newman, fourth-generation cigar maker. “Because Yagua breaks all of the rules for how premium cigars should be rolled, it continues to shock me that many cigar enthusiasts love Yagua and that the brand has gained an almost cult-like following.”

Yagua is a recreation of a farm-rolled cigar from Cuba. It is handmade at the J.C. Newman PENSA cigar factory in Estelí, Nicaragua with an underfermented Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. These special cigars get their unique shape from being tied together with pieces of the Yagua tree. Yagua is a 6” x 52 toro with a suggested retail price of $8 per cigar. Each box contains a Yagua-tree-wrapped bundle of 20 cigars.

“Our factory hates rolling Yagua because it is harder and slower to make cigars like they would have been rolled on a farm,” said Newman. “No two Yaguas are the same. They are truly one-of-a-kind cigars.”

The following is the story of Yagua:

My family has worked with tobacco for many generations. Growing up in Cuba in the 1940s, I spent countless hours with my grandfather in the tobacco fields of Pinar del Río. At our family farm, my grandfather would take fresh tobacco leaves from the curing barns and roll cigars without any molds or presses. To keep his cigars safe, he would tie a handful of them together using pieces of the Cuban royal palm tree, known as the yagua. When he was ready to enjoy his personal cigars, he untied the bundle. He loved how every cigar had its own unique shape. He called these cigars Yagua Palmiche after the palm tree and its bright red seeds. I still remember the rich aroma and taste of my grandfather’s cigars. Today, I’ve recreated Yagua Palmiche, rolling them the exactly how my grandfather did a century ago. These are the Cuban cigars I remember.

Lazaro Lopez, Co-General Manager
J.C. Newman PENSA Cigar Factory
Story as told to Drew Newman

About J.C. Newman Cigar Co.

Founded in 1895 by Julius Caeser Newman, J.C. Newman Cigar Company is the oldest family-owned premium cigar maker in America. J.C. Newman rolls its El Reloj, Factory Throwouts, and Trader Jacks cigars by hand-operated, vintage cigar machines at its historic cigar factory in Tampa, Florida. It also hand rolls its Brick House, Perla del Mar, El Baton, and Quorum cigars at the J.C. Newman PENSA cigar factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. J.C. Newman’s Diamond Crown, MAXIMUS, Julius Caeser, and Black Diamond cigars are handmade by Tabacalera A. Fuente in the Dominican Republic. With its longtime partners the Fuente family, the Newmans founded the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, which supports low-income families in the Dominican Republic with education, health care, vocational training, and clean water.

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