Drew Estate RootCigar Name: Drew Estate Natural Root (5 x 55)
Cigar Description: Nicaraguan filler with a maduro wrapper
Cigar Strength: Medium
Review of the Cigar itself: I've smoked a few of the Natural cigars before. This isn't a cigar for everyone as many people don't like the sweeter wrapper (although the Root's wrapper isn't as sweet as the Dirt's). What is unique about the Root is the way the foot is done: it's almost as if someone hurriedly bunched up the last little bit of tobacco at the end and forgot to cut it. Regardless of one's opinion on cigars like this, Drew Estates does take time to build a solid cigar. The wrapper is a nice dark creamy chocolate colour with one or two larger veins in it. There are two bands on it, one at the foot and one at the traditional location near the cap. The one at the foot loose enough to remove around but it was just snug enough to not be able to gentle remove it whole. I ended up tearing off but was able to do so without any wrapper damage. The one at the cap came off easily on it's own (a little too much give allowed for it when put on, I think). It's interesting that they identify the area/province where the tobacco comes from: Esteli, Nicaragua.
I sliced a bit off the cap and then lit the foot. It burned easily and evenly. Interestingly enough, I got a hint of a dark mocha taste from it immediately. As I let it burn, the ash from the initial rough foot fell off in one mass just before I got it to the ashtray. I'd suggest being careful when it's first burning, at least until that initial rough foot is gone. The one thing about most of the Natural cigars is that you'll find that most people like the smell, even if they don't like the taste. This means people around you are less likely to crinkle their nose at the smell: it's slightly herbal-clove-like. This makes it gentle to the nose and very pleasant.
The ash became more "solid" and less likely to fall off at whim now that the foot had burned enough. The taste continued with a mocha flavouring and I noticed a hint of wine, almost a Merlot, in the background. It's a very interesting contrast to my usual cigar, the Georges Reserve or others I have. It was pretty good about self-correcting any dugboating and I had no reason to touch it up at any point. I did get over cautious with the ash and tapped it regularly, however. Even though it was relatively solid, I wanted to avoid the potential of accidental droppings from happening. The smoke that came from it was a mesmerizing blue drift that trailed upwards and out the open window. The crisp air was content to grab it and, even occasionally, dance it around.
The flavour remained fairly solid throughout, just enough to taste but not too mild to leave no taste. As I got into the last third I detected a hint of sweetness, almost as if the mocha had sugar added to it. It wasn't overwhelming in that flavour but enough to give a little bit of wake-up call to remind you that the flavour was still present. Although I had coffee with this, I drank more of the water to ensure that my palate was "clean" between draws.
As I got closer to the nub, the taste of wine-cherry became stronger. For a morning start, it's a pretty decent cigar to begin with. Although Drew Estates lists this as a medium, I'd almost put this as a mild-medium as the taste was present most of the time but it was relatively light. The nub itself had a bit more of woody-cedar taste to it. I ended up using a toothpick to hold that last little bit as my fingers are not as nimble as they used to be.
Enjoyed with: Water, a coffee (sugar and soy creamer) and some roasted and salted sunflower seeds to snack on.
Smoke time: approximately 1 hour and a half
Purchased at: Famous Smoke (purchased about 6 months ago and has been in the humidor all that time)
Final Review Rating: 8.5/10
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Pictures are better positioned on my blog entry but will do here.
:-)
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