Tag Archives: Deadwood

Sweet Jane, Murcielago and Alec Bradley Filthy Ghooligan Cigars

As October moves along, we get closer to Halloween (and eventually winter, ugh), so I figured I’d string together a few cigars following that theme.  I’m omitting the obvious, mostly because I haven’t gotten out and found any yet, but there are other options.  It brings up the question: do we really need holiday themed cigars?  No, of course not, but it gives the marketing guys something to do.  Drew Estate recently added the Sweet Jane Dia de los Muerto cigar to the very popular Deadwood line.  It’s a 6″ x 50 box-pressed toro, with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper with binder and fillers from Nicaragua (although some sources say “undisclosed”, we are pretty sure there’s some tobaccos more usually associated with pipe tobacco). This has a sweet cap, and is aromatic. There are some baking spices, some cocoa, and it’s a nice change of pace.  The sample I picked up locally, and at $12 I only grabbed one to try, ended up with a tunnel about half way in, but it eventually worked itself out.  This is frustrating with any cigar, but more so as the price goes up.  A $12 cigar should always burn right. I do enjoy the Deadwood line once in a while, and I see the appeal to the occasional smoker.

 

My local TAA shop had the Espinosa Murcielago de Oro TAA 2023 in stock, so I grabbed one of those on my last visit.  I’ve been a fan of the Murcielago line going back to 2011 or so, when it was still Espinosa and Ortega (EO Brands). I miss Eddie Ortega, I need to see what he’s up to.  It’s not meant to be Halloween themed, but I figured the bat  thing would fit in here. The original has a San Andrés wrapper, This one, and the name gives it away a little, has a shade wrapper. I thought it seemed darker than usual, but that’s OK.    It’s presented in a 6″ x 54 oval-pressed toro format, made at A.J. Fernandez’ San Lotano factory.  This was a bold cigar, not as mild as one might think.  I liked it, but it sorta seemed like a strong cigar with a shade wrapper, maybe some Cafe con Leche flavors?  Nice cigar, probably another cigar that’s near $12, I think I’ll stick with the maduro version.  I’ll have to stop back in and see what other TAA cigars they have that I haven’t tried. 

 

Finally, Alec Bradley has added a cigar to their holiday offerings.  They have had success with the Filthy Hooligan, which started out in 2012 as a Candela cigar (I still have one someplace), and morphed into a Candela/Jalapa barber pole with Honduran and Panamanian fillers, a Sumatra binder. Then they added the Shamrock, with Honduran Candela, Habano and Habano Maduro triple wrap. This year they decided to jump on the Halloween bandwagon with the Filthy Ghooligan. These are all in the Alec Bradley Black Market family and are limited releases. First, I think it’s silly.  I get the play on words, but Ghoul is spelled with a U, and while the band is cute, it pushes “Marketing to children” to the line a bit.  I know this isn’t the case, but I’m more of a traditionalist.  That being said, I don’t mind a Barber Pole style cigar.  This one has Ecuadorian Habano and US Broadleaf wrappers, making a nice light vs. dark brown spiral.  It has Indonesian Besuki binder and Nicaraguan Jalapa,Estelí, and Condega fillers alongside Dominican Piloto. It smoked well, has a decent flavor, some leather and dark chocolate with some spice. I did smoke a Shamrock later in the day and I can see the family resemblance.  The Candela makes the shamrock a little brighter in flavor.  I do. find myself wanting to smoke more maduros in the fall, so I suppose this is a good choice.  Overall, not a bad smoke

 

That’s all I got for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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JR Cigars Exclusive Deadwood Girl With No Name

Drew Estate’s Deadwood line has really taken off in popularity over the last few years.  The line is an expression of the Natural, later Larutan, line, which uses varieties of tobacco which is more usually used in pipe tobacco. It’s even cased like pipe tobacco, giving it a sweetness.  I used to argue that these aren’t flavored or infused, but technically they are flavored, in as much as an aromatic pipe tobacco is flavored.  Recently Drew Estate has begun producing The Girl With No Name, exclusively for some of the large retailers.  This iteration has an Ecuador Connecticut wrapper, as opposed to the maduro wrapper on the Fat Bottom Betty, Sweet Jane, Crazy Alice, and Leather Rose.  JR Cigar’s exclusive is a robusto size, 5″ x 50.  You can get a 5-pack at JR’s for $23, which is pretty reasonable.

 

I smoked a few of these, as well as a Leather Rose for reference and quite enjoyed the cigars.  They do have a sweet cap. so if your opposed to that, this might not be for you. I smoked them with desert in mind, after dinner, and I enjoyed the sweetness, it’s a nice change of pace.  There’s sweet exotic spice, and some mellow nuttiness from the shade wrapper.  Burn and draw were perfect, which I’ve come to expect from Drew Estate products.  One thing I will say is that smoking another cigar after this isn’t recommended, the finish is quite long.  If you like the Deadwood line, I think this would be a nice change of pace, I might even like it more, it’s brighter and rather tasty! 

 

JR Cigars provided these cigar for me to sample, links included are affiliate links, Use code FORYOU for 25% OFF.  That’s all for now, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

 

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Smoking Some New Drew Estate Non-Traditional Cigars

I’m going to go a little different direction than usual by talking about some of Drew Estate’s infused and non-traditional brands. I posted the news over the last few weeks about these new sizes, and my friends at BnB Tobacco sent me a sampler of some of the new sizes. So I figured, what the hell, I’ll give them a smoke, I’ve got plenty of time on my hands. Of course, I started with the one cigar that I was itching to get my hands on, the new size in the Deadwood line, the Leather Rose. OK, somehow I missed posting this news item, but I’ll recap.

 

Uniting with her sisters Sweet Jane, Fat Bottom Betty, and Crazy Alice after spending time away robbing banks (as the folklore goes) the spicy “Leather Rose” is the boldest lady of the bunch. This 5” x 54 torpedo features a rich maduro wrapper and proves to be the spiciest of the Deadwood family. Lighting up the Leather rose will fill the room with her exotic aroma, plus the effortless draw will leave you longing for more.

 

I’m not sold on the “spiciest” part, maybe, I’d have to smoke a bunch all together and see. I do enjoy the whole Yummy Bitches range, I find the sweetness and the spice and aromatics in the exotic tobaccos they use in these to be a really refreshing change of pace. They are loaded with interesting and unique flavors. For a new cigar this one was ready to go and burned perfectly. I’d definitely smoke this again and like to have something from this family in my humidors at all times.

 

 

My next selection was the Tabak Especial Negra in the new Lonsdale vitola. I’ve mostly smoked the Tabak in the robusto size, I enjoy them from time to time, and when I smoke an infused or flavored cigar, coffee is the flavor of choice for me. I tend to favor when coffee and espresso flavors appear naturally in tobacco, so it’s a reasonable fit. The Lonsdale is 6 3/4” x 44, which is a nice, elegant size, and actually a size I like quite a bit, but one you don’t see very often. If I’m drinking coffee, which I do every morning, I drink it black, unadulterated, straight up. The Negra is kind of like that but sweetened, which I like in a cigar. Again, for a new cigar, the burn and draw were spot on, and, like all smaller ring cigars, smoking slow is the way to go, lest it overheat and become bitter, like the pot of coffee that’s been sitting on the burner all day.

 

Today I got adventurous. I had thought the last Acid cigar I smoked was a Kuba Maduro in the spring of 2011, it was the eighth cigar of the day lat at night at Cigar Safari. I was burnt out and didn’t really care what I was smoking. I remembered later I smoked an Acid Shorty six years ago when we adopted our three-legged pitbull, Macha. She bore a resemblance to Shorty Rossi’s dog, Hercules, and Shorty had given me the cigar. I also didn’t realize that the Acid Plush came out over a year ago, and wasn’t one of this year’s new releases, so it doesn’t really fit with the theme of this post. Oh well, I smoked it anyway. In retrospect, if I had done a little homework, I would have smoked the Tabak Dolce Lonsdale instead to stay on topic, but them this Plush probably would have been relegated to that bag of infused cigars in the bottom of the humidor that I ignore (I think there’s an Extraordinary Larry in there that’s well over a decade old). So I smoked it, and it didn’t suck. It wasn’t something I’d go to every day, but it was an interesting smoke. It was sweet, and herbal, and the Broadleaf wrapper added to the sweetness and gave it some body. 

 

I wrapped up the day with the Acid 20 Toro. This one definitely is a new size, along with a robusto in a tube, announced a few weeks ago.  If I remember correctly, this had a San Andrés wrapper. I smoked a Robusto when they came out, or just before probably, and thought it was pretty good. I don’t remember it being heavily infused. I did taste the infusion in this one. My wife commented that the porch smelled of patchouli this evening, I can’t smell cigars while I’m smoking them actually, which is kind of odd. I can smell a cigarette or if someone is smoking an Acid and I’m not. It’s a weird thing. Anyway, the Acid 20 was a nice smoke. It’s a little but like the Kuba Arte to me, with maybe more spice, but it has that saccharine sweetness on the cap that takes some getting used to.  Like the  other cigars I’ve smoked in this post, it’s a nice change of pace for me, but not an everyday smoke. 

 

Maybe tomorrow I’ll smoke the Tabak Dolce Lonsdale early in the day, or, more likely, I’ll choose a cigar like an Umbagog, a Cornelius and Anthony Señor Esugars, or a Don Juan Calavera to get back to normal! Thanks to Brad at BnB Tobacco for sharing these new releases with me! I don’t think these are on store shelves yet, so I feel lucky to have the chance to try them! I do like a non-traditional cigar from time to time, there are certainly some I prefer over a few traditional cigars! Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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News: Two from Drew: Fabian Leaving and 6×60 Fat Bottom Betty

I get to start out my joblessness with just about the worst head cold I’ve had in a very long time. So here’s some news out of Drew Estate.  I was surprised that Fabian announced his resignation. He was the face of Acid and Larutan (nee Natural) cigars and the voice of their podcast for the last few years, and MC’d the Barnsmokers.  I didn’t know him well, but he seemed like a pretty cool dude. I’m not sure where a guy like him fits into the cigar world other than where he was, but I’m sure he has a plan. Maybe Alec Bradley made him an offer he couldn’t refuse ?.  As far as the second item, I am a fan of the Deadwood line, and would certainly smoke this Gordito without hesitation. 

 

Fabien Ziegler to Leave Drew Estate to Pursue Other Interests

Drew Estate, a global manufacturer and distributor of premium cigars announced today that Fabien Ziegler, Director of Consumer Engagement, is leaving the company to pursue other interests.

A twenty-year veteran “on the street”, Mr. Ziegler has been a tremendous ambassador for Drew Estate, working in both sales and marketing, including most recently leading the company’s Consumer Engagement team.

“My years at Drew Estate have been incredibly rewarding, most importantly because of the opportunity to work and build relationships with so many retailers and cigar enthusiasts around the country and the world,” said Ziegler.  “I want to thank everyone at Drew Estate as well as the countless store owners and employees and cigar fans that have made this a fantastic journey for two decades.”

Said Jonathan Drew, Founder and President of Drew Estate, “Fabien is truly one of a kind. He’s a giant dude with a heart and personality to match. Fabien’s warm smile and fun persona immediately connect him to everyone he meets.  Sometimes in the sales department, sometimes in Marketing, Fabien spent the last 19 years dedicated to Drew Estate, spreading the company’s message and vision throughout the trade and to the masses of consumers.  I want to personally thank Fabien for all he has done for Drew Estate.”

Drew Estate CEO Glenn C. Wolfson added, “Fabien will always be a part of the heart and soul of Drew Estate.  We thank him for all his contributions to the Company over the years, many of which will endure for a long time to come, and we wish him great success in all his future endeavors.”

 

Drew Estate Revs the Motor on Deadwood by Unleashing Fat Bottom Betty Gordito

Drew Estate Revs the Motor on Deadwood by Unleashing Fat Bottom Betty Gordito

Drew Estate announces today the national launch of the Deadwood Fat Bottom Betty Gordito to Drew Estate retailers. The Deadwood brand continues to skyrocket in popularity among consumers and retailers alike, and now the Gordito joins the Fat Bottom Betty lineup.

The Fat Bottom Betty Gordito features a lush maduro wrapper and is blended with aromatic and exotic tobaccos that bring out the innate sweetness of the cigar. Presented in a 6 x 60 vitola, this cigars gives the larger ring gauge enthusiast ample opportunity to enjoy Fat Bottom Betty in all her glory.

From the Wynwood Safehouse, Jonathan Drew Founder and President of Drew Estate notes, “Deadwood is on FIRE for our retailers, and is evidenced by its presence on social media. We’ve been wanting to introduce a larger ring to the Fat Bottom Betty lineup for a while, and there is no better time than right before Halloween. A perfect smoke for those cool October nights.”

The Fat Bottom Betty Gordito is sold in 10 count boxes with an MSRP of $102.50 per box and is shipping on October 28th.

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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Deadwood Tobacco’s Fat Bottom Betty by Drew Estate

Fat Bottom BettyAs I’m getting my palate back after this cold, I wanted to smoke something with tons of flavor and was fairly new and interesting.  I recently heard Fabian Ziegler, also known as Dirty Fabian, on a podcast or two talking about the line of cigars Drew Estate made for Deadwood Tobacco in South Dakota, and recently took national to their Drew Diplomat accounts. He described it as a variation on the Natural line, which I enjoy now and then because it uses interesting tobaccos like Perique and Syrian tobaccos more often used in pipe tobacco. I want to say that the difference is the maduro wrapper on the Fat Bottom Betty, which I smoked tonight, the line also has the Crazy Alice and the Sweet Jane, three crazy bitches, as Drew Estate describes them.  I even like the sweet cap on these. The Fat Bottom Betty is a 5″ x 54 with an unfinished foot. It starts out very sweet, with the interesting spices from the exotic tobaccos making for a very entertaining smoke. There was a point near the end where I got a hint of a spiced candy that I can’t quite place, but I recognized, whether it was those spiced gumdrops, or some hard candy your grandmother might have had in her candy dish at the holidays, I’m not sure.  It smoked perfectly, as one would expect from a Drew Estate offering.

I admit that I don’t gravitate toward the non-traditional cigar lines, nor fat bottoms,  but this cigar is one I’d smoke again in a heartbeat. This holds true for the Natural (soon to be called the Larutan to avoid trouble, but seriously, cigars are natural, why not be allowed to call them that?) as well, as I’ve really enjoyed the NDB in the past, and owe the rest of the line a try. While I’m thinking about Dirty Fabian, give his podcast a listen, it’s DE4Live, available on iTunes until Apple decides that cigar podcasts go against their terms like Cigar Aficionado’s Where to Smoke App (story at the link if you haven’t heard)…or whatever other podcast app you might use. It’s a fun show.

That’s enough out of me for tonight, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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