Undercrown Maduro Gran Toro

The story behind Undercrown is almost as epic as the blend itself. This cigar, released in 2011, came about because the torcedores at the Drew Estate factory were smoking so many Liga Privadas that the company was having trouble keeping inventory. They blended Undercrown, which Jonathan Drew calls an “inverse Liga Privada,” to smoke instead, this time using an exceptionally dark Otapan Negro Último Corte wrapper leaf from Mexico. “Último Corte,” meaning “last cut,” refers to the process of delaying the harvest for several weeks in order to bring out the leaf’s natural sweetness. The Undercrown uses a Connecticut-grown stalk-cut Habano leaf (the same one used in Liga Privada T52) for its binder, and the filler is a blend of Brazilian Mata Fina and Cuban-seed Nicaraguan tobaccos. The result, as you could well imagine, is outstanding. Undercrown is chocolaty, earthy, creamy, and peppery with some of the richest tobacco flavors you can find. The construction is on par with any Drew Estate cigar, and ensures an easy draw and razor-straight burn from start to finish.