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Drew Estate Kentucky Fire Cured Sweets

Esteban Carreras Unforsaken

Initial Smoke

Once lit, all sugary sweet expectations are further squashed, as the sweetness of the cigar smoke remains well within the mild-medium range. Nicaraguan topsoil, spicy peppercorn, dried chilis, and fruity muscat grape notes all stand together to make for a very tasty starting point. Retrohales are maduro magic in the making, with elegant, oily aromatics mirroring prelit impressions, and backed by a medium-bodied, lengthier finish.

1st Half

Retrohales shifting toward a darker, sweeter profile signals the first third's intentions loud and clear. Molasses funk has grown considerably, as too has the traditional fermented tobacco mixture of leather and soil. That roasted chili powder note has also managed to hold on somehow, and it provides an interesting roastiness to the whole situation, without bringing too much in the way of heat.

Milky, creamy cocoa plays perfectly off the roasted chili peppers; the shift into second gradually starts to show an uptick in sweetness, which makes the molasses notes taste all the more meaningful. But there's more than just bubbling pots of sappy syrup here, with spiced cola tastes and a touch of cedar and salt sending the tongue salivating in a slightly different direction. By now, the body has built to near full status, with flavor being a close second, and strength sitting low down in the medium section.

2nd Half

Just when the body felt like it was going to get super heavy, which, in my review, the cigar sat right dead center in the stick, along came a refreshing rip of oak and a tingly prickle of black peppercorn. Since the maduro darkness of the blend was favoring soil over all else at that exact moment, the blend seemed to reset itself before plunging headfirst back into the fermented depths.

This time around, things were a bit different. Leather leapt forth, and when mixed with the last split of oak, the texture of the smoke became this melding of oily and dry. Out front, cola flavors have become more root beer inclined, and while the maduro boldness of the entire experience has tipped well into full status, a dry cocoa powder taste and texture manages to keep things from going too heavy on the palate.

Parting Puffs

Make your way into parting puffs, and the fermented funk that has been masquerading as molasses suddenly stands up and strikes the senses. Oily, terroir-backed, and big on coffee without all of the bitterness, parting puffs are both broad-shouldered and well-built. It's an incredibly dark, gratifying, and nearly opaque end to the blend that doesn't hold back or go off the rails.

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

Esteban Carreras continues to craft some of the best-burning boutique blends money can buy, at least when it comes to anything that isn't box-pressed in my experience. This blend is just another example of what a well-constructed cigar can offer when it is stored correctly and then dry-boxed properly. Hell, just take a look at that ash, and you will have all the evidence you need to heed these words.

Final Thoughts

Although it may not be the most revolutionary combination of maduro cigar flavor profiles, I must admit that the way in which this blend burns and evolves is immensely satisfying. It's one of those sticks that starts on the medium side, and then gradually grows to full until the very end. At which point you are left holding an incredibly potent, aromatic nub that is just as oily and dark as it gets.

I also must commend Esteban Carreras for getting the right sugar water balance down, which apparently took over two years to perfect. The cigar definitely tastes sweet; there's no getting around this fact. But it isn't a syrupy mess that clouds the senses and prevents you from appreciating all of the fermented funk inside and maduro magic that wraps up the outside. Instead, you get more of an accentuation of sweetness than a separate cigar flavor profile, and the result is consistently solid, if all but a little too familiar at times. 

The winning card in this deck comes in the way of transitions, balance, performance, and shelf appeal. Externally, this blend looks like an absolute banger, even without its beautiful band. As the cigar gradually shifts from one flavor profile to the next, while building in intensity and body as it goes, the immaculate burn rewards the senses with a smoking session that is purposeful and potent. Pretty sweet, huh?

Overall Balance & Repeatability