Drew Estate
The Drew Estate story is one of daring, heartbreak & success but, most of all, one of passion for cigars and the country of Nicaragua, where we have been making cigars since 1998. Jonathan Drew & Marvin Samel are not your average cigar makers, their story does not start in Cuba, or with fathers in the cigar business. It started with a dream, and through their can-do spirit and never-say-die attitude made Drew Estate one of the premier cigar manufacturers on the planet. The two frat brothers from New York started out small…. Small, as in a 16 square foot retail kiosk in the World Trade Center in NYC. The early days were fraught with peril, you’d think these two frat brothers went to the school of hard knocks. Picking themselves up, dusting themselves off and never backing down would become a trademark in the years to come for them & their fledgling cigar company, Drew Estate.
ACID
The ACID smoking experience is like no other. Each blend holds new explorations in tobacco curing and blending that are the closest guarded secrets in the industry. For the past 10 years, legions of you have sought out ACID cigars in the far corners of the world to satisfy your craving for something truly one-of-a-kind, unique and inspiring.
Joya de Nicaragua
If Nicaragua had poster boys for pioneers in its tobacco industry, Simón Camacho and Juan Francisco Bermejo would be first among them. The pair fled their native Cuba like so many others of their time and sought opportunities in other lands. They had access to fields rich with deep, volcanic soil in Estelí, Condega and Jalapa; they agreed to pay workers to help them grow and harvest. And they found facilities in Central Estelí where they could process the tobacco. These were the first days of the Nicaragua Cigar Company, as Joya de Nicaragua was originally called. 50 years ago, Joya pioneered an industry by crafting the first premium cigars to ever come out of Nicaragua. Today, JDN is the most international brand of our Nicaragua, with presence in over 50 markets, and growing. Joya is thriving like never before, and it is thanks to their skillful and resilient people. Quality is not an obligation, it is their highest commitment. JDN looks forward to even more than 50 years lifting the Nicaraguan Cigar industry, and creating the most Nicaraguan cigars.
Liga Privada
Translated to English, “Liga Privada” means “private blend.” It is the perfect name, as this cigar was originally crafted not for resale, but for our own personal humidors. Dozens of intricate blends were created, but No. 9 was flawless in both flavor and character. Rich, complex and full bodied without being harsh, this amazing vitola is best described in one word: satisfying. When you light a Liga Privada No. 9, you are smoking a puro that was intended and expected to be smoked by us. Aged a full year, no expense has been spared or shortcut taken in its creation as we expect cigar perfection with every puff. Meticulously blended over a period of two years to be a worthy humidor companion to our much heralded Liga Privada No. 9 recipe. With notes of black pepper and spice, it is our choice when desiring a stronger, more robust smoke. Like its predecessor, it is a complex marriage of seven distinct aged tobaccos handcrafted by only our absolute best torcedors. Each cigar is guaranteed to be flawless in construction, flavor and character…without exception. The Liga Privada T52 story is about leaf, and the pursuit across continents to find it. Add in two gambling spirits willing to roll the dice & wait, patiently, for the magic to be revealed.
Undercrown
In early 2009 we asked our torcedores to smoke less Liga Privada cigars because they were leaving too few to be exported. This request was met with the disappointment you would expect, but rather than being disgruntled they responded by blending their own signature liga. Incorporating many of the same rare tobaccos, but of different vintages and primings, the cigar they created was no mere replacement. Rather it is an exceptional smoking experience of uncompromising quality and flavor that deserves to be smoked by all. It is always the master makers who are heralded, but the reality is that great cigars are the product of many talented people, most of whom toil in factories with no publicity ever. They are the uncelebrated heroes who make all of our lives more pleasurable with the cigars they craft. And therefore, it is with great pleasure that we are now sharing their factory floor creation with you as Undercrown, borne of our worker’s ingenuity, resourcefulness and passion for a great cigar.