Brand: Drew Estate                 Country: Nicaragua
   Size: Gran Toro 6 x 52        Wrapper: San Andres
 Price: $7.95 (Buy)

The Label Factor:

I’ll come right out and say it: the Undercrown has my favorite label. It’s simple and somehow mysterious. Why a lion? Did you ever notice the crown under the lion?  It’s an under-crown. Yah, so I am rambling about the label. It’s pretty slick. But what about the cigar? Well, the cigar is definitely something special. I am trying to be careful to give this a balanced review. There is a lot of hype surrounding the Undercrown and my mission is to determine whether the hype is justified. Mission: Accomplished. Answer: The hype is justified.

What We Liked:

First of all, the Undercrown is built well. The chocolate brown wrapper has some noticeable veins but my burn was even all the way until my fingers burned. Using the trusty punch, the stick produces a ton of creamy white smoke with a great draw. Smoking such a smokey cigar makes me feel like a badass. The Undercrown is a cigar for badasses.

Now let’s talk about the most important aspect — the flavor. Off the light, my first impressions were of coffee and leather. There was a subtle hint of spice that was a perfect balance to the sweet creaminess. I have a lot of good things to say about this cigar. In fact, I was in my local cigar shop and a curious looking fellow in the humidor asked if I had ever smoked an Undercrown. He was probably not expecting the fifteen minute review I went on to give him. It was awkward for everybody involved, but I am passionate about this cigar. Because it is delicious.  And smoky. So much smoke!

What We Didn’t Like:

I like cigars with complexity. The Undercrown, while delicious and creamy and a little bit sweet, never really gets too complex. The flavor profile is pretty stable all the way down to the nub. I wouldn’t categorize this as an interesting smoke. The flavor you get in the first third of the cigar is what you’re stuck with until the end. I know it’s a bit of a stretch, and not entirely a bad thing, but I needed to write something in this section…

When I pick up more of these in the future, I will grab a smaller size. To me, the Gran Toro takes a little more time than I like to commit to smoking a cigar. If I hit the two hour mark of a single cigar, I start to get antsy in the pantsy and the experience is lessened a bit. This doesn’t affect how I am rating the stick but I will buy a smaller vitola in the future.

Should You Try/Buy It:

Hell. Yes. Awesome label? Check. Great flavors? Check. Reasonably priced? Check. Feeling badass? Check. This is one of the best cigars I have smoked in the $5-$8 price range. If you use CigarBid, or attend Drew Estate Events, you can catch some pretty good deals on these. The Undercrown is the definition of a box-worthy cigar and will be a staple of my humidor for the foreseeable future.

Interested in trying the Undercrown? You can purchase it here.

Overall: