Tabak Negra Robusto (5 x 54) Cigar

Tabak Especial is Drew Estate's coffee-infused line, and it traces back to the Kahlua Cigars Delicioso project the company ran in the early 2000s; when Kahlua moved on after a change of ownership in 2008, Drew Estate re-tooled the brand under the Tabak Especial name. Jonathan Drew spent roughly five years applying what he learned from the Kahlua cigars before the new blend was finished. The line comes in two expressions — the Connecticut-wrapped Dulce and the maduro-wrapped Negra, which is the darker, espresso-leaning half of the pair.

A dark, oily Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan long-fillers, slowly infused with estate-grown Nicaraguan coffee from the Jinotega and Matagalpa regions. Handmade at Drew Estate's La Gran Fabrica in Estelí, Nicaragua. Several sizes in the line, this Robusto among them, are finished with a shaggy foot for an easy light and an early preview of the filler.

The Negra leans dark roast rather than light, resonating with mocha, coffee and dark chocolate. The smoke is creamy and lightly sweet with earthy tobacco underneath and a bit of spice, closing on dark coffee and cocoa. The infusion reads as a coffee accent rather than a candied flavoring.

Coffee is the natural partner — take it black for the Negra's bolder chocolate-and-spice side, or with cream and sugar to play up the sweetness.

A classic morning smoke next to a fresh cup of coffee, where the coffee and chocolate notes do their best work.